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Every moment is a learning opportunity
At BestStart Pyes Pa we recently had our own encounter with Omicron. Today during a scissor skill session with our tamariki, we were witness to the learning that has come about as a result of this ever-changing world we live in.
One of our delightful boys had fashioned a mask for himself from a triangular piece of fabric and was trying to tie it up behind his head. I asked him if he was planning on robbing a bank or wearing a disguise. To my delight he informed me that it was a mask for his brother to wear at school. I thought I would question him a little bit more to gauge the depth of his knowledge, so I asked him why his brother had to wear a mask at school? “Because of Covid,” he replied in a very matter of fact manner.
Still digging, I asked him what COVID was…. “It’s a bug!” he replied.
“No, it’s not!” exclaimed another child who was sitting nearby. When asked what she thought COVID was, she replied, “It’s a sickness!”
This discussion started a flurry of mask-making as our small group of children created their own mask. We then discussed ways we could avoid this bug/sickness and came up with ideas such as sneezing or coughing into our elbows and washing our hands. I was treated to a handwashing display by some of the children who used the poster we had put up on the bathroom wall as visual cues to help them with the handwashing procedure. It’s also so wonderful to listen to children sharing their thoughts and ideas with each other and create a learning hub of their own.
As Kaiako, we continually blown away with the funds of knowledge our tamariki bring with them into the Centre and reminded that every moment is a learning opportunity, even those that aren’t particularly pleasant! Here at BestStart Pyes Pa we value these spontaneous learning opportunities and work to extend and build upon the working theories that our children are developing about the world around them.