Interesting documentary

From Radio New Zealand National

Running Wild in Fiordland

Fiordland Kindergarten which has launched a new programme to take pupils out into the wide open spaces. Their midweek nature discovery day draws inspiration from the European Forest kindergarten movement.

On Wednesday mornings, the children swap plasticine, paint brushes and modelling clay for dirt, sticks and fresh air. For some children, delivered by their parents to Ivon Wilson Park on the outskirts of Te Anau, it can be a bit traumatic. There are a few sobs and tears, but head teacher Clare Maley-Shaw is not bothered. She knows that as soon as mother or father is out of sight, the child will be swept up by the group.

All brightly clad in yellow raincoats and waterproof leggings, the preschoolers know the few rules by heart. Not one has gone missing since the programme began over a year ago.

The children enjoy a range of activities from climbing trees and sliding down leafy slopes, to exploring for bugs and beetles and eating toasted marshmallows around the campfire. The philosophy, according to Clare, is one of minimum intervention, intended to foster independence and a healthy curiosity and respect for their natural surroundings.

By taking the children out into nature on a regular basis, not just walking through it but ‘being in it’, she aims to give children a lifelong passion for the natural environment.

Clare Maley-Shaw admits it all seems like commonsense, and yet Fiordland Kindergarten is the pioneer of this outdoor programme in New Zealand, and is currently carrying out research on it’s impact on both the children and the teachers.

Raffle results

Raffle #1
1st prize Canvas by Olive Bremer #199 Jacob Hume
2nd prize Half pig, Judy Vining #207 c/o Emma Kappely
3rd prize* # 84 unsold have redrawn
3rd prize Xmas lamb –finalising delivery will announce shortly
4th prize firewood –Penny Baines # 412
5th prize Grocery hamper – Rachel Wright #471

Raffle # 2
1st prize Half Pig Nadine Harrison #45 (We only had two lots of tickets returned unsold, it was too late to get them in the supermarket sale so this morning David and Nadine decided to buy most of them between them and guess what, when we drew it this afternoon Nadine was a winner!)
2nd prize Ezy Roller, Annabelle Greer #293
3rd prize Mystery merry Hamper, Lynette Chapman –Napier #154
4th prize Grocery Hamper, Jasmin Zimerman #113
5th prize Sue Lowe, Cake, #301

Prizes drawn using online random number generator
http://www.mathgoodies.com/calculators/random_no_custom.html
By David Berry
Supervised by Adrianne Coles
And Tracey Bird
Thank you to everyone who contributed to the raffle in donations and in selling tickets, special thanks to those who donated the major prizes.
Also thanks to our top three ticket sellers Tristan walker, Eden Simmons and Maanuka Winiana who will get a small gift for their great efforts.

David Berry

Belinda Dancing

Sacm Warning

I recently got a cold call at home from a pushy and convincing lady who wanted me to open windows event viewer
now before I did anything I just pretended to and noted down the actions, then googled them.
sure enough a quick search of "computer phone scam"
revealed this article http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/18/phone-scam-india-call-centres

"The scam always starts the same way: the phone rings at someone's home, and the caller – usually with an Indian accent – asks for the householder, quoting their name and address before saying "I'm calling for Microsoft. We've had a report from your internet service provider of serious virus problems from your computer."

Dire forecasts are made that if the problem is not solved, the computer will become unusable.

The puzzled owner is then directed to their computer, and asked to open a program called "Windows Event Viewer". Its contents are, to the average user, worrying: they look like a long list of errors, some labelled "critical". "Yes, that's it," says the caller. "Now let me guide you through the steps to fixing it...

The company has noticed the problem. "Microsoft does not make unsolicited phone calls to help you fix your computer," it says on its website.

"If you receive an unsolicited call from someone claiming to be from Microsoft Tech Support, hang up. We do not make these kinds of calls.

Basically never trust cold calls or emails like this, if in doubt tell them you'll take it in to your computer technician to get checked.

and like the free laptops scam, just do a quick Google search of key words along with the word scam first, and or go to the official website (not one they tell you to go to.)

Grandparents and special friends day

Thank you to every one who came along to catch up and share songs and kai with us at teh kindergarten.

And thank you to our great team who helped clean up afterwards.

I thought I'd share this video I watched recently

It has powerful implications for things like national standards and how we teach.

Astronomy lecture series well worth a view

I've been privileged to attend the astronomy lecture series touring from Napier down to CHB the last few Fridays. It concludes this Friday the 26th of November 2010 and is well worth attending even if you missed the first two on galaxies and the solar system.

Roll up to the Waipukurau club at 7pm, entrance $10.

Hopefully if well supported they'll be back with more.

Cat visitor

A really lovely cat has been visiting us last week, very friendly and playful.

Protest in Napier part 3

The third part of the videos I made for parents who couldn't get to the protest against ECE cuts in Napier. Rick Barker concludes the rally.
Say no to cuts, say no to back door increases in teacher child ratios causing cuts to quality.
(These are my views and not necessarily those of our association.)

More speeches from the Napier Protest.

