Is the end in sight?

Thatʻs the question we have been asking ourselves. We are two and a half weeks into term 3 and still sorting out the last of the mess that building brings. Last week it felt like there was no end in sight, but with some extremely long days most of the ʻbitsʻ have found a final resting place. We just have to build a shed now to house all the things that have been rammed into every spare space in the shed. The new office space and storeroom look good, donʻt they?

A dream come true!

Caelan your dream came true today when you were able to explore with the Garage band programme on one of our Apple computers. Garage band is an exciting programme that allows you too choose and create your own music and songs which you can then produce and save to CD. I was very impressed with how quickly you became familiar with features of the programme and you seemed to develop an in depth understanding of how the music layers form the sounds and music you would like. You were so proud when you shared your song with your friends at mat time too. Well done Caelan, with your strong interest in music I'm sure that this will be one of your favourite activities at kindergarten from now on.

The alterations continue

Well, kindergarten opens again tomorrow and we are sort of under control. Most of the spaces still need lots of work but one storage area and the locker room are under control.

Learning through dance

Georgia, you always have so much enthusiasm for all that you do ... and dance is no exception. In this instance you are dancing in our dance studio with one of our fabulous hoop dresses on. As you moved to the music you expeimented with the ʻtwirlʻ of the dress. I noticed that you discovered that when you stopped your movements the dress would continue the flow of its movement around your body. This is called pyhsics .... the science of speed and direction (velocity). I watched as you danced on your own ... twirling and stopping, twirling and stopping. I also noticed that you were experimenting with the use of your arms. You discovered that if you swung your arms the dress would gather more speed. What a great moment of exploration. I wonder what else you discovered.

The alterations

At the end of term it was all hands on deck as we packed up the storerooms and cleanerʻs room. Thanks to Althea, Gerry and the crew of workers. What a humungous pile of ʻtreasuresʻ we ended up with! Thank goodness we were able to store most of it in the dance studio. You would have to ask how we fitted all those treasures into the spaces .... we only hope they will fit in our new storage areas. Our lovely builder has been hard at work ... and now we have ʻthingsʻ from one end of the kindergarten to the other. Sometimes it just doesnʻt pay to look! There is dust as far as the eye can see! It certainly highlights our cobwebs. Weʻll keep you posted on the developments.

Lewis, our resident expert in mobile phones

Lewis, you always have something of interest to say and share. We have noted that you a have a particular interest in cellphones. You couldnʻt believe your eyes when I showed you my cellphone and you discovered that it didnʻt have the capacity to take photos and video. How archaic is that! Because I always have my camera on me I just havenʻt found the need to update my phone ... but I must do it one day. You told me that you are going to sell your cellphone to your little sister (your Mum later told me that it is broken!) because you wanted a flip phone. When Gillian showed you her phone you lost no time in writing your name and taking a photo of Caelan, our drummer extraordinaire. What a sociocultural shift we are seeing in communications. It made me feel old to explain that when I was his age I was on a party line using morse code and you had to turn the handle to make the morse code!!!

Ballerinaʻs can do anything

Our ballet day on Thursday saw a sea of ballerinas arrive at kindergarten. While the focus was on bar work, working in front of the mirrors and dancing to Swan Lake there was certainly time to enjoy our favourite activities at kindergarten. Kristina chose to be a sandpit ballerina.