Village Kids - Te Mata Rd

Little Ballerina's

2012-01-19T12:19:00.002+13:00

Our new Morepork!

2012-01-17T16:45:00.000+13:00

Welcome Back Carolyn!

2012-01-16T16:35:00.004+13:00

For the past few weeks Carolyn has been working down with the Tui's and the Pukeko's. We were happy to share her but are even happier that she is back to play with us.
For Carolyn's first day back the children and teachers decided to bake her a yummy banana cake. We also had fun in the water play and in the sandpit digging and filling up buckets of sand.
For afternoon tea we surprised Carolyn with the cake we baked also singing Wwelcome back to the Morepork's". We cant wait to see what new and exciting ideas and activities Carolyn will show us from the centre down the road!

Stretchy Lycra

2012-01-12T13:55:00.003+13:00

We had so much fun with the stretchy lycra today. Vanessa and Amanda helped the children to stretch and pull and tug on the blue lycra. The children also liked wriggling their fingers and toes underneath the lycra just like 'The Stretchy Lycra" song suggested. We all laughed and giggled as we worked so closely next to each other. We will definitely be doing this activity again tomorrow!

Water Fun for Everyone

2012-01-11T12:06:00.004+13:00

This morning is was very peaceful in the garden. The children were so involved in their play that we could hear the birds chirping and the water dripping in the puddles. The water trough was out and so were lots of water toys like buckets, water wheels, boats and watering cans. The orange water was transported from one trough to the other by the children and again onto the ground to make puddles to splash around in.

All the children worked alongside each other so well sharing the toys and the space around the troughs. Through their play they were thinking about and learning about weight and volume as they filled their buckets and watering cans; and also developing working theories about water and its properties and they way it made the water wheels spin around.

We had a fantastic morning playing with the water splashing about and breaking the silence in the garden with our laughter. Have a look at the photos which share the enjoyment the children had in their play this morning.

The Summer Holidays!

2012-01-05T12:37:00.004+13:00

We have had so much fun over the Christmas/New Year break! The children have had fun painting, building, playing with bubbles and helping to look after the Blue Tongued Skinks!

Christmas Shared Lunch

2011-12-23T14:17:00.002+13:00

A Walk to the Village

2011-12-22T13:52:00.006+13:00

22 December 2011

This morning Sandy, Jemma and I took, Elizabeth, Libby, Callan, Scarlett, Paige and Logan for a walk. We went down to visit the Tuis and Pukekos and wish them a Merry Xmas. The children were lucky as they were offered a second morning tea. We went out to play in the Tui playground and saw a few of our old friends like William and Lily, Noah and James and Amelia and Oisin.
We were going to help sing Christmas Carols through town but instead we decided to look at the decorations around town and make a move back home for lunch. We saw a very tall Christmas tree and decorations of Santa and reindeer. It was so nice to get out and about and see the Christmas spirit in the community.

Fuchsia is Big Sister Now

2011-12-21T15:10:00.000+13:00

Our new mirror...

2011-12-15T12:22:00.004+13:00

It was really exciting today when Paul turned up with a big object wrapped in a rug. What was it? It was the centre's mirror that the teachers had mosaiced on the Teachers Only Day 2011.
It was a bit of decision on where to put it but we decided under the breakfast bar so when the children have finished eating their kai, they can look in the mirror to clean their faces and wash their hands.

The teachers are so proud of their efforts and the children love to look at their handsome faces in the mirror.

Bubble Time!!

2011-12-14T14:58:00.002+13:00

We love Christmas!!!

2011-12-13T14:54:00.003+13:00

We are really getting into the Christmas spirit at Village Kids - Te Mata Road. We have been making christmas decorations, baking, listening to christmas carols and taking photos with santa hats on!!!

We love Christmas!!!!

Summer Fun!

2011-12-13T08:44:00.004+13:00

We know when summer is on its way when....

KidzPlay Toy Library and Petting Zoo....

2011-12-09T08:02:00.002+13:00

Christmas comes to Te Mata Road...

2011-12-01T12:23:00.000+13:00

Shared Art experiences

2011-11-30T14:15:00.000+13:00

Over the last few days the children have been loving being involved in shared art experiences!
We have been drawing with crayons, painting with different colour paints and then using dyes on the pictures.

Art experiences develop many things for our children. They learn spatial awareness by working close to others and helps with hand/eye co-ordination. They develop their imagination and learn about shape, colour, design, and a sense of enjoyment!

WEEEEEE-YOOOOOOO!!!!

2011-11-17T13:22:00.000+13:00

10 November 2011

2011-11-10T15:10:00.002+13:00

Rolling Down the Ramp

2011-11-02T14:07:00.003+13:00

2nd November 2011

Libby picked up one of the cars and tried to roll it down the ramp. The car rolled and took a few pushes from Libby to get it all they way down to the bottom of the ramp. Callan and Bryn noticed Libby and her car and too thought they would roll cars down the ramp. This looked like fun so I went to the shed and got out some of our big buses and trucks for the children to use. Well what a frenzy! Everyone wanted to join in and have a turn. Ngakau, Scarlett, Logan, Greer, Bryn, Callan and Libby all had a blast rolling the trucks down the ramp and chasing after them all they way to the bottom of the ramp. It was a great experience for the children to develop and show patience, turn taking and sharing. Logan seemed to be learning about cause and effect as he pushed the cars to make them roll forward and backwards. He was more fascinated when he rolled the car down the ramp and it went faster and faster picking up speed and falling off the side disappearing into the grass. The most fun was learning the difference between fast and slow with our cars. What fun we had and maybe we will try rolling different objects down the ramp tomorrow.

