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Keeping Kindy Safe

28 April 2022/in Uncategorized /by Bramley
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Every child is an individual

8 December 2021/in Uncategorized /by Bramley
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Our Great Big Backyards

8 December 2021/in Uncategorized /by Bramley
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Weaving culture into every day

8 December 2021/in Uncategorized /by Bramley
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Growing lifelong learners

8 December 2021/in Uncategorized /by Bramley
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Our fantastic teaching teams

8 December 2021/in Uncategorized /by Bramley
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Kindergarten is Special

8 December 2021/in Uncategorized /by Bramley
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The Benefits of Learning Te Reo Māori

6 December 2021/in Uncategorized /by Bramley

Why learn te reo Māori?

The Māori language is undergoing a real renaissance in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Where once the goal was for the language to survive, today it’s about helping it thrive and grow stronger into the future. There are big benefits to society – and each of us – from all improving our skills and understanding in this area. But what’s in it for individual children and families?

The answer is “a lot”, as Neroli Gardner, Head Teacher from Kidsfirst Sunbeam, explains.

“There’s the stimulation of neural pathways that happens with exposure to anything new, which helps children’s cognitive development and opens the door to even more knowledge and understanding,” Neroli says.

“Any child who is multilingual is going to get those benefits in terms of brain development. It’s that whole left/right side of the brain idea – the more languages they speak, the more exposed they are to a richer linguistic life, and a richer life in general. It’s similar to how we learn other languages – French or Chinese or Japanese – as teenagers, but these children get the advantage of starting early.”

Research shows that there’s a lot of wisdom in the long held belief that languages are easier to acquire at younger ages.

“The children we are teaching come to us with open minds – they’re little sponges. It’s so much easier for them to pick up other languages at the age we teach. We have children here who can speak two or three languages, if you put te reo in the mix.”

Neroli says whānau quickly come to see that the benefits lie way beyond the language itself, and new learning.

“Children need a strong personal cultural identity, and before they can move forward with their own cultural identity, they need to have a strong understanding of what’s gone before,” Neroli says.

“All cultures have a lot to learn from Māori traditions, customs, and concepts like whanaungatanga and manaakitanga. These teach us how to care for one another and how to respect where we have come from, as much as where we are going. It helps to make children more well rounded.”

These rich traditions take important learning deeper, give it more meaning and bring them to life.

“Looking after the land – kaitiakitanga – is a really good example. Children need to have an understanding of what’s gone before, so they are more passionate about taking care of the land in the future. The same applies to the cultural history of New Zealand – and it’s exponential: If we can teach them about the stories and traditions, they sing waiata (songs) and speak about them in the language, and in turn they can share all of that with their whānau and wider community.”

The importance of taking care of the planet, starting with our own neighbourhood, is driven home through everyday actions that ultimately become habits.

“That happens through helping them learn about looking after waste and reducing it, but also through looking after the land. We do a lot of gardening and also things like walking around the local neighbourhood, visiting local parks, picking up rubbish, and looking after our immediate community, as well as our own.”

It doesn’t take long for hungry young minds to get the gist of things and start to take the initiative themselves.

“Even if we just go for a visit to the park or the school, now, the children are always insistent that they stop and pick up the rubbish along the way. It’s really been instilled in them.”

Simple acts like naming also make a difference.

“We teach children the correct names of the native trees and birds. If they can put a name to something, they are usually more inclined to want to look after it. It’s a bit like if somebody walked into the room and didn’t use your name, you wouldn’t feel as well respected.”

Kidsfirst Sunbeam is located in a busy suburban neighbourhood, but also just a short bus ride away from the Christchurch CBD, bringing unique opportunities to connect with New Zealand’s history.

“So we also have an emphasis on place-based education – helping children learn more about where they come from. We’re close to town, so we go in on the bus. Places like Victoria Square are rich in both English and bicultural history. We explore the city, we might go to the art gallery. That way, children can see where they are in the wider community, and in turn, the wider world.

Within the kindergarten, the Sunbeam teaching team take every opportunity to use te reo Māori, and the influence is going beyond the tamariki.