As I tried to explain to Chris afterward, most people can cook, but when they try to cook nutritionally great, tasty meals, for large numbers of strangers, in a restricted time frame, catering to special dietary requirements, fussy eaters and more without training disasters happen.
Then there is evaluating what and how you did as you plan for your future meals.
Teachers are ordinary everyday people, but they have specialist training.
Parents and families know their own kids and are an important part of their health care and education, but you need training to cater to large numbers and specialist needs, to detect subtle problems, and act on them.

Yes I know when my child has chicken pox but I still take them to the doctor.

Chris argued that some aren't getting anything, better they get something than nothing. While I agree we should aim for 100% participation, I don't agree cuts are the way to achieve that goal, regardless of how you manipulate the statistics and argue cuts are increases.
Yes Chris gruel will keep you alive but please sir we want some more.

Chris said it is about choices, well time and again the national government has found money for pet projects like national standards (even though it is widely regarded as faulty and redundant as duplicating existing assessments.) I know my children's school assessments have always been clear , picked up what has needed to be done, and as a parent I've always worked closely with my children's teachers to develop support programs for my children at parent teacher interviews. If it's choices I would rather have no cuts to ECE than money wasted on implementing the dubious National standards.

Anyway part 2, remember to watch part 1

The views expressed in all three of these posts are mine and do not necessarily reflect those of our association.

Napier Protest

With many families already having commitments to the CHB show not every one who wanted to be in Napier this Saturday could make it, regardless there was a huge turn out in from families across our association and others with a message for the government about the massive cuts that began affecting kindergartens and others from the 1st of November 2010.
Here's some video of the day for everyone who couldn't make it. (Speeches are edited down to key points, sorry about the jumpiness of my filming. It also needs a backing track, so please put some music on while watching. )
please also excuse the spelling error, I meant to say "hear" not here.
I also meant to say reduce the quality of teacher child ratios.

college musicians

Nicola organised the college's junior musicians to come and play for us.

Car Cleaning

It takes trust to park your car at kindergarten, several parents joking asked if they could but no one took us up on our offer of acceptance, Adrianne did however....hmmm

So what happens when you park your car at kindergarten next to a bucket of warm soapy water and clothes, unlocked!

Boat and siren more gas pressure

Warning take off headphones, hands on ears when you see the notice, the second half of this video is very loud, air pressure makes sounds.



Adrianne also brought a putt putt boat, the water vapourises to steam which as a gas tries to expand to fill a larger volume, but being contained instead becomes pressurised until it can pushes out the water, providing the locomotive force for the boat.




Sound is pressure waves in the air, sometimes sound waves are so loud we can feel them through our skin.

Why not google air pressure and see if you can find some youtube videos with more ideas about air pressure.

Compressure and pressure

Adrianne brought a rocket car for us at the show. I brought along my pump and we put it together. The compressed air forces the water (or air depending on what we put in) out the back.

Art Auction 2010

Welcome Nadine

Expert Planer Makers

Rainbow

Zappo

Zappo came to see us here's some of the many highlights of the show.

Flax weaving resource

Interested in weaving flax, here's a great website on harakeke, selecting, preparing, dying and weaving basics.
http://www.alibrown.co.nz/instructions.html
you can find out about different types of flax and how suitable your's is for weaving here

http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/research/biosystematics/plants/harakeke/all_cultivars.asp

and also here

http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/research/biosystematics/plants/weaving/

Desmond Morris on his new book "Child"

Interview with Desmond about his book looking at 2-5 years olds on Radio NZ Thursday 21.10.10

Highlights of our trip to Ngati Whai festival

Here's a few video highlights of our trip Wednesday to the Ngati Whai festival, aroha nui to our hosts and the organisers. Do to the weather we couldn't walk as we'd planned but Brun's Buses came to our rescue so a big thankyou to them, they really have looked after us over the years.

Watch and see if you recognise any past pupils, I do. Thanks for the big hug Kaitlyn Jo and Hope lovely to catch up, hi to Aiden and Harriet, and everyone else as well.

Art Auction

edit Olive Bremer's boy with rabbit, will also be up for auction.

I'm sorry this took so long but here are some of the wonderful artworks that will be up for sale at our art auction. Unfortunately there simply wasn't enough time to showcase all of them and their lot numbers on our blog, maybe next time. In the meanwhile do come along for a great night or place your bids before hand if you can't make it. Building Change, Acrylic on Canvas, by David Berry celebrates our old playground and anticipates the new

This horse by Franca, is one of those pictures that can be more than one thing to the viewer.

Emma explores geometric shapes with oil pastel.

Caleb's monster reminiscent of Lily's magpie.

Anna T-towel is one of many hand painted towels.

Tom's bold signature, sets off his bold colour choice.

Billee and Tejayee painted this motorbike on one of the large canvases. Dad on the motorbike, Tejayee on the back, in the rain with the lambs, Billee asleep,

Triangulation by David Berry, in oil pastel on paper.

A quadripartite by David Berry.

Some Daffodil shots

Some shots from our daffodil trip more to come.