BBQ For Lunch, 27th October 2011

2011-10-27T14:01:00.001+13:00

Summer is here!

2011-10-25T14:29:00.004+13:00

After our sleeps, we put on some sunblock and our sunhats and down to the grass we went! The water trough had been filled up this morning, so the water was really warm!

After we had splashed in the water, Carolyn got some pipes and tied them to the railings. What was she going to do? Then we saw water coming through the pipes because Carolyn had put the hose in the pipe! Then the water turned green...its ok, it was only green dye that Carolyn put down the pipe too!

The children had a great time splashing in the water - and splashing each other! Can't wait for more warm weather so we can play some more in the water.

The Morepork Mummy's

2011-10-19T14:02:00.002+13:00

The Morepork Rugby Stars!

2011-10-18T15:36:00.000+13:00

Bailey comes to visit

2011-10-17T13:32:00.002+13:00

Laura came in today and brought in her dog Bailey.

Addison really enjoyed saying hello to Bailey, she is a very friendly dog!

We hope to see Bailey again. It is great that we can interact with the community within our centre.

We love storytime...

2011-10-13T13:05:00.001+13:00

School Holidays

2011-10-12T13:46:00.004+13:00

A lot of our children are spending time at home this week and it has been nice just to chill and relax with the small group of children that are here.

We have been painting our toes...

Playing Jack in the Box!

Jack in the Box, Jack in the Box quiet and still, will you come out, will you come out...

YES I WILL!!!

We had important discussions about what we are going to buy when we go shopping...

Building together...

And learning about our body parts!

Amanda and Elizabeth

2011-10-11T16:51:00.000+13:00

BIG BIG BUBBLES

2011-10-03T12:43:00.004+13:00

In the garden this morning there were BIG bubbles!!!

It was fun to try and catch them.

Amanda tried to make really looooong bubbles.

It was exciting for all who were watching the big and long bubbles.

Jumping Jellybeans

2011-09-26T17:16:00.004+13:00

26 September 2011

What a fantastic and busy morning we had today. The children were excited and ready to play as soon as they arrived. Luckily the sun was out and so was a fantastic climbing course set up in our garden. The children were immediately attracted to this and began climbing up, over and onto the many parts of the course.

Callan decide to lead the children to try taking a bit of a risk and jumping off the end of the blue beam. Noah and James followed suit and too jumped off the beam onto our mat. Soon we had most of the children all taking risks and jumping too. It was neat to see the children all involved and working well alongside each other sharing the equipment. They waited patiently and took turns allowing each other the time and space to jump when they felt ready. Lilly was especially happy to climb today. She has been challenging and building up her confidence while balancing on the blue beam. Today she even attempted to jump off the beam with a helping hand from the teachers. Well done Lilly! We will have to get out the blue beam again tomorrow and continue to practice our climbing and jumping skills.

The Wheelbarrow Challenge!

2011-09-22T14:33:00.001+12:00

Keeping up with the RWC!!!

2011-09-21T12:17:00.004+12:00

We are keeping up to date with the Rugby World Cup here at Village Kids and are even brushing up on our geography!
Here are some of our displays that we add to regularly as the All Blacks progress through the tournament.

Our Patriotic Window

The Current Events Window

Our Little All Black

The first of many awesome moments!!!

What a game!!!

Spring Screen Prints!

2011-08-30T13:14:00.005+12:00

Fun in the sun!

2011-08-25T13:06:00.003+12:00

Today we played outside and had a great time!!!
One activity that captured the attention of the children was making volcanoes in the sandpit. Vanessa sat in the sandpit with the children and made green volcanoes!

The children thought it was cool when the 'lava' flowed out of the volcano! Lots of ohhhs and ahhhhs! They enjoyed exploring with their fingers learning about temperature, wet or dry and liquid or solid.

We could also smell the vinegar (one the prime ingredients for a volcano) which some of the children screwed their noses up at...

Natural Collage

2011-08-23T14:36:00.004+12:00

This afternoon, while it was nice and quiet, we did some natural collage on the deck.
First we walked around the garden and found some leaves, petals, seed pods and flowers for our collage. Then we put some glue on our paper and chose which petal we wanted to put on the paper. Some of the things wouldn't stick on the paper very well so we had to put heaps of glue on the paper and the leaves!
Our collages looked so cool, we can't wait to share them with everyone!

3+ is easy!

2011-08-19T12:28:00.003+12:00

Today we sat and threaded with our new threading fruits. On the box it said for ages 3+ but that didn't seem to matter as our children used their fine motor skills and developing co-ordination skills to thread the worms through the holes.
I was so impressed with the concentration that our children used as they worked hard to thread and how proud they were of themselves when they succeeded!
Well done Little Moreporks!!! Age doesn't matter ;)

What we did today? 18/08/2011

2011-08-18T14:19:00.001+12:00

Monday Morning 15.08.2011

2011-08-15T15:29:00.000+12:00

Addison's 1st Birthday

2011-08-15T15:26:00.001+12:00

We love the animal song!!!

