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The great Kiwi Bookathon
At BestStart Epsom, we had a busy week as we were engaged with the activities for The Great Kiwi Bookathon event. The Great Kiwi Bookathon is all about getting kids and their whānau reading LIKE MAD and having fun while raising awareness and much-needed funds for Blind Low Vision NZ. It is an amazing opportunity for children to share their world of books with friends and family. We thank you to all the tamariki (children) who brought their favorite books to share and read. All our little friends enjoyed the different stories. On Wednesday, children came dressed up as one of their favorite characters from the story they shared or read. It was an exciting day with adorable and beautiful princesses and strong superheroes. Thank you to all the parents for the effort they put in to dress up children creatively. As part of the Bookathon, I shared my recipe book with the children and we chose a cupcake recipe to bake.
First, we all went through the recipe, gathered all the ingredients, and measured them. We also made cream cheese pound cake for our afternoon tea. A great learning experience for our tamariki as we read the names of the ingredients, learned about measuring, waited patiently for our turn, and felt the texture of each ingredient individually and after mixing together. We passed the cake batter to our cook Natasha who this in the oven to get baked. Children were amazed to see the liquid batter transformed into a solid warm cake. This whole process of baking gave children a sense of responsibility, and independence and fostered self-confidence, Well done children. On Thursday, Coco from the Blind Low Vision came to share a talk about her role and children with low vision. She shared information about why some people need glasses to read and drive. It was a fun session and she gave the children some resources to work on and explore.
Thank you, Coco, for taking the time to come to the centre A few children brought nursery rhymes to share. On Friday, we decided to have musical chair games as part of the event. Children moved around the chairs with music and as soon as the music stopped, they quickly sat down on the closest chair. Another great physical learning experience for children strengthening their gross motor skills such as balancing, co-ordinating as well as turn taking, and following instructions. Proud of all the children contributing and participating in all the learning experiences and thank you to all who donated a gold coin for the event. The Great Kiwi Bookathon introduces you to a world of magic voyages and excites even the most reluctant reader. Especially in today's world where there can be so much distraction. These fun-filled activities enhance the joy of reading, making it easy and making it fun. It is a great way to get kids to read more books. Reading inspires the imagination and can take you on incredible journeys of discovery.