LATEST STORIES
Moulding creative minds - Moulding the future
Here at BestStart Kelvin Street tamariki are given time and space to explore and learn at their own pace, be creative and experience an environment that stimulates their imagination and promotes curiosity.
Whenever anyone mentions early childhood education & care, the first thing they think of is creating at the poikere | playdough table, and the great memories of playing with their friends. Uku me te poikere | clay and playdough has always been a great source of developing social skills, sharing personal space, working and playing with and alongside others, problem solving, turn taking, watching your peers and taking on board their ideas as well as sharing your own (Tuakana, teina relationships) and make their own decisions. Clay and playdough is a safe and soothing play experience, where tamariki can create, shape and mould with no particular goal in mind and just enjoy how relaxing and satisfying creating and manipulating the clay and playdough feels as they explore using their senses.
Our skilled kaiako | teachers use windows of opportunities to encourage and support tamariki to develop a wide range of learning, such as language using descriptive words, asking questions for deeper thinking and honing ideas, identifying maths concepts, number, shape, size, weight, length, amounts; or engaging in dramatic play, taking on different roles and expressing ideas and understandings of the world around them, weather they are being a baker and selling buns at the bakers shop, or baking a cake at home and singing happy birthday 5 times in a row.
Clay and playdough play can help support early literacy as tamariki develop fine motor skills as they manipulate the clay or playdough squishing, squeezing, poking, patting, pinching, or rolling, strengthening fingers and hand muscles needed for holding tools for writing.