Matariki magnetic stories

During our mat-times we have incorporated more Te reo stories into our mat-time in celebration of Matariki.

Today we told the story of 'The 7 Star Fishes' where seven little fishes were warned by their mother not to swim to far out as a giant by the name of 'Tataraimaka was out fishing with an enormous black net which was woven by flax and that made magic!

To distracted by play the fishes had forgotten their mothers words and swam to far out and were caught in Tataraimaka's net. The little fishes cried and cried - Tane the god of light heard their cries and felt sorry for them. He took away Tataraimaka's net and hauled it up into the sky and the seven littles fishes were then turned into bright shining stars. Six of the seven stars are named Toheta, Toheti, Tapuanuku, Tupuarangi,  Ururangi and Waipuna-a-angi. But one star remains with no name. It has been left for all the children of the world. The story suggests that before you go to bed you put your name on this star, and this way you will be among friends when you are sleeping.

The Phoenix House children seemed to really enjoy this magnetic story and insisted that they were going to keep an eye out at night time for the seven bright shining stars at night time before bed :)

Zoo Masks

In continuation with the one of the current interests within the Phoenix house at the moment of 'Zoo Animals' we had decided to create our own animal masks. Children had the choice of creating a Lion, Zebra, Hippo,  Tiger, Rhino, Giraffe or a monkey.

Once they had coloured in their masks it was then fitted around their head with a piece of string.
Within minutes the Phoenix House started to sound like a zoo! The children got into character of the animal they had chosen and imitated their movements and sounds they would make.

A lot of children then continued to make another mask for their younger and older siblings. It is great to see that they are sharing this interest of theirs with their family and friends and continuing this play outside of Kindy.

What a fun filled day we have had today :) I wonder what other animal fun and adventures we will engage in next?

D.I.Y jewellery

In extension to our current interest within the Phoenix House at the moment of 'Construction' we set up a learning experience where the Phoenix House children were able to construct their own piece of jewellery by using different coloured straws and fishing wire. While some children decided to make  bracelets, others decided to make necklaces and some children decided to make both! :)

This activity required a lot of focus and attention as they threaded their coloured straws into the wire.  You conveyed patience, persistence and a great amount of creativity when choosing your colours and patterns with your colour sequences.

A lot of you also mentioned how you would like create another one for your brother, sister, mums or dads which was very thoughtful of you :)
We will be sure to re-visit this activity but perhaps using different materials that we can experiment with in terms of shape, size, and colour.

Creating our own Korowai Cloak

In celebration of the Maori new year- Matariki, the Phoenix House children have been taking part in a number of cultural activities.

Today we made our very own Phoenix House Korowai cloak. Each child was provided with their own feather template where they were able to decorate it with a variety of collage materials  where they could design and create their own pattern and designs.

The Korowai cloak was a garment made in early Maori times and was generally woven or made from traditional materials like flax and feathers. It is worn as a mantle of prestige and honor.

Once everyone had completed their feathers we combined these together onto a cloak which is now displayed in our bag room area. It is bright, beautiful and unique where it displays each child's individual style and creativity :)

Recognizing Names

In continuation with our Be School Ready Programme we have incorporated a 'Sign In' and 'Sign Out' board just past the entrance of the Phoenix House.
Children are encouraged to find their name on the board as they enter 'In' in the morning and to put themselves 'Out' once they leave the centre for the day.

Being able to recognize their names is important as they are familiar with the letters that make up their name as well as being able to look after their named belongings and possessions.

We will also be extending this through creating individual children's writing books where they will learn to write their names and become familiar with the letters that are involved in their name as well.

Self Portraits

This month we have been putting a big focus towards our 'Be school Ready' programme where we provide learning experiences for children to engage in to help them be prepared for school.
At the beginning of the month Alisha initiated Self Portraits through painting. The children had the opportunity to look into the mirror and replicate what they saw onto the paper. Skin colour, eye colour, what they were wearing, and also small features such as eyebrows, ears, eyelashes etc.

Laura then extended this activity by repeating the same process but through Collage. The P.H children chose materials which they thought represented their features and what they were wearing while constantly looking into the mirror to replicate their look.

Self portraits are important for young children to take part in as it gives them the opportunity to become more self aware and allow them to have the freedom to create themselves from an artistic point of view and how they see themselves.  A self portrait gives children the time to study their eyes, nose, mouth and the rest of their face and body, and to work out how it all fits together – perfect for teaching children how to draw basic body shapes.

We will repeat this activity in a few months time - this way we can see how they compare to their last self portrait. Children are forever growing, changing and developing and it is important that they are aware of this and have the opportunity to draw themselves from their point of view.

Red and Green Choices

This month in the Phoenix House we have introduced 'Red and Green Choices' . This is a visual reminder of choices children should and should not be making within the centre. During mat time children were asked a number of questions and given scenarios where they would decide if the outcome would be a 'Red Choice' or a 'Green Choice'.

Over the past week we have observed that the children are recognizing these choices throughout their daily routine. E.g "We tidy up because that is a green choice"

If children do happen to be making a lot of 'Red Choices' throughout the day we refer back to the chart and see what they could be doing to be making 'Green Choices' instead.

Every day the Phoenix House teachers watch and listen to those children who are making lots of 'Green Choices' throughout the day - the child who is making smart and kind and caring choices is rewarded the 'Green Choice' necklace to wear for the day as well as picking a sticker from the special stickers box :)