Te Whiria o te Toutouwai 2023

  Cooking in Toutouwai. There are many benefits to cooking with children  besides making yummy food to enjoy together. Helps build basic math skills such as counting eggs or pouring water into a measuring cup, asking what comes first, second, and third and counting together.  Children learn by exploring with their senses. They can listen to the whir of the mixer, mix the dough, smell the cooking, and finally taste the food. Taking turms and being patient while the recipe is being followed and again while the food is cooking. Being trusted to do things eg crack the eggs. The NZ Curriculum states that children will  observe, describe, and compare physical and chemical properties of common materials and changes that occur when materials are mixed, heated, or cooled.

  Wet sand equals FUN! Friday started off with so much rain which meant we were all inside for the beginning of the day. When it eased off there were some children who were very keen to get outside into the fresh air and do some exploring. Water and sand provide so many learning opportunities.  As well as having opportunities to take turns, work together, make plans and complete projects, playing with sand and water itself also teaches children many things. Water makes sand heavier, water changes the texture of sand, water always runs downhill, water and wet sand take the shape of the container they are poured into.  Sand and water play also allows children to connect and interact with the natural world around them. It helps children develop tactile skills with sensory play.  All of this play is a part of our NZ  science curriculum. The NZC (Level 1 & 2) states that children will: “Extend their experiences and personal explanations of the natural world throu...

  Learning to be Safer in the Water This morning, Brooke from Swimming New Zealand came to Waitara East School to share with the teachers some great activities that  promote safer swimming for our children not only in the pools but in rivers and the ocean as well. This is not a learn to swim programme but focuses on Water safety and awareness skills, Getting in and out of the water, Going under the water - Submersion and Floating on the water - Personal Buoyancy. The children learned how to get in and out of the pool safely, how to hold on tight and walk themselves around the deep end without touching the bottom and played lots of games where their head and faces got splashed or submerged. Although the water is quite cool now and the children didn’t stay in for too long they learned lots and importantly, had heaps of fun. Brooke will be back next week to teach us some more water safety activities.

  Slime Today Whaea Kristie was the teacher in Toutouwai. She brought some ingredients along with her to make some slime. The children took turns at stirring and mixing to bring it altogether to make a slimy consistency. Once the slime was made Whaea Kristie gave the children instructions to stretch, squish, spread, squeeze and smooth the slime. She also said to make a snake and then the letter s . All these actions were supporting us learning about the sound s     I wonder what things you can find or do at home that start with the sound s?