The Cottage Kindergarten

Welcome to tomorrow

The outdoor kitchen is ready and inviting for a morning of play

It was wheels week last week. Wheels week is a whole week of bringing bikes and scooters. We close the carpark and use the space for riding and scootering. It's a great week and one we get a lot of requests for.

Open on Thursday. We still don't have power, we will have generator for water. UV filter not working , please provide water tomorrow. We will have bottled water to top up.
See you tomorrow.
If anyone is needing their child to come tomorrow who is not usually booked in. Please ring me 0275481057

Regretfully we will be closed on Wednesday. We are without power and the wind is still blowing branches and debris across the property.
Will update again tomorrow.
Please contact via txt, if needing to get in touch.

We have been celebrating Kiwi month this October, the interest has been a hit with the children. We have extended the interest to include more of nga manu, our birds.

Blocks! One of the oldest toys around and sometimes underappreciated for the value they offer to children's learning. Maree and I have been attending profeesional learning with the Froebel Trust UK with colleagues from Aotearoa and the UK. We have been reinspired by the gift of learning that Froebel advocates for, and the seven stages of blcok play childrne traverse as they become skilled block players. From mathematics and physics to concepts of building and construction.

Our investigation about the weather continues. It may sound obvious, but the best way to learn about weather, is to be IN the weather. No matter what we are doing, the weather is all around us and affects our play, moods, well being, the clothes we wear and how we experience the outside. We can learn about the weather just by being attuned to what is happening around us.

The children have been discovering bugs in the playground, spiders, worms, bees, caterpillars, sometimes a weta, and yesterday a stick insect. There are many conversations around caring for living things, learning how to make spaces for insects to live and looking without harming. Nature affords so many opportunities for learning. This interest has intersected with creative experiences, these amazing insect creations made from a bucket of wood scraps.

One thing we know about role play for children is that they love to minic what they see the grown ups around them doing. Today it's all about going to the supermarket and doing the shopping.

Waiting for when we can all come back

The Cottage is lonely in Level 4. Our kindergarten is not a kindergarten without the children that play and learn here.