What's up this week.

Sharon started the week with cool tri-coloured play dough, it managed to stay three colours till Wednesday but by Thursday it had become purple, which was interesting as we all had different ideas what colour it would blend to, and we were all wrong.Outside the balance boards and carpentry have continued and Sam's working on a new model ride in firetruck with a cherry picker arm.Inside we've been having a go at brain teasers. They help hand eye coordination, thinking and fine motor skills but most of all teach perseverance.Four bears and some friends (e wha nga pea ma) decided they needed real porridge for their play so out came the measuring cups, the oats, the salt and the water. We carefully read the recipe, matched up the measures and then took turns to mix the mixture. While we stirred we counted to tekau and then tekau ma rima, so we'd all have the same amount of turns.

Then while we cooked and stirred I told the story of the magic porridge pot.

Cooked I put the hot porridge into cups and we added honey from out bear shaped squeeze me honey pot. Then I told the bears to "go for a walk while the porridge cooled down."
But oh no when the bears got back all they found were knocked over chairs, messed up beds and four empty cups with dirty spoons.
After the initial shock the head bear soon started looking around for suspicious characters, and sure enough there was a teacher looking guilty in the kitchen, me hiding four cups of porridge behind me. Yum the bears ate it all up, a happy ending indeed. It was time, this week, to clean out the mealy worm container and transfer them into some nice fresh chicken mash. But every time we' thought we'd picked them all out, we'd move some meal and find some more.
This was great for fine motor, hand eye coordination, and we think it has potential for a fairground stall. Who can find the most meal worms in a minute.
Emily decided she needed to take home a pot for her, a pot for her brothers and one for her mum. James decided he needed a pot for each of his family to.
Hunter rabbit came to visit us, and hopped around inside and out before going to have a munch on the grass.
Joshua brought in a hedgehog his dog had disturbed in it's nest, so we fed it up and found it a nice new, quiet place to hibernate.I caught these musicians hard at it and just couldn't resist making a demo tape.
We've also had a few children away with coughs, chicken pox and tummy bugs. Sam still kept in touch with us though, skyping the kindergarten several times to find out what his friends have been up to this week.

Isobel's also been skyping from home, practising for when she goes to see her auntie so she can let us know all her exciting news.

My wife Cindy came in and skyped her sister in Eltham, bringing our son Ben in to see his cousin at Eltham Kindergarten.

Skype has lots of potential to be unlocked.

Watch out for our evening with Diane Levy fundraiser, as we crack down to raising the money we need for our playground rennovations. The committee are putting a huge effort into this and I should have info for it up on the blog soon.

Information on influenza is out via email and newsletter this week. I've included a copy on the blogs side bar, so do read it.
David