MY BODY & ME

Healthy bodies create healthy minds.  Children love to learn about various parts of their bodies and their capabilities.  As they grow they develop an increasing awareness of the less visible parts of their bodies and want to discover what they look like and how they work.  They become increasingly aware of themselves; their growth, their characteristics and how they are the same or different from their friends.  This sense of curiosity helps them develop a sense of belonging in their world and develops their sense of self-worth. Roleplay allows for opportunities to act out events and the lives of other people and get in tune with their own feelings.

 

KIDS KITCHEN

‘Master Chef’ here we come!  Working in our child-sized kitchen helps children work within a group towards a common goal while developing hand, eye and body coordination. Finger and hand muscles needed for pre-writing skills are strengthened through squeezing, patting, pounding, rolling, poking and pinching, and cutting.  The children are involved in planning and preparing food for themselves and others.  Not only do they learn about nutrition and hygiene but concepts of science and maths like counting, sorting, weighing and measuring are all practiced.

 

CREATIVE MINDS

Exploring and using their bodies and materials to make and do things helps children share their feelings, ideas and thoughts through creative expression. Our wide range of art materials are freely available in our Art Centre for the children to use. They enjoy drawing and painting, cutting and pasting, experimenting with recycled materials, working with play-dough and clay, and using their imaginations to create their own masterpieces.

 

COMMUNITY CENTRE

Not only does your child's imagination get a workout here, but through this type of dramatic play, they learn how to take turns, co-operate, share and work on language development.  Role play also enables them to learn about functioning in the greater community. They test ideas and feelings and often get involved in age appropriate ‘literacy’ and ‘numeracy’ activities as part of re-enacting the past and rehearsing the future. Children make lists and menus and use money in exchange for goods and services. They also get the chance to become familiar with different forms of ICT such as mobile phones, keyboards, cameras, calculators and computers.

 

NATURALLY NZ

Learning about what it means to be a New Zealander is what happens here!  Alongside old favorites we all know, children are encouraged to be creative and make up their own stories, chants and songs and share their experiences of what it means to be a ‘Kiwi’.  They develop their sense of belonging in our centre, their family, the wider community, our culture and the natural habitat of our beautiful country through these shared experiences. Traditional cultural protocol is also taught and practiced as an integral part of our day.

 

AROUND THE WORLD

Learning thrives through positive relationships with people, places and things.  Cultural acceptance of each child’s family, whanau and community are recognised as an important part of the learning experiences we offer our children. Our multi-culturally diverse environment will encourage the children to explore and experience other countries and cultures through stories, songs, food, traditions and taonga in order to begin to understand and make sense of the world around them.

 

THE LOG CABIN

In our whanau hut, we promote skills of positive relationships and family life. Children learn to socialise and communicate with opportunities to act out life experiences helping them make sense of what is happening in their own lives and the wider world.  Problem solving and negotiation skills are practised as the children take on the role of someone or something else (eg, other people, animals) and act out feelings and events. Other life skills such as nurturing of others, family hierarchy and care, and skills for daily routines are developed as these roles are played out.

 

LITERACY & NUMERACY LOFT

Sharing books and reading is a vital activity for children's development. Our comprehensive library encourages children to experience and enjoy reading books both alone and with others to develop a positive attitude towards literacy and learning.  The world of books opens many doors of knowledge and imagination. Encouraging independence and confidence is the name of the game and a wide exposure to books, puzzles, numeracy, and early writing skills ensures children are ready for their transition to school.

 

MOVES & GROOVES

There is nothing better than getting your groove on every day!  Music and Movement are enjoyable, valuable resources to stimulate or soothe children and adults alike. Encouraging spontaneity and creativity,they assist in the development of listening skills, concentration, coordination, cooperation, communication and memory. Children are exposed to different kinds of music including the rhyme and rhythm of their own and other cultures.  Making and listening to music provides opportunities to explore sounds and make music with our range of instruments or those improvised from everyday objects.  Dance and Drama come naturally in this supportive environment.

 

FUN IN THE SUN! GET SET IN THE WET! ALL GO IN THE SNOW!

A workout for all seasons!  Our imaginative outdoor play space provides ways for children to use large and small muscles each and every day helping them to gain increasing control over their bodies. Flexibility, strength, balance and co-ordination improve along with team building, co-operation and leadership skills as they develop an awareness of space by reconstructing the equipment for each day’s activities. Road signs and symbols provide literacy for the outdoors. Water play and Sand areas create fun, soothing activities where children lift, pour and control sand and water; building an understanding of measuring, estimating and volume.  Working together with others on special projects like digging trenches, building bridges or making mountains and rivers makes teamwork important.  Creative and manipulative skills are evident as they learn about the properties of sand and water by feeling, patting, shaping, digging and mixing. Large running areas, roly-poly hills, nature areas to explore and a challenging playground in our local park extend our outdoor environment.  An awareness of weather conditions and good preparation makes everyday fun!

 

ENERGY TO BURN

Our indoor gymnasium further promotes our children’s mental and emotional health and physical well-being through increased physical activity. Skills such as throwing, catching, hopping, skipping, climbing, balancing, rolling, jumping and dancing help children to control their bodies and learn their limits. A growing understanding of the benefits of teamwork and the mathematical concepts of size, shape and position are all added bonuses.

 

THE BUILDING SITE

Hand–eye coordination, manipulative skills and muscular strength are all put to the test here!  While learning to share and co-operate with others, children can test their creativity in a 3-Dimensional way.  They begin to understand concepts of length, size, balance and force while manipulating both large and small objects.  Fine motor skills are developed through the use of tools and equipment. Safety and responsibility are both lessons to be learnt here.

 

THE ENGINE ROOM

Recycled resources are cheap and easy to find from the natural and man-made materials in the world around us. Here, children will find many opportunities to experiment with the physical properties of objects including movement, magnetism and motors. Mathematical ideas of fitting things into space, under, over, through and between will be tested. Children will develop concentration and perseverance while learning about cause and effect when analysing and working to solve problems. Our wheeled vehicles are garaged here too!

 

TRANSPORT & STRUCTURES

Trial and error are the best ways to learn about gravity, stability, balance, weight, depth, width and height.  Vehicle manipulation and construction of 3-dimensional structures are valuable manipulative skills for children to master and provide plenty of opportunities for developing persistence and problem solving strategies. These popular activities are great for increasing hand-eye co-ordination and colour and shape recognition while learning to co-operate and share with others.

 

THE SCIENCE LAB

Our Mini Scientists develop a perception of themselves as ‘explorers’ – competent, confident learners who research and make discoveries. There is an ongoing thirst for knowledge about Dinosaurs and Space and Volcanos and …They learn to ask questions and investigate ‘What, Why, When and Where?’  Experimenting with the interesting sounds of new words means language development is guaranteed and the world around them starts to make more sense as they examine rocks, feathers, fur, shells and plants with an increased interest.

 

DOWN ON THE FARM

Hands-on experiences with animals, plants and natural materials offer our children opportunities to develop theories about how things work in the living world. They develop a sense of curiosity and an understanding of their senses of touch, smell, sight, hearing and taste through an environment that promotes observation, exploration and explanation. Their natural nurturing instincts will be fostered by caring for the well-being of living things including insects, plants and animals. Eggs, fruit and vegetables produced in our farmyard garden provide opportunities to learn about life cycles and nutrition through ‘hands on’ experiences.

 

 

 

 

WANADISCOVER IT!

3-6 yrs

Transitional to School Centre Learning Opportunities