“We sing a lot of waiata, we instil te reo in our routines and when giving positive feedback to children. We try to use it as much as we possibly can.”

“We’ve noticed children and parents starting to greet us in te reo when they come in in the mornings. It’s not unusual for a parent to come in and speak a greeting in te reo, rather than English. So the children are teaching the parents as well. We’re lucky in our community that families are genuinely interested.

The Sunbeam kindergarten tamariki, teachers and whānau have an added advantage in their te reo Māori endeavours, thanks to Rihari Taratoa-Bannister, a kaiako proficient in the language.

“I remember his first day when we had a mihi whakatau (welcome speech) to welcome Rihari and he told the children the story of his life in te reo. I just looked around the children, and there were these huge big eyes, just watching. He’s a great story teller, and he brings the language to life much more vividly. I sit and watch the two year olds just gazing at him when he’s speaking to them in te reo, and it’s beautiful. Really lovely.”

She says the integration of te reo Māori and its traditions are now just part of everyday kindergarten life.

“Last Matariki, we were learning about the stars and we had a puzzle out on the table depicting all the planets. Because we have Rihari here, and he talks a lot about the Māori world, the children expect it to be present and part of things. One wee boy walked up to the puzzle and asked ‘where’s the Māori world?’ It really offers children another whole opportunity to practise critical thinking. For example, there are these atua, these gods, but what might they have looked like? Because of course, every time you pick up a book it’s somebody else’s different perspective.”

Long held traditions have gained new depth and meaning by incorporating Māori customs.

“For example, when children go off to school, we now farewell the whole whānau, not just the child. It’s not just singing them off to school, it’s saying goodbye to the whole family and what they’ve contributed and all the teachers are involved. Little things like that make a big difference.”

“We teach children the correct names of the native trees and birds. If they can put a name to something, they are usually more inclined to want to look after it. It’s a bit like if somebody walked into the room and didn’t use your name, you wouldn’t feel as well respected.”

For Neroli, whose training 38 years ago did little more than skim over Māori culture and te reo, the changes inside of the kindergarten and beyond are heartening.

“I didn’t learn te reo in my training, and I took some private lessons to get my skill levels up. Since then, our Kidsfirst professional development has helped take it even further. Over time, I’ve just fallen in love with the language and culture. There are so many good things about it.”

She says the growing integration of the language into everyday New Zealand life is evident everywhere.

“I’m starting to see a real shift in the wider world with people actually wanting to learn. There are courses open to anyone who wants to learn, like Toro Mai if they’re really keen, and of course places like Fush, the fish and chip shop that had classes that were so popular, they had to add another weekly class and rent out big rooms.”

In the spirit of ako (teachers learning alongside children), the Sunbeam team are improving their own te reo Māori every day.

“Our children are so used to it now, it’s just natural to use the language, and we’re all learning so much from Rihari. It’s great to have the chance to correct our pronunciation when it’s not quite right or to learn more. Just like the children, everyone is trying to learn from one another.”

Want to do better at home? We asked Neroli for her top 3 tips:

• Use te reo teaching apps and pages

“There are a lot of  great apps that are teaching children te reo they can put on their phone, and good pages on Facebook you can engage with to learn more about the language and give you tips on how to use it at home”

Kupu Maori NZ (https://www.facebook.com/kupu.maori.nz/)

Duolingo Te Reo (https://www.facebook.com/duolingotereo/)

Reo Maori (https://www.facebook.com/reomaori/)

• Make the most of bilingual books

Bringing bilingual books into the home is an excellent way to bring more te reo into children’s lives.

• Ask for help

Don’t be afraid to ask your teaching team for ideas: “A lot of parents ask for the words to waiata or lists of some simple words they can use at home. It’s so great to see whānau really involved and wanting to get in and support their children.”

https://teaokindy.kidsfirst.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/benefits_115453_1.png 825 1924 Bramley https://teaokindy.kidsfirst.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/logo_95965_2-300x108.png Bramley2021-12-06 13:11:582021-12-09 16:36:59The Benefits of Learning Te Reo Māori

What’s special about kindergarten

26 November 2021/in Uncategorized /by Happy Monday Support

Kidsfirst is over 100 years old, and was one of the first kindergarten associations in New Zealand. Over the years, many other forms of early childhood education have been established here with different philosophies and focuses, and some people don’t realise that ‘kindy’ is something altogether unique. 

