An update from the Tui Room today......
Congratulations to XXXX, Nate and YYYY for winning the Playball medals today!
Such excitement in our house tonight :-). Our little man LOVES ball sports, and it's a great help for his hand-eye, and balance and co-ordination. Here is our boy celebrating with his Daddy..
A lovely welcoming note from Hayley from the Tui Room teachers!
It is so lovely to welome Nate to our Tui family! He is a beam of sunshine in our classroom and we are so excited to continue getting to know him and his interests. Nate's transition was amazingly smooth and he ventured over from the Kea room each day to spend time exploring the Tui classroom. Straight away I noticed that he was drawn to our colourful provocations: our jars of pencils organised by colour, and our rainbow blocks. Nate showed me how he could sort the pencils by colour by placing them back in their jars after the joy of tipping them out. Using the blocks, Nate worked alongside some of the Tui children to create tall towers. He loves the thrill of towers falling over and clapped his hands, laughing along with his new friends.
As Nate became more comfortable in the Tui room he began to spend time with the other teachers: Laura, Sara and Megan. He has begun to form relationships with them and will approach each teacher for support, guidance or fun when needed. He has been spending quite a bit of time with Laura during Friday's Playball sessions which is so lovely to see and they have begun to form a close relationship. Playball is a sport based programme which is run by coaches. The coaches come to Bear Park every Friday (except during the school holidays) and introduce the children to new gross motor skills through games. Nate has loved exploring these games alongside his friends and he has tremendous gross motor skills. He shows us how he can run, swing, kick, throw and hit, and also how he can follow instructions and use observation to understand what to do. It is so clear to see that Nate thrives during Playball sessions and I am sure he will continue to show us what he can do and the weeks and months go by.
During his transition, Nate began to join our investigation groups. He is able to choose for himself which group to join and it is lovely to see that he explores something new each time. Two weeks ago he worked with Megan to create a Father's Day card for his lucky dad, and he has also worked with Sara to read stories and sing songs. Today Nate joined my group which ventured outside to create and use an obstacle course. He followed his friends' lead and used chalk to make marks on the pavement. Nate's peers helped him to move objects and showed him where to put things, then helped him to explore the playground and the resources within. Nate showed his tremendous adaptability and trust as he went along with whatever was happening around him.
Nate has also been busily showing us his love of the playground. This is a great way for Nate to spend time in a familiar environment, as the Kea and Tui children share this space. Nate loves the climbing boxes, ramps and monkey bars and has joined some the Tui children to explore these resources. He loved hanging from the monkey bars and it was neat to see him watching what the other children were doing, as they lifted their legs up and over the bars. Observation is a fantastic way to learn and it is so great to see Nate doing this without any prompting.
It is so great to see how comfortable Nate already is in the Tui room. He has developed a strong sense of belonging and seems to feel that the classroom is his, which is so great. He happily explores it on his own, but also approaches other children to see what they are busy doing. Today when I was playing a game on the deck where I draped fabric over Akane, Nate ran over to join in the fun. I counted "one, two three" and then pulled the fabric off Akane's head and she and Nate cracked up with laughter! It was so magical to see them creating a bond already. As I kept playing, I tried to drape the fabric over Nate, and at first he didn't like this idea. He kept asking for "more, more" and pointed to Akane, telling me what he wanted. Eventually, he slowly wiggled his way under the fabric and began to join Akane underneath. His face lit up when I pulled the fabric off him and he was developing a great sense of timing, as I could see the anticipation building on his face while I counted.
The Tui teaching team is so excited that Nate has joined our family. We have been amazed by his seamless transition and can see that he has the confidence to join in with his new friends and teachers. This will be so helpful for him as he continues to explore our classroom and all it has to offer. We wish a very warm welcome to him and his whole family, and we can't wait to see where our collaborative learning journey leads us! Tena koutou everyone!
Below us a post from Hayley (one of the Bear Park team) on Nate's 'graduation party'. Technically it should have been last week, but Nate cottoned on to us sneaking into watch, saw Grandaddy, and demanded to head home! This week the Bear Park team tried again, but in the morning, and succeeded :-). He had a blast, and I'll try to post the videos at some stage too...
Hi everyone, here are the videos and photos from Nate's Happy Last Day celebration this morning. He wasn't interested in wearing his crown but LOVED when we sang Happy Last Day, especially the "hip, hip hooray" part! He kept asking for more, and then even an hour later we were still playing a game which had "hip, hip hooray" in it. Nate thought it was hilarious, so we saying it, which is what all the photos are! It was lovely for Nate to be the centre of attention and we are so excited that he has joined us in the Tui room! See you tomorrow!
Afternoon nap times with my boy :-)
And again on a different day, love my BooBoo...
Here is our latest update from Anne at daycare, as Nate graduates from the Kea Room to the Tui Room!
Nate, the time has come for us to say goodbye to you and your whānau as you fly across to the Tui nest. We are sad but also very excited for you as you have shown us how ready you are to take this next step in your learning journey!
Your transition has been such a success and I can still recall how much fun you had on your first visit to the Tui room as you discovered and explored all the amazing resources there. Lately the Kea room has been a little too overwhelming and noisy for you, with lots of new young children, so the Tui room has been a nice soothing way to settle in the morning. You gradually became more comfortable in this new learning environment and last week, you stayed in the Tui room for almost a full day, having lunch and even a sleep there! Clearly, you seem to have found a sense of belonging already, which is great to see!
I was so glad to see you having a go at Playball every time you could during your transition visits as well. The smile never left your face as you tried your best at each game, especially hitting the ball on the rope! It looked like a challenge, but you had so much fun and you aimed perfectly each time! I can't wait to see you win that Playball medal soon!
I am glad to have followed you on this learning journey in the Kea room and I have seen you blossom in many areas such as art, puzzles and physical play! The confidence in using your body has increased tremendously and you now love to show us how you can climb up the boxes on your own! Crossing the plank has been one of the challenges that you never gave up! And now you can do it by yourself, barely holding one of my fingers as I walk alongside! Practice pays off doesn't it Nate? You are eager to try everything and you are a very determined learner, which is an amazing learning disposition to have because it will help you because the best way to learn is through trial, error and practice!
And the music, let's not forget about the music! Nate you have been a fantastic contributor to our Friday music session, with Singing Rainbows and more recently Antonio, with his worldly instruments! These moments are when you talk the most! Your positive attitude towards group participation is contagious and I thank you for it.
Nate it was a pleasure to have you as part of our Kea whānau for the past few months, and I am looking forward to seeing what you get up to and all the learning you do once fully settled in the Tui room! On behalf of all your Kea teachers (Penny, Lucia, Amanda and myself) I wish you all the best!
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