Rising Stars Preschool New Plymouth

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐦𝐞 (Part 1)

Play is children’s mahi-it is how they explore, discover, create, communicate, and make sense of the world around them. Through play, children have the freedom to be themselves, to follow their own interests, express their ideas and make choices in their own learning.

When we provide time, space and trust, children can take ownership of their play, develop their sense of agency, and build confidence in who they are. Our role is to nurture and support this freedom, being present alongside children while allowing them the freedom to lead, experiment, connect and simply enjoy themselves.

These photos tell the story of children who are free to be themselves through their play!

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐊𝐚𝐡𝐚 𝐙𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬

The excitement of the Commonwealth Games has inspired us here in the kaha Zone!

Throughout July and August, our tamariki have been exploring a variety of sports and movement experiences that reflect many of the events featured in the games.

Through 𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬, 𝐡𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐲, 𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐬, 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭, 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥, 𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐛𝐲, 𝐠𝐲𝐦𝐧𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬, 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐣𝐮𝐦𝐩, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐣𝐮𝐦𝐩, our tamariki are developing fundamental movement skills that form the foundation of lifelong physical literacy.

These experiences are about so much more than sport. Through play, tamariki are building confidence, coordination, balance, teamwork, resilience, and communication skills. They are learning to encourage one another, take turns, celebrate success, and develop a growth mindset.

By connecting our learning to the Commonwealth Games, we are helping tamariki see how movement can be fun, meaningful, and enjoyed by people of all ages and abilities.

We also hope to inspire an appreciation for active, healthy lifestyles and perhaps even spark the dreams of a few future athletes along the way.

𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬

Bucket-filling is a term used in education to refer to positive attitudes and behaviour.
It relies on the analogy that every person carries with them an invisible bucket. This bucket contains a person's feelings and emotions.

When the bucket is full, this represents us feeling happy and contented.
However, when it is empty, we feel low, upset, and dissatisfied.

Bucket-fillers are those who act in a way that fills another person's bucket and refers to those who practise kindness and good behaviour.

At Rising Stars, we have been learning about being a good friend. We have been reading “Fill a bucket; A guide to Daily happiness for children and putting into practice ways we can fill each other’s bucket but also learning that if we are not showing kindness or respect to one another, these things can take from our buckets.

𝐁𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
• Being kind to everyone you meet
• Helping those who are sad.
• Being kind to our friends and family
• Being respectful and working in harmony with our friends
• Showing someone you care for them
• Doing the things we love

𝐁𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐃𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
Bucket dipping is the opposite of bucket filling.
It refers to actions or behaviour that has a negative effect on those around us. It can include things like
• Saying unkind things
• Refusing to help someone else or helping too tidy up our play space
• Being disrespectful
• Not listening to our friends and Kaiako

𝐏𝐮𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐚 𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬

Over the month of July, we have been building on our knowledge and understanding of Puanga, the Māori New Year.

Through meaningful experiences and conversations, our tamariki have explored the importance of this special time of year and what it represents.

Through creativity, storytelling, waiata, dance, shared conversations and food preparation our tamariki developed a deeper understanding of Puanga and the traditions that surround it. These experiences encouraged curiosity, participation, and a sense of belonging as children learned together and shared their own ideas and experiences, with many recognising that there are seven stars in the Matariki cluster.

To extend on this collaborative learning experience we talked about each star and their significance. Creativity flowed as we used this form of expression to deepen our knowledge.

Through these shared experiences, children developed confidence in expressing their ideas, listening to others, and learning in a fun and meaningful way
This learning reflects on our curriculum, where children are supported to develop a strong sense of identity, belonging, communication, and contribution while engaging with the diverse cultures and traditions that make up our community.

𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲

This week our tamariki prepared the vegetables for our community soup that we shared for Puanga, carefully peeling and chopping a variety of fresh, healthy vegetables that had been generously donated by our whānau. As the crockpots slowly cooked throughout the day, the teacher’s staffroom was filled with the delicious aroma of soup!

To accompany the soup, we enjoyed delicious wood fired pizzas. Our tamariki were involved in making the pizzas, watching the dough being prepared, helping to choose the toppings, then watching them cook in the wood fired oven. This hands-on experience encouraged curiosity, participation and excitement as children watched their pizzas cooking.

Sharing kai provided a wonderful opportunity for tamariki, whānau and kaiako to connect, strengthen relationships and enjoy each other’s company in a warm and welcoming environment.

These shared experiences foster a strong sense of belonging and demonstrate the importance of manaakitanga as we come together as a community.
The food was enjoyed by all, tummies were full, conversations flowed and recipes were shared! It was a wonderful morning celebrating together and creating memories with our Rising Stars whānau.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

At Rising Stars children’s play is valued as meaningful learning and the importance of spontaneous play is recognised; playing, imaging, inventing, experimenting are all part of the way in which children make sense of the world around them. Through active exploration and physical play children develop physical literacy by building confidence, coordination, balance, and body awareness.

