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Prehistoric Mana Aotūroa (Exploration)
Our tamariki have been curious about the time, long long ago, when giants walked the Earth and puia (volcanoes) rumbled and reverberated the land beneath. Dinosaurs and prehistoric times are such exciting worlds to discover. Our Kaiako have been observing imaginations running wild with play and constructions of what the world used to be. Tall towers have been built out of blocks and in the sandpit to represent mountains and volcanoes.
Tamariki have been stomping and flying around the centre, pretending to be fierce creatures. To extend the tamariki’s knowledge of this concept, our Kaiako provided videos of puia and how they erupt. Then, with our children’s help, they built up a mountain of sand and filled the middle with bicarbonate of soda. Each tamaiti had the chance to pour a small amount of vinegar into the sand ‘volcano’ and watch it fizz and explode out the top like lava! This type of exploration is play-based learning at its best.
Children can experiment, problem-solve and discover new ideas that build upon their growing knowledge base. As their dedicated kaiako facilitate opportunities, tamariki take their learning into their own hands, making them competent and confident young learners.