Family / Whānau involvement at Petone Kindergarten

('Whānau' - pronounced "FAA-no" - is a Maori term meaning family).

We appreciate family / whānau involvement at kindergarten. When we build relationships with families we learn more about our children and connect with their worlds.

Our early childhood curriculum Te Whāriki states "Children's learning and development are fostered if the well-being of their family and community is supported; if their family, culture, knowledge and community are respected; and there is a strong connection and consistency among all aspects of the child's world. The curriculum builds on what children bring to it and makes links with the everyday activities and special events of families, whānau, local communities and cultures"


During term one, we had some families take part in the following ways:

Hana's mother Mayumi came and taught the children how to make delicious sushi.

Many children said they eat sushi at the shoppingmall and some said their parents have made sushi.

Kayla's mother Melinda led a music, movement and gymnastics session with our Kea group.

Kayla and Melinda shared some songs they knew

Children had a go copying, listening and following the instructions from a new adult

Kyle's mother Karen taught the children about water safety - safety around baths, pools, beaches and rivers.

The Seagull children sat wonderfully outside as they listened to Karen.

Some children already knew Karen as she teaches swim lessons to a few of our families.

Children had fun trying on the child-sized life jacket, which we borrowed for a week.

There are many ways in which families are welcome to take part in our community:

• Talking, emailing, or writing in your child's profile book  about your child's learning and development is valuable to us - we encourage sharing ideas and opinions
• Being part of our Kindergarten Committee -  this is made up of volunteer parents who meet twice a term to discuss children's learning at kindergarten and support fundraising initiative. Some families / parents choose to support the kindergarten by taking part in fundraising activities but are not members of the Committee, which is also helpful
• Helping with regular or one-off jobs around the kindergarten - e.g. making morning tea for children, cleaning, sweeping leaves, fixing items
• Sharing knowledge and experiences with children during session - e.g. teaching children new skills, leading an activity, taking part in outings and events 

Thank you to our wonderful families / whānau for supporting the learning that happens at kindergarten!

Children love having their families take a part in our kindergarten community. You are welcome to spend some time with us during our kindergarten sessions. If you have particular ideas you would like to share, please feel free to chat with one of the teaching staff.

Special friend's Day

 

26-27th February 2013. By Nicolette.

 

Special friends day is a chance for the children to share their Kindergarten with an adult of their choice, someone who doesn’t normally get to see how the Kindergarten day runs. The children were able to think about who they wanted to invite and even give them a personal invitation. We were thrilled with the response and the number of people who came to spend some time here at Kindy. Thank you to everyone who did take time off busy schedules to be here. Being able to show friends around adds to the children’s sense of belonging at Kindergarten. This is their place! It is also a great way to build ties and connections between home and Kindy;

 

Te Whaariki,

Belonging, goal  1: Children and their families experience an environment where connecting links with the wider world are affirmed and extended

Contribution, goal 2: Children experience an environment where they are affirmed as individuals. And: 

Contribution, goal 3: they are encouraged to learn with and alongside others.

 

Social interactions also relate to the Te Whaariki principle of Family and

Community as children’s special contributions are encouraged and valued. 

 

Looking at the smiles and happy faces all around, and the comments we had, the children and adults had a great time!

 

Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Model:

 

 

 

Water Week

Water Week. Jan 28th—Feb 1st

 

We could not have chosen a better week to have a togs/water week.

This started because one of our children is leaving for school soon and he mentioned to Raylene that before he goes he’d like us to have a water day.  It’s important to the teachers that the children are heard and listened to; that their ideas are respected. We all thought it was a great plan so we told everyone to bring their togs on Monday and every day that week.

 

We also believe this helps the children feel this is THEIR place, a place they belong.

So many children were willing to engage in the familiar (or new) experience of the waterslide and sprinkler. Some loved it, some didn’t.  A funny thing we learned was that hardly any parents name children’s clothes so this made the “Getting dressed” part hilarious.

 

We will certainly do this again when the opportunity arises and the weather is gorgeous.