Opportunities to move, climb, run, balance, lift, create and explore supports children’s cognitive development, problem -solving and wellbeing, recognising that movement is fundamental to how children learn, communicate, and engage with their environment.

Kaiako recognise each child’s unique way of learning and seeing the world, acknowledging every child as a capable and competent individual while developing confidence in their own abilities and a lifelong love of learning.

𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐬, 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧.

Over the last few weeks, the Kaha Zone has had the privilege of welcoming Gary from Southern Tribes Waiwhakaiho who has been working alongside the children to engage them in a variety of physical movement experiences.

The vision of Southern Tribes Waiwhakaiho –
“We endeavour to change lives by encouraging self-confidence, humility, loyalty, and honour in a whanau environment. BJJ, Fitness, Submission Grappling, Self Defence, Bullyproof, Wrestling/ Whātōtō are all part of the kaupapa to expose the students to hauora. Physical, mental, spiritual & emotional wellbeing”.

At Rising Stars, our physical literacy curriculum also plays a significant role in fostering children’s holistic development, building confidence, resilience, and a lifelong enjoyment of movement.

Gary has created engaging experiences that encourage children to move their bodies in diverse ways while developing their ability to listen, follow instructions, and challenge themselves. Many of the activities have been familiar to our tamariki allowing them to demonstrate their growing ability to confidently manoeuvre their bodies up, over, around, and through obstacles with increasing coordination and confidence.

On Monday Gary and his daughter introduced an activity where they were asked to move like certain animals. While some of these movements were unfamiliar and challenging, the children embraced the opportunity to persevere, try new ways of moving, and extend their physical skills in a fun and supportive environment. These experiences promote not only physical competence but also confidence, problem-solving, and a willingness to take on new challenges.

The session with Gary then ended with a fun game of tug o war. Our tamariki are very familiar with a game of tug o war and they used their strength, teamwork and determination to pull Gary over, ending their session with big smiles.

𝐅𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞

We have been noticing our tamariki expressing their creative side by decorating their body with glitter and felt pens.

We love the creativity and self-expression that our children share, so Karine decided to bring out the face paints for independent face painting. Following children’s interests and responding to their spontaneous creativity, we created opportunities for meaningful learning that was both engaging and child led.

Not only did this activity support our tamariki with their fine motor skills but also their social and emotional competence. As children painted themselves and each other, we observed growing social and emotional confidence. They proudly shared their creations with peers and kaiako. These positive interactions supported the development of friendships, strengthened communication skills, and encouraged empathy, cooperation, and a sense of belonging.

Providing an environment where children’s interests are valued empowered tamariki to take risks, build confidence, and express their unique identities. By responding to their curiosity and creativity, we fostered a learning experience that supported both the wellbeing and their social and emotional competence, while strengthening our inclusive and fun learning environment.

𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲
These types of play empower young children to take an active role in their development. By following their natural curiosity instead of structured curriculum, children build vital skills like problem solving, emotional regulation, and persistence while maintaining a deep love for discovery.

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐓𝐞 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐤𝐢, 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐮𝐦?
Empowerment/whakamana; child led learning naturally enhances a child’s sense of agency. When we give children the time to choose the direction of their own play, they learn to take ownership of their own ideas.

Relationships/Ngā hononga; Te Whariki states that children learn through responsive interactions with people places and things. In self-directed play, children negotiate rules, test their own theories, and use local resources in a meaningful way.

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐲?
“At Rising stars preschool, we recognise that play is a crucial part of physical, cognitive, social, emotional, and spiritual development for nga tamariki. Our aim is to provide access to a variety and enriched play experiences within our centre environment.”

“Through meaningful play experiences, social interaction, and Aotearoa’s early childhood curriculum Te Whariki our professionally trained kaiako support nga tamariki to develop and enhance their mental and emotional wellbeing (taha hinengaro)”

𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲
These types of play empower young children to take an active role in their development. By following their natural curiosity instead of structured curriculum, children build vital skills like problem solving, emotional regulation, and persistence while maintaining a deep love for discovery.

𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐥𝐬
Agency- children make independent choices about what they do and how they do it. Intrinsic motivation- Children are the leaders of their own learning and explore from their own curiosity, not from adult imposed rewards.
Teachers facilitate learning through a responsive environment, open ended materials and following the children’s interest.

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧?
Cognitive development- supports deep critical thinking where children can develop their own working theories about the world around them.
Social and emotional growth- supports skills and strategies in peer negotiation, collaboration and learning to manage their feelings in a safe space.
Independence- children learn to trust their own abilities, recognising their own ability to play and learn.