The Wiz

On Thursday the morning children had the awesome opportunity to see the show The Wiz put on by the National Youth Theatre Group at Auckland Girls Grammar School. The Wiz is a funky version of the Wizard of Oz. This is how the children recalled the story line. There was a dog running around before it started. He was trying to find Dorothy and Dorothy was trying to find him. His name was Toto. Dorothy was hanging out the washing. There was a big storm. It rained. It had a big crackle of lightening. The house flew. The wind did it. It landed back down when the storm stopped and it fell on the witch. They took the roof away and she was dead. The people were happy. Dorothy met the others. She met the growly lion. He was looking for courage. Then the tin man came along. He needed some oil. And he wanted a heart. The scarecrow, he needed a brain cause he didnʻt have one. So they went to see the Wizard at the Emerald City. They had to kill the other witch to get those things. The witch died because the water melted her. The Wizard gave the scarecrow a heart and the tin man a brain and the lion some courage. Dorothy asked how she was going to get home to Kansas. She had to click her magic silver shoes two times ... but she could come back and visit.

Fabulous fathersʻ night

Fathersʻ Night 2008 ... what a night to remember!

Fathersʻ night has a very special place in our kindergarten calendar for a number of reasons.
Firstly, we know that it is often difficult for Dads to make it to kindergarten ... so sometimes it is best to make a date.

Secondly, it is about building connections between teachers and dads and most importantly between the children and their Dads.

And lastly, research says that the most valuable gift you can give your child is time.

Circle, circle, flick, flick

Thatʻs how the dental hygienist Katrina told us to clean our teeth. She said that children should clean their teeth in the morning and at night Mums and Dads should help with the process to make sure they get all those tricky bits. She also reminded us that we should have water in our drink bottles. Katrina said that we shouldnʻt be scared about going to the dental clinic and showed us all the tools that are used at the dental clinic. Did you know that at 4 we should have 20 teeth?

Kelly Tarltons adventure

With such an intense interest in our red eared turtle Franklin we made the decision to book a trip to Kelly Tarltons Underwater Adventure while their turtles were still in residence. They were due to be released into the sea at the end of the week. What excitement! It is hard to know what is the most exciting ... the bus trip or Kelly Tarltons. Lots of children said that they had already been to Kelly Tarltons ... but that certainly didnʻt dampen the enthusiasm. It seems that everyone had a different favourite moment ... but the penguins topped the rating ... and I would have to agree. they are so beautiful. We went to see the turtles being fed but it transpired that they were just not that hungry.

Elections 2008

This week we have been making a connection with community events by following the lead up to the Elections. Throughout the week we have been checking out the party leaders and on Friday the children had their opportunity to vote for the person they wanted to lead New Zealand. Helen Clark was the overwhelming winner. The children had their names checked by the Electoral Officer (thanks Karen). They were then given a voting paper containing each leaders photograph and the put a tick beside the one that they liked best. They then had to fold their voting paper and put it in the ballot box. I wonder how many children went to the polling booth with their parents. There were not many children at the polling booth I went to.
Bronwyn

Joining in with Jump Jam at Botany Downs School

As part of our making connections with Botany Downs School programme we try to attend Jump Jam. Jump Jam is an aerobics programme for children developed by Brett Fairweather, a former aerobics champion. Going to the school is a relatively simple exercise for us ... we just go out our back door and head down the path to the school hall. We hold hands with a friend and walk in line ... a bit of a challenge when you are so excited! Once the music starts it is just a matter of copying what the school children do. Some of our ex students were kind enough to give us an up close and personal demonstration. We were impressed that they knew all the steps off by heart. It was so good that we are going back again in a couple of weeks. A big thanks to all the parents who helped us with supervision. As always, it is really appreciated. THANKS

Halloween Happenings

Both the morning and afternoon children celebrated Halloween at Kindergarten by dressing up and sharing in some food delights. We were amazed that nearly all the children dressed up ... and what cool dressups there were too.