“There are many things that set us apart,” says Kidsfirst Chief Executive, Sherryll Wilson, who has run the organisation for more than 20 years. 

 “Our strong values, the depth of our commitment to biculturalism, the belief in the value of mixed aged groups and small group sizes. And the fact that all of our teachers are fully qualified and registered, just like primary school teachers are. So there is a real focus on that grounding, professional development, and the academic foundations of the work.”

 Ms Wilson says the other very clear difference is the kindergarten philosophy, Learning Through Play. 

 “It can sound to some people like a bit of a contradiction to say our professionalism and academic grounding makes us different and then talk about the importance of play,” she says, “but both matter. The evidence is clear that tamariki learn best through their own interests and at their own pace when fully qualified and registered teachers can help them extend those interests at just the right time.”

 The physical environments of the kindergartens follow on from this focus on teaching and play. So, when you visit a Kidsfirst kindergarten, you’ll notice there are a lot of resources – and a whole lot of space. 

 “Our indoor and outdoor areas are loaded with resources and inspiration to encourage children to get curious, explore, engage with creativity and nature and ideas, and grow in a whole lot of different ways. You’ll hear us talking about our ‘Great Big Backyards’ – most of our kindergartens are many years, sometimes decades, old, so they have beautiful, well established settings that enable tamariki to really engage with nature, all year round. So there are chickens, vegetable gardens, flowers, sandpits, water features, spaces for trikes and bikes…everything you can imagine a child needing to really get lost in their imagination and the freedom to explore.”

 That freedom is very much at the heart of the kindergarten tradition – along with the watchful eyes and guiding hands of teachers like Kidsfirst Mckenzie teacher, Marilyn Gray. 

 “We don’t ‘teach’ in one particular way. It’s a holistic approach that relates to Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. We look at the whole child, where they’ve come from, what they’re interested in. Sometimes they take the lead, sometimes we do. The professionalism of the teachers and our ongoing training allows us to identify when those times are right.”

 Marilyn says the goal of kindergarten goes beyond academically based school preparedness, which is a key focus for some models of early childhood education. 

 “Our goal is to encourage tamariki to learn for themselves, to think for themselves, to challenge themselves, to have a feeling of self worth and to be competent, confident learners. We want them to have a strong sense of themselves and to be able to take some responsibility for themselves and for other people as they head off for school. But the main thing I would say that matters is just that love for learning and that carrying on throughout their educational years and throughout their life.”

 You’ll hear kindergarten teachers talk a lot about the importance of helping tamariki develop, and practice, life skills.

 “This is the age we can teach them how to be a friend, how to take care of themselves and how to care for each other,” says Justine Fogarty, a teacher at Kidsfirst Isleworth. “These aren’t skills they’re going to learn when they get to primary school – they can learn to read and write and so on when they get to primary school. And we can teach them here, now, how to care for one another, respect one another, and that’s the grounding for learning.”

 Kidsfirst Vickery Street teacher, Julia Saunders, agrees. 

 “This is a place to practice being a really good person. This is where you learn to be with other people, trust other adults beyond your parents, you learn how to negotiate with other tamariki. It’s about the bigger picture.”

Kindergarten tamariki also get an important grounding in biculturalism and te reo Māori – foundations they will take into the rest of their lives. As New Zealand’s longest standing early childhood education provider and a 100% kiwi owned, not for profit organisation, Kidsfirst is strongly committed to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, its principles, and the importance of our tamariki having a deep sense of knowing and belonging to the culture.

 “Children need a strong personal cultural identity, and before they can move forward with their own cultural identity, they need to have a strong understanding of what’s gone before,” Kidsfirst Sunbeam Head Teacher, Neroli Gardner, explains. 

 “All cultures have a lot to learn from Māori traditions, customs, and concepts like whanaungatanga (the importance of community) and manaakitanga (caring). These teach us how to care for one another and how to respect where we have come from, as much as where we are going. It helps to make children more well rounded.”