2011-08-12T16:24:00.003+12:00

This is one of our favourite songs at the moment!!! Look at our children watching and learning as the song shows the children what each animal sounds like.

Mandarin Candles

2011-08-11T11:11:00.002+12:00

After our 'festering foam' yesterday, I thought it would be cool to do some more science experiments!
I searched the fruit bowl for a mandarin and found one that I thought would work.

I cut the mandarin in half and we scooped the fruit out. While having a nibble on the fruit, I filled the skins with some oil.

We waited a little bit for the oil to soak up the pith and then we lit it. It took a couple of goes before our candles lit but when they did, they burnt for ages!

So we did the other half. We nibble on the fruit while the oil soaked the pith and then we lit it. This candle worked better because the pith was longer than the first pith.

The children were very good at using there eyes to watch the candles.
What a fun way to introduce science concepts to the children, and we got to have a nibble to!

Fresh Rolls and Rainbow butter!!!

2011-08-10T12:31:00.004+12:00

Monday Morning

2011-08-08T15:01:00.003+12:00

This morning started off freezing cold with a very icy frost. Once the sun came out the children decided to go out to play having lots to do as the day warmed up. In the sandpit were children busy digging. We filled up buckets and made castles; testing out some basic maths concepts like volume and weight. There were also baking tins which gave the children the idea to cook some delicious cakes and bake them in our oven. I saw some really neat dramatic play as they added ingredients and stirred their pans of sand.
On the grass we had some neat climbing challenges set up. The favourite climbing equipment of the morning was the little yellow bridge. It is rather tricky and involves a lot of thinking and practice to climb over it. The children were very kind and caring helping each other walk across the bridge by holding hands for support. The little yellow bridge provides the children with an opportunity to practice and test their bodies abilities and learn to become confident in their bodies movements.
Hopefully tomorrow will bring another sunny day so we can play outside in the sun and practice our climbing skills.

What can we do today?

2011-07-13T13:08:00.002+12:00

Let's fly!

2011-07-11T12:56:00.005+12:00

After lunch we had a small group of children up.
As we filled in notebooks, Callan and Logan had their pens and paper and they were 'writing' to!
This evolved into something else - making paper planes!
Callan loved to try and fly them and Lilly joined in the fun!
We tried lots of different designs and some flew better than others. And sometimes it depended on how fast or hard they were thrown.

The children are learning about the properties of paper and how when it is folded different ways it has different effects on the way the paper planes fly.
What a fun way to introduce scientific concepts such as physics to the children.

Soup glorious soup!

2011-06-24T07:51:00.002+12:00

Lets make some soup!

2011-06-22T14:27:00.006+12:00

We have been collecting vegetables for our soup day! Bex and Kirsty bought in their slowcookers and Amanda bought in her stock pot so we decided we could make 3 soups; a pumpkin soup, a minestrone soup and a vegetable soup.
This afternoon we started to prepare the vegetables and the children were able to help us!
Hannah, Charlie, Logan, Callan and Lilly all had a butter knife each and they had a try at cutting the celery.
Now this is a very difficult skill for the children to master but they gave it a really good go and I am sure we will have more practice soon.
We can't wait until tomorrow when we make our bread rolls and taste our yummy soup!

Our new worms!

2011-06-20T11:28:00.000+12:00

We are so excited because we finally have our new worms for our worm cafe!
We took the bag down to their new home and Bex opened the bag. We were very curious so took the opportunity to have a really good look at the worms!
Bex broke up the dirt and we saw heaps of worms! She did try to find some egg casings for us to see but we couldn't find any.
Louise has been feeding the worms daily with the food scraps from our lunches so hopefully we will have lots of 'liquid gold' to put on our gardens so our vegetables grow big and delicious!

Our messy morning!

2011-06-10T11:31:00.003+12:00

Today it was raining! What can we do? We made gloop and we had a messy morning!

The children loved running their fingers through the gloop and picking it up! Lily was really good at catching the gloop in her hands and Elizabeth loved to use her finger and push through the gloop.

Amanda then put some glitter in it and Callan, Libby and Hannah tried to pick up the glitter.

They had so much fun this morning, aren't we lucky this activity isn't limited to wet weather!!!!

Organic snail bait...

2011-05-25T13:39:00.004+12:00

This afternoon we laid our organic snail bait. Louise saved the peels from our mandarins and eggs from our baking and Bex brought in some saw dust from home. I wonder if it will work?

Pesky Pests!!!

2011-05-24T12:59:00.003+12:00

The last couple of mornings when we have gone down to the garden we have noticed that someone or something has been eating our new plants!
It must be those pesky snails....
Look at what they have done to our plants!

But look at our strawberry plants...untouched! Which means that snails don't like strawberries!

Bex did some research about organic ways to repel snails and found that they don't like citrus peels, egg shells or saw dust, so watch this space for our organic trials to rid us of our pesky pests!

The Grand Opening 20th May 2011

2011-05-23T13:04:00.002+12:00

Greer turns 1!

