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Rediscovering our love for intentional teaching
This month we have been rediscovering our love for intentional teaching alongside an emergent curriculum.
Using our amazing 16 areas of play, we have been able to provide a wide range of interesting, thought-provoking and natural learning experiences, all leading to our "Life cycle" programme planning. We have been exploring many different cycles of life, including the monarch butterfly, spiders, bees, seals, flowers and leaves.
With the added support and passion from our manager Jade and our student teacher Lucy, the Kuaka room tamariki have been able to participate in some wonderful projects. Here are some of our tamariki using Jade's beehive literacy provocation to create a three-dimensional beehive.
Aria first sketched a picture of a snail that she had discovered outside after the rain – before creating a beautiful snail from play-dough. Aria said, "my snail lives inside her house".
Sorting through colours, shapes, and sizes is a current interest in the Kuaka room. Organising items and counting/making patterns is a self-directed group activity we have been observing our four-year-olds. Also, opportunities to develop literacy (like holding a pencil correctly) have been a notable interest. Look at the concentration on Awa's face as she practices her symbol and letter making on the whiteboard.
Our days are getting so much warmer, which is enabling our tamariki to spend as much free time in the fresh air and sunshine as they need.
Xavier was getting into some creative music-making using a ukulele and singing away, while Indyana and Ainsley had their own ideas about a truck and trailer combo, this provided hours of fun.
We also recently celebrated Father's Day in our classroom. Our amateur photographer teacher Terryn took some lovely pictures of the children, and then they popped their photos into a frame they had decorated themselves. The Dads also got a wee sweet treat as well.
That summarises some but not all of the wonderful daily learning experiences we are having here in the Kuaka room at BestStart Omokoroa.