Gallery

Term 2 School Holiday Antics - Winter Sports Day

Our 'Winter Sports Day' was definitely wintry.  Lots of rain made our outdoor environment wet and muddy.  But even so, some hardy Southland tamariki got out and made their own game of touch rugby.  Being keen sports men they can play in gumboots.

Adam G, Adam S, Charlie H, Charlie B and Thomas all joined in with enthusiasm, chasing the ball around.  

Adam G was very happy to wear his rugby boots at preschool, taking extra care when he was walking on the concrete, so as to not fall over.  They did help him run fast on the grass areas. 
 

A fun time was had by all, taking turns to run with the ball and remembering to tag each other, not tackle, developing their speed and agility in slippery conditions. 

Tu meke tamariki.

Term 2 School Holiday Antics - Matariki Celebrations

Matariki begins to rise in the last few days of May, and this symbolises the coming of the Maori New Year. Some iwi, or tribes, start celebrations when Matariki is first seen, however it is the first new moon after Matariki that officially signals the Maori New Year. Some people celebrate the New Year on the day the new moon rises, and others celebrate on the day after the new moon. Celebrations can last up to 3 days.

Term 2 School Holiday Antics - Book Character Day

On Friday we had some interesting and fun characters at preschool. 
At our group mat time, I (Anna) read some of  the books the tamariki had brought to Akoranga for the day.  When I read the 'Hungry Caterpillar' book, our very 'Hungry Caterpillar' (Rose) ate all the food and went into her chrysalis to re-emerge as a butterfly.

We were also visited by 'Tintin' (Peter) and 'Cookie Monster' (myself) who dropped cookies everywhere all day.

Thank you to all the whanau and tamariki for joining in this fun day, sharing their favourite books with us at Akoranga Preschool.  It is wonderful to see such a wide interest in books that are enjoyed by the tamariki and whanau.

Food Science

Here are some food science experiments for you to do with your children

Credit to knowmeeatme.com

Creating our Healthy Food Display

What a busy few days we have had in Room 2 creating fruit and vegetables to go on display in the office. This experience was offered to anyone interested in helping.  The reason behind this display is to bring attention to the next stage of our Healthy Food Self Review. 
Kade and Rhyley helped to paint blue on the paper as we needed blueberries like Pete the Cat. Both boys used this opportunity to explore their bodies as another canvas. Ava helped to stuff newspaper into the lemons. She carefully ripped the newspaper and then scrunched this up before adding each piece into the hole created. Ava was very focused during this task.
Thank you for your help Kade, Rhyley , and Ava. 
Jack and Kade wanted to try stapling the paper together. This skill required hand eye coordination when putting the paper into the correct place and then strength to release the staple. Thanks for helping Jack and Kade.
Manaia and Jett helped to stuff the blueberries. Jett used his skill to rip the paper. Manaia ripped the newspaper into small pieces and then added it to each whole. This was a bit tricky but Manaia was focused and completed the blueberries. Thanks for your help Manaia and Jett. The next stage was to create our scarecrow. Kade, Celia, Seth, Bella, Jack, and Ajay were all involved with helping. The final stage was display all the fruit , veggies, and our scarecrow. Kade and Jack were again involved in carefully carrying our creations. How helpful these boys have been through this project.  I do hope you enjoyed showing your whanau.