2011-05-23T12:20:00.003+12:00

Today it was Greer's turn to have a birthday!
Because Laura is such a spectacular baker, she made some little cakes - one for each child and we had a had a celebration at afternoon tea!
We all sang Happy Birthday to her and Bex helped Greer blow out the candle.
Yay - another celebration with our children - we love it!

Logan turns one!

2011-05-19T09:36:00.004+12:00

It was Logan's first birthday on Monday and it was cool to celebrate it with him.
We love to celebrate these special moments with our children.

Its finished!

2011-05-18T13:53:00.003+12:00

How exciting! Our new outdoor area is finished and the children love it!
Paul has done a fantastic job redesigning the area. It now incorporates a bark area and swing, a water feature, a secret garden for the children to walk through and seats to sit under the kowhai tree. We also have expanded storage space to house our outdoor play equipment, prams and gardening equipment.
When the area was finished, we thought about what we could do next and one of our Mum's suggested we apply for a grant through the Hawkes Bay Regional Council to purchase equipment and seeds for our new gardens. So off went Bex to get quotes for children's gardening equipment, seeds and a worm cafe.
We were so excited when the grant was approved and Bex was even more excited to go to Mitre 10 Mega in Hastings with Paul and purchase the stuff!!
Bex and the children spent the next few days planting and playing and planning! We can't wait for our 'Grand Opening' so everyone can see the new outdoor area!
Come and view the new garden and play area from 3pm on Friday 20th May and have some afternoon tea with us!

Cress heads - Day 4

2011-05-12T13:20:00.000+12:00

Day 4 and look at them grow! Today, unfortunately though, it was a little overcast so we put the cress heads in the hot water cupboard so they would have the warmth they needed to grow!
I wonder how much they will grow by tomorrow? And tomorrow we are going to eat them with mayonnaise and fresh bread!

New children at Village Kids?

2011-05-09T12:29:00.003+12:00

Today we created some new friends.
Louise saved all the egg shells for the last few weeks and brought some cress seeds in the shopping for Bex and today she made 'cress heads' with the children.
First Laura and Bex drew faces on the egg shells. Then we put wet cotton balls in the egg shells and sprinkled the seeds onto the wet cotton wool.
We placed them in the sun so they would grow! Hopefully they will grow quickly so check in each day to follow the progress.

Puff Painting - 03 May 2011

2011-05-04T13:05:00.004+12:00

This morning Bex came to work rather excited about an art idea she had! "We could do puff painting with the children!"
What a fantastic idea! We looked on the internet for the recipe and then talked about the process and how the children could be part of the whole process.
Bex mixed up the paint and we got some paper. We also put the microwave on a small table so the children could be part of the whole process.
The children loved to dot the paint onto the paper then take it to Sandy to put in the microwave. Holly loved to open the door for the paintings to in the microwave.

When Sandy turned the microwave on, the children stood back and watched the paintings go round and round and puff up! It was so exciting!
The puffy creations were awesome - we have to do this activity again soon!

Welcome Sandy!

2011-04-20T15:02:00.002+12:00

We have a new staff member on our team - Sandy!
Sandy has experience with children, mainly working with children with special needs and relieving in kindergartens.
Sandy also has a background in chefing!
I know you will all help us making her feel welcome in the Moreporks!

Teddy Bear's Picnic

2011-04-14T13:01:00.010+12:00

Last Thursday was a beautiful sunny day, perfect for our Teddy Bear's picnic. The whole centre and a few helpful parents took a drive over to the park on the Marine Parade in Napier.
The children were very excited as they belted up in the cars with their teddies. Once there their expressions were priceless when they saw the playground.

Everyone had a blast. The children loved the playground, and it was great that we were fenced in. As you can see in the photos the children loved climbing up the steps, the swings, the tunnel and the giant abacus and naughts and crosses. The big hit of the day was the blue slide and the seagulls. The seagulls hung around trying to get a taste of our delicious baked goods but were chased away by the children. The children thought this was hilarious and alot of fun, it was gorgeous to watch.

Louise had been busy the day before baking treats for our picnic. When it came to morning tea the children sat on picnic rugs with their teddies and had a feast. There was cakes and cookies, fruit and tea and scones for the parents. Not only were we here for a teddy bears picnic but it was a special day for our friend Jack. He turned 2!!! So to celebrate mum baked a delicious chocolate cake to share with all of us. Thanks Jack's mum and to all our lovely parent helpers for spending a day at the park with us :)

Meet and Greet

2011-04-12T12:49:00.003+12:00

Last night we had a meet and greet at the centre. It was great to spend time with some of our parents in a relaxed environment.
As well as chatting, we started some mosaics that we will put into our outdoor environment when it is completed.
Here are some photos of last nights efforts! Feel free to drop in and add to the mosaics so we can finish them!

Children's Day

2011-04-07T14:52:00.000+12:00

The Morepork's playground improvements!!!

2011-03-14T13:44:00.004+13:00

Our playground, while awesome and natural, has been a blank canvas! We started to think about what we could incorporate into the outdoor area to enhance it and give the children an awesome, natural, more tactile area.

Paul had a plan and we liked it! So Paul began to build. Unfortunately we had to say goodbye to our lemon tree but we are excited about the new garden that will take its place.

Watch this space for daily updates on our playground progress.

