Kia Ora Kids Newsletter
Nov/Dec 2023
Kia ora koutou
It’s hard to believe we are already nearing the end of 2023! Its been a busy couple of months across Auckland for Kia Ora Kids. Playgroups have been in full swing. We have enjoyed a few different excursions such as Auckland Museum, meet ups at local parks, beach days, library visits, gym classes, music groups, the list goes on!
Kia Ora Kids believe that children benefit from engaging in their local communities. When children engage in their community they develop important skills such as social, emotional, language and communication skills. They also make connections with home which supports a sense of belonging. It is a belief that children under the age of 5 benefit from bigger groups to develop social skills when actually children benefit more from small groups (in larger groups children tend to only play with a small number of children) these interactions help them to grow and develop important social skills. Being involved in small groups supports children to develop new social and cognitive skills as they interact and work with their peers. They learn about cooperation, conversation, compromise, and problem-solving as they work together to achieve a shared goal. The small ratios of home based childcare along with our playgroups give our Tamariki the perfect learning opportunities to grow these skills.
Summer fun!
Finally summer has arrived, hopefully you seen our sun safe reminder that went out at the start of November. Through term 4 and 1 ALL children are required to wear sun hats when they are playing out in the sun. We also require All children to wear sun block. We do acknowledge that some families have different requirements around sun block due to allergies etc. Please discuss this with your educator and record any special requirements in a email to both your educator and the office.
(You can find our up to date sun safe policy on Story park)
Staying focused on summer why don’t you fill up a tub of water, save some yoghurt pots or add some kitchen utensils and enjoy swooshing, swirling and splashing with your little ones. Water is an wonderful open-ended experiences that provides opportunities for extended learning. Water play fosters learning in all developmental areas. It provides opportunities for children to experiment with math and science concepts, strengthen their physical skills, advance their social and emotional skills, and enhance language development. Another fun activity you could try is surprise ice melting. You will need to plan this one in advance, you can set it up and save it for a really warm day. Fill a container (I use ice cream containers, it’s a great excuse to eat ice cream) with water, you can add food colouring, little plastic toys, flowers from the garden, you can add anything you like. Pop it in the freezer, then when you are ready let the fun begin. Children love the feel of the cold ice, and they will enjoying finding the treasures you have
added as the ice melts. Your children will have heaps of fun exploring this fun sensory activity, they can investigate the changes as the ice melts into water. They may enjoy watching it melt slowly or may feel they need to make it happen fast. I wonder what they could use to do this?