 For many of our teachers, like Kidsfirst McKenzie’s Jane Hughey, the commitment is a lifelong and personal one – and it runs deep. 

 “It’s important for us to do what we can to make te reo Māori stronger. It’s an official language of this country, it’s the treaty underpinning everything we do. I grew up in an environment where I had a lot of access to te reo. At high school most of my friends were of Māori ancestry but most of their parents didn’t speak te reo, some knew te reo but didn’t use it. English was their first language. It was a huge event for them, and I remember how excited they were, to learn about their whakapapa and their language in the third form. That’s always stayed with me. “

 Māori culture is front-and-centre in our kindergartens, but there are many others celebrated and welcomed across the network every day. 

 There are more than 55 first-languages spoken across the Kidsfirst network, and such a rich diversity of backgrounds. Most months bring a special day, week or occasion as a focus, and it’s a great way to celebrate the multicultural nature of our communities. 

 Kidsfirst Trengrove’s Munira Sugarwala says the mix of cultures she sees reflects wider society – now and in the future.

 “It’s what the world is going to be like – it is multicultural, it is diverse, we do all look different and children need to be able to accept that. And they are adaptable – within our kindergarten we have some amazing friendships between tamariki, even when they don’t even speak the same language. You’ll have two children – one who speaks Spanish, one who doesn’t know a word, but they just nod and get along. The children just get on with it and language is not even an issue for them.”

 Jenna Stone, Head Teacher at Kidsfirst Vickery Street says like many things, the sense of acceptance that tamariki show wears off on their whānau.

 “They see their children showing it, so acceptance just develops. That’s the beauty of kindergarten, the sense of welcome when they come in, the karakias, the friendships they’ve made. Whānau come in at around the same time every morning, they get to know the other families and the children their children are hanging out with, and it does grow their appreciation for diversity because they see everybody’s the same. Everyone’s connected. It makes for a really lovely, community based environment. Everyone deserves to have that feeling of manawhenua, that sense of belonging.”

 Adrian Batt, Relieving Head Teacher at Kidsfirst Woolley Street says a sense of interconnectedness is something he sees across the network.

 “There’s a great sense of community in all the Kidsfirst kindergartens, and it’s like a second home to many families. They get to know all the whānau, children form great relationships and often they see the friends they play with at kindergarten out and about. So for families who have come to New Zealand who are missing some of that extended whānau it can be like having a surrogate family.”

 You’ll see a lot of creativity going on in kindergartens – and it’s no accident. Somehow, it all gets cleaned up neatly and tidily by the end of the day. But in the meantime, this is a place where kids really do get to be kids. 

 “Because we’re all individuals and we’ve all got different strengths and abilities, creating a space for children to be able to create in lots of different ways to build on their interest.” Adrian says. 

 Another kindergarten difference whānau will notice is that tamariki are not separated into specific age groupings. This echoes the way things happen at home and means every child gets the same opportunities in an age appropriate way. 

 “Every child should be able to experience everything that we offer at kindergarten,” says Kidsfirst Cromwell Head Teacher, Torey Burns.

 “We don’t have a four year old programme that is just for four year-olds, for example. We provide the same activities for all children to experience and explore at their own level and where their interests are at.”

 This ‘whānau grouping’ of tamariki also offers older children the opportunity to take on leadership roles and act as role models for the younger ones. 

 “They get to show them the ropes, and the older children thrive on that responsibility. They want to be helping others and nurturing them. We have some children who love setting up the beds in the afternoon for those who may need a little extra sleep. They want to help get nappies out of bags when it’s changing time. And the younger children develop a sense of belonging quicker because they can see they have these older children, role models looking out for them as well.”

 One of the key things that sets kindergarten apart is also one of its most fundamental: it’s not for profit status. While commercial organisations have an obligation to deliver a return to shareholders, kindergartens’ only beneficiaries are tamariki, whānau and community. It’s something that is important to Jane Hughey.

 “Personally, I think our reason for being is different. I think we have a different drive, a different reason for getting out of bed in the morning. It’s about doing the best we can for our families and our children. We’ve retained a strong sense of being about who we are, why we’re here, we haven’t got lost along the way in all of those years.”

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