What's in our egg? Day 8 (14th March)

2011-03-14T13:29:00.005+13:00

When we got to Village Kids this morning we checked our crocodile and guess what we saw?!

Our crocodile was so big but his foot was still stuck in his egg so we gave the egg a little shake and our crocodile floated right on out!

We all had a feel of the shell and we looked at the patterns inside the egg.
We all had a feel of the crocodile's back to see what he felt like. It was bumpy and hard.

Amelia and I measured our crocodile and he was 11cm long. I wonder how long he will be tomorrow?

It was really cool to see how gentle the children were when they touched the crocodile. They are understanding how to care for creatures in the environment.

We need to give our crocodile a name, I wonder what the children will decide on? Watch this space in the next few days for the children's decision.

What's in our egg? Day 5 (11th March)

2011-03-11T14:42:00.003+13:00

There was not much change in our egg today! I think we may have to help him out of his shell so he can grow properly now.

Amelia was so good at listening to instructions and looking with her eyes. I explained that we had to be very careful and gentle with the crocodile as he was still so little! I gave each Amelia and Hannah some of the shell to touch and feel.

Hannah thought the crocodile was cool too but she didn't like the feel of the shell. Amelia rubbed the shell between her fingers and broke her piece in two, which illustrated how soft and fragile the shell was.

Lilly and William were curious but was okay just to look.

It was great to see the children being gentle with the crocodile and his shell. It is further reiterating to the children how to care for the creatures in our environment.

What's in our egg? Day 4 (10th March)

2011-03-11T13:10:00.002+13:00

Look how our crocodile has grown!

What's in our egg? Day 3 (9th March)

2011-03-10T10:59:00.004+13:00

Guess what we saw today? It was a crocodile in our egg!
We can see his snout, his eyes and his front legs so far. I wonder how long it is going to take for the rest of the crocodile to come out of the egg?

What's in our egg? Day 2 (March 8th)

2011-03-09T10:48:00.004+13:00

Today we were very keen to see if our egg had hatched it's surprise. But alas, not yet!
We could see little green feet poking out and Elizabeth and I wondered what it could be. Molly thought that it was exciting when she saw the little green feet poking out. The girls very gently touched the egg to see what it felt like. Some of the egg was cracking and some of the egg was still smooth and intact. Elizabeth was curious about the pieces of shell that had dropped to the bottom of the bowl.

The children are becoming very curious and the little green feet are sparking lots of discussion. It is cool to see them curious and beginning to actively explore our new creature in the bowl....I wonder what it will look like tomorrow?

What's in our egg? Day 1 (March 7th)

2011-03-08T13:51:00.007+13:00

When I came back from Australia, I brought the Moreporks an egg from Australia Zoo.
The way we were to hatch the egg was to place it in a bowl of water and after 24-48 hrs it will hatch but what will hatch?
Oisin and Elizabeth were very interested in the egg. They were very good at following instructions and watching to see what would happen to the egg once it was in the water.

We watched it float for a few minutes then it sink to the bottom of the bowl.
Throughout the day we checked on it to see if anything was happening. It was very exciting!

This type of activity is fantastic for children to learn about creatures in our environment and how to care for them. It also introduces the children to different properties such as water and how it can have different affects on different substances.

The day the crane came...

2011-03-07T16:14:00.001+13:00

Here comes the bride!

2011-01-24T13:26:00.005+13:00

Saturday the 22nd January 2011, Gemma married her partner Mark at St Matthew's church in Hastings.

She looked absolutely stunning in her gown and Mark could not believe his luck! Sharleen (who used to work in the Moreporks) was her bridesmaid and we loved having the opportunity to dress up too!

We were a bit worried about the weather but it stopped raining just before the ceremony and we were able to congratulate her without getting soaking wet!

She had her reception at Brookfields Winery and it was fantastic to be able to share the day and celebrate with her.

We wish Gemma and Mark all the best for their married life together!

Dress up at The Morepork's

2011-01-20T11:19:00.003+13:00

Today we got the dress up clothes out of the cupboard and dressed up!
Addison looked sweet in her bunny ears and monster feet, Logan looked debonair in his velvet hat and boa, Amelia looked grown up in her ruffled shirt and big boots and Ngakau looked balletic in his tutu!
Dressing up is a great way for children to be involved with dramatic play and take part in role play. Amelia, for example thought the sound her boots made was awesome as she clomped around the dining room :)!

Here are our beautiful children....

Our Christmas Lunch

2010-12-29T10:40:00.003+13:00

Today we had a shared lunch with our families to celebrate Christmas!
It was cool to sit and chat with the families that came and to share in good food during this festive season.
We also shared our gingerbread house that we made. It was yummy and we have big plans for our gingerbread house next year! And we have all year to practice and hone our house building skills.
This week all the children also took home little gifts that they made for their parents.
The Moreporks Team would like to wish all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a Merry Christmas!

2010-12-17T13:12:00.003+13:00

This came across the email today and we just wanted to share it with you all.
The Morepork Team would like to wish all our families and friends a Merry Christmas and a safe New Year.

(copy and paste this into your browser)
http://ak.imgag.com/imgag/product/preview/flash/pdShell.swf?ihost=http://ak.imgag.com/imgag&brandldrPath=/product/full/el/&cardNum=/product/full/ap/3173936/graphic1

Our obstacle course

2010-12-17T12:50:00.004+13:00

It was raining today so Gemma set the obstacle course up on the deck instead!
It was cool watching the children navigate their way around the course. The different pieces of equipment gave the children different challenges as they had to move from a hard surface to a soft foam surface.
The end of the obstacle course was a ramp. It was intended that the children would walk down the ramp but the children decided to scoot and shimmy down the ramp on their bottoms.
After a while we changed the obstacle course around, which is the beauty of our equipment that isn't fixed in one place! The children had renewed interest in the obstacle course and found different ways to navigate through the equipment.

Obstacle courses are fantastic as they allow the children the practice and master their gross motor skills and learn to play with and alongside others as well as turn taking and negotiation.

Busy Babies in the Sandpit

2010-12-13T15:27:00.005+13:00

It was a beautiful morning and the children were ready for outside play after applying sunblock and putting on their hats. They headed outside and straight for the sandpit.
All the children were so involved in their own play that I could sit back and watch all the learning that was happening. I saw:
Stuart was controlling the hose, filling up his friends buckets and making the water squirt in many directions. It was great to see Stuart trying out and working on his theories of hoses and water.
Manaia was busy cooking with the play kitchen and the pots and pans. It was nice to see Manaia acting out experiences she would be involved in at home, and also entering into dramatic play. We also had Holly, Jack and Amelia making a right mess in the water trough. Together they added water from the hose Stuart was holding and sand from under their feet to make cold wet mud!! The children loved mixing it around and filling up the cake tins making mud pies. An excellent way to explore the properties and textures of water and sand.

The children were busy all morning and worked so well alongside each other. I hope that we can again turn on the hose in the sandpit this week and make some delicious mud pies again!!

Christmas Family BBQ - Wednesday 8th Dec

2010-12-13T12:28:00.003+13:00

This evening we had our Annual Family Christmas BBQ.
It was great to see all the families come along and share this time with us. Paul made his world famous ham, which we had with coleslaw on buns. The children loved their sausages in bread with sauce and Marilyn put together yummy platters of strawberries and scorched almonds for dessert!
This night is a highlight on our social calendars and we can't wait for Christmas to roll around each year! Its our way of saying thank you to the parents and families for supporting us and celebrating the year together.

Christmas Artists

2010-12-08T14:37:00.004+13:00

Today the children got into the festive spirit on the deck and created some beautiful christmas tree prints.
They used traditional christmas colours; red and green and topped it off with glitter.
They were really proud of their prints and so were we!
We are going to display them on our wall for all to see!

Who's hu?

2010-12-02T13:42:00.003+13:00

Today on the deck, there was a basket of shoes.
Wow! A basket full of discoveries!
The children had a fantastic time trying all the shoes on and swapping shoes with each other.
We tried on green sparkly shoes, pink boots, blue sparkly shoes, bright red shoes and even each others shoes!

Playing dress ups allows the children to explore with different roles in their play. Children practice turn taking and negiotation as they swap shoes with each other.

November Newsletter

2010-11-30T09:54:00.002+13:00

Send in the clowns - 25 November 2010

2010-11-26T13:08:00.004+13:00

Today was it Samara's birthday.
Samara and her family came to Village Kids and celebrated with us! There was surprise too - Lulu the Clown!
Lulu the Clown was cool! She gave all the children stamps, had a camera that took squirting photos and had an umbrella that rained confetti.
Lulu also made all the children special balloons. She made swords, heart wands, mice and dogs.
Then we all sat down and shared some yummy party food!
It was such a neat morning and we felt so special to be able to celebrate this special day with Samara.

Fish'n'Chips in the park

2010-11-22T10:53:00.005+13:00

On Friday the 19th we all went to the park for fish'n'chips.

We all had a great time sitting on our blankets and sharing in good food and good conversation.

It was even cooler that we had our fish'n'chips at the park because after dinner we were able to play with our friends on the playground.

At Village Kids we enable children and their families to be active participants in our community, and enable children to learn and grow as part of a community.

Our favourite song!!!

2010-11-18T10:39:00.002+13:00

The favourite song at the moment is "Jack in the box". Our student teacher Erena showed us the chords and we have been playing it on our ukuleles ever since. The children just love doing the actions to the songs - especially the jumping!

Actions songs are a fantastic way for children to learn the fundamental physical skills they need as they get older. Action songs also allow the children to play and learn alongside others and learn about their bodies, which is one of the key components in our curriculum.

Our Butterfly

2010-11-15T15:36:00.002+13:00

15 November 2010. Today we were lucky enough to see a caterpillar encase himself in his chrysalis. It was so cool to watch and Amanda was even quick enough to get the camera and flip mino to video it. The video has been sped up (it has sped up the bumps and knocks as well) and for more information, copy and paste the following links into your address bar.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarch_(butterfly) http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/animals/creaturefeature/monarch-butterflies/
This was a rare experience for the children and it demonstrated to them how creatures in our environment live and evolve, as the children have watched the whole life cycle (to this point) and will hopefully get to see the butterflies emerge from their chrysalides.

Big Bubbles 09 November 2010

2010-11-09T14:28:00.003+13:00

Yesterday Amanda made a bubble solution and was making big bubbles outside! They were so cool but the bubbles were popping too quickly. We wondered if there was a bubble solution that would last longer. We looked in the Childspace Space magazine for a bubble mixture recipe because Kirsty remembered an article about big bubbles.
We found one and decided to give it a go but it did recommend to sit the bubbles overnight.
This morning the bubble mixture was ready so we went out onto the deck to give it a go and see if this mixture was any better.
The bubbles did last fractionally longer but seemed to pop once they had separated from the bubble wand. We wondered if it was our technique so we swished and flicked (just like Harry Potter and his wand). That worked a little better but not as successful as we hoped. Kirsty then slowed the action right down and the bubbles stayed formed for longer. Fantastic!
Jay, Enzo and Amelia loved watching the bubbles and reaching up to pop them! We saw lots of different colours in the bubbles and they didn't always form perfect round shapes either. They laughed when the bubbles popped and asked "where gone?"

Bubbles challenge the children's knowledge about things in their environment, especially as bubbles look solid but easily pop when touched. Bubbles help children develop working theories about the properties of bubbles and how they are formed.

This is how we make formula...

2010-11-02T14:31:00.004+13:00

02 November 2010

Our children have been very interested in family play and have been acting out roles within the family and what routines we follow!
One of the main interests are with the babies. The children love to carry their babies, put their babies to bed and to put them in the high chair.
Today I found an empty formula tin on the bench so I rinsed it out and got the spare bottles from the pantry and gave them to the children to use.
They loved it! It was cool to watch them scooping the formula out of their tin, into their bottles. When they had made their bottles, it was time to wash the dishes :)!

This is a fantastic example of how the children learn so much through observation and through doing! They had so much fun role playing and taking leadership in their play.

Parent Evening 1st November 2010

2010-11-02T13:02:00.003+13:00

Tonight we held our parent evening. The theme for the evening was "A day in the life" and we focused on our daily routine and what the learning is behind the children's play.
First off Gemma talked about the inside area and the activities that we usually have inside. We shared the actions for one of our favourite songs "Mrs Bunny". The parents joined in and looked like they had a fun time as well.

Gemma then took us through the non-mobile area and what we like to do on the deck. We made some 'gloop' but only one of our parents were keen to try it!

Then Amanda talked to the parents about the activities we set up outside and made a volcano for the parents. It was so cool!

We also talked about our natural projects such as our willow tunnel and cave as well as our edible garden we have planted.

Stef then spoke to the parent about the routines surrounding nappy changes and sleeping. Some feedback we received after the night ended said that the parents were really happy that we have respectful practices with nappy changes and liked how we followed the children's individual routines when it was bedtime.

To finish the evening off, Kirsty talked to the parents about mealtimes, the routines and practices we follow as well as our centre ICT. Kirsty covered how we encourage independence with handwashing and sitting at the table and a little bit about our journey with the Healthy Heart Award. Then Kirsty spoke about our blogging, emailing and skyping and the value for families, especially the family members that live overseas or in different towns.

The evening was enjoyed by all and great feedback was recieved from all who attended! We can't wait until the next parent evening, I wonder what we will do next time?

October Newsletter

2010-10-29T11:53:00.000+13:00

Our Postman Pat!

2010-10-28T08:48:00.001+13:00

WOW Beetle-mania!!!!

2010-10-26T13:41:00.000+13:00

What an amazing day of discovery and exploration in the world of insects today! It all began with Stuart's discovery of a little black beetle in the sandpit - we watched it as it moved, rolled onto it's back and crawled. Where was it going? What does it eat? Where does it live? Can it fly?

Soon Stu and Jay gathered their courage and were able to pick it up gently, letting it move across their hands and putting it near the fence. There was lots of discussion as they watched as it scuttled away under the fence - running to the other side of the garden to see if they could see it outside the Village Kids fence.

The bug-buzz continued throughout the morning and the children found ants, Steel Blue Ladybirds and spiders! We put these in the bug catchers so we could take a closer look... fascinating! I wonder how long this interest in tiny creatures will last??

Stu, Jay and Amelia were actively exploring the natural world (Strand 5, Te Whaariki), developing ideas about other living creatures and how to care for them. They used their observation skills to look at name the different parts of the beetles body, and to identify that all the insects except the slug have legs! They learned that spiders can be found near webs, and that webs can be found under ledges in the playground!!

September Newsletter

2010-10-18T15:16:00.001+13:00

We are now going to be placing our newsletters on the blog for you to share with others and if you unfortunately lose your paper copy, you will always be able to access the latest centre information!

Its birthday time!!!

2010-10-15T14:01:00.000+13:00

We love to celebrate special occasions with our children and this week is no exception!
On Thursday Ngakau turned 1 and today (Friday) Manaia turned 2!
It was so cool that we were able to celebrate these special days with them.

Celebrations such as these allow the children to feel comfortable with the routines, customs and regular events. They develop an understanding of the routines, customs, and regular events of the early childhood setting and an understanding that these events can be different in other settings.
Te Whaariki, Strand 2: Belonging, Goal 3.

Playdough fun!

2010-10-13T13:20:00.000+13:00

Today on the deck there has been alot of playdough fun! We made some new yellow playdough and the children enjoyed squashing it, rolling it and feeding it to the animals, especially the crocodile. Unfortunately there are no photos of this mornings fun however here are some photos of yesterdays fun with the playdough!

Playdough is a fantastic resource for the children to learn and develop many skills.
Playdough fosters the development of their mainpulative skills as they squash and roll the playdough using the small muscles in their hands. Children develop an awareness of social interactions and the 'rules' surrounding our interactions with others. Playdough aids in the development of their language skills as we use describing words and put words with their actions and using playdough enhances children's creativity by using their imagination to create a masterpiece.
For more information, copy and paste the following link:
http://www.grownups.co.nz/read/lifestyle/family/importance-playing-with-children

A Double Celebration

2010-10-07T11:13:00.000+13:00

This morning we had a double celebration. At morning tea we celebrated Eddie's second birthday with a yummy chocolate cake. Eddie blew out his candle and we all sang happy birthday to Eddie. What a yummy cake it was Eddie, with it's pink icing and marshmallows.

It has also been such a glorious day that everyone has been playing outside in the sandpit and sprinkler. The water from the sprinkler had turned the dirt in to mud and the children were having a ball. Squishing their fingers and toes deep into the mud, experiencing new and different textures to excite and stimulate the sensory system.

A Monet Morning

2010-10-06T12:15:00.000+13:00

The creativity was flowing this morning with children creating masterpieces with paint and getting their groove on, dancing to our favourite songs. We had paint set up on the deck before morning tea with different shaped stampers to create different patterns on our paper.

Another group of children were gathered around the stereo inside dancing and jumping to some favourite songs, including Fancy dance and Mrs bunny. Dancing to music allows the children to be able to express themselves in different ways, also creating awareness of their bodies movements and spacial boundaries when learning and moving around friends.

Our busy morning...

2010-10-05T13:49:00.000+13:00

This morning we had a very busy morning. We made a volcano, did some painting on the deck, made some playdough biscuits and were busy in the kitchen mixing and baking.

The children got very excited when the 'lava' flowed over the side and down the mountain!

A couple of the children tried the lava and by looks on their faces, it didn't taste very nice. Volcanos are a fantastic way to introduce science concepts and to allow the children to learn using their senses; sight, smell, taste and touch.

The children enjoyed the painting experince on the deck. It was fantastic to observe the children sharing and taking turns as well as being part of the awesome language that is beginning to emerge!

We made heaps of fantastic creations at the playdough table; gingerbread men, worms and flower biscuits to name a few. Jay chose to share his with Gemma, yummy!

The children enjoyed mixing and baking in the kitchen, linking familiar rountines and situations they are part of in the home and the centre.

What a fun and busy morning we had today. I wonder what we will do tomorrow?

Washing Day!

2010-10-05T09:04:00.000+13:00

This morning Amanda noticed that the dolls were dirty so she suggested to the children that it might be time to wash them and their clothes, if the children wanted to help. Well it was like a bee to honey! The children all joined in and helped wash their 'baby' and the clothes and even hang them on the line! Then they dried their babies.

It was great to see them being involved with this activity. These sorts of activities are important as they allow the children to role play situations in the home and make those important links between the home and the wider world.

Jokarvin plays hide and seek!

2010-09-27T13:19:00.000+13:00

This morning, as we went about our usual daily routine, Jokarvin hid in the oven. "Right everyone, lets go outside!" I said. Amanda told me we couldn't go because not everyone had come out of the non-mobile area. She had noticed Jokarvin go in the oven. So we played along!

"Lets go out now!" we all said and pretended to leave the area.

"Where's Jokarvin?" we asked out loud.

Then we heard "Jovarkin hiding!" Amanda and I laughed, especially when we saw Jokarvin's eyes peeping through the little hole on the side of the oven.

We carried on playing the game, "Where is Jokarvin? I can't find him!!!" Then Jokarvin popped out of the oven!

Jokarvin is taking responsibility for his own learning by planning his own activities and finding his own resources and equipment. He is having fun with others and inviting us into is play, awesome!!!

We Went to the Zoo!!

2010-09-24T13:43:00.000+12:00

Yesterday we went to the Hawke's Bay Farmyard Zoo. The whole centre went and we had some great parent helpers. There were so many farmyard animals to look at. We had chickens and lambs running around our feet and some little piglets had escaped through their fence and were running around with us too.

A couple of children were a bit shy around the animals to begin with, but with the parents and teachers support by the end of the trip the children were happy to meet and pat the animals. We had the chance to feed some lambs which was so much fun, even for the parents and teachers. We also got to feed the other animals with our corn feed, and one parent was almost bitten by the ostrich, ouch!

It was a great day even though the wind was blowing. The farmyard zoo is a great community activity on offer for children of all ages. The children had a great experience where they were able to develop a shared understanding of respect and care for farmyard animals such as calves, sheep, chickens, turkeys, pigs, ostrich's.........

Check out your child's profile for some neat photos of the children and the animals that we saw at the zoo. Also thank you to all those parents that helped on the day, it was much appreciated.

Green Day Friday 17th September

2010-09-20T14:52:00.001+12:00

Our new Visitors

2010-09-09T09:49:00.000+12:00