At Mairtown Kindergarten, our celebrations of Matariki this year reflected our commitment to embracing and reflecting the identities, languages, and cultures of the tamariki and whānau within our kindergarten community. This year, we wanted our Matariki celebrations to align with our Professional Growth Cycle question: In what ways does our environment and practices reflect the identities, languages, and cultures of the tamariki and whānau who attend Mairtown Kindergarten? Matariki, the Māori New Year, is a time of reflection, celebration, and looking forward. The rising of the M ..read more

  During April of 2023, I had the incredible opportunity of travelling to Denmark, where I joined a study tour that took us around Danish forest schools. Through Northland Kindergarten Association (NKA), I was awarded a scholarship where I was able to take this opportunity to extend on my current knowledge and grow as a kaiako (teacher). Forest schools have been around for many years, with many different countries adopting this approach to teaching and learning. Since the first forest school was established in Denmark, it is now a recognised practice around the world as more co ..read more

In June 2024, we welcomed some very special visitors to kindergarten. Ari, Holly and Alyssa, from the Patuharakeke te Iwi Trust arrived, bringing with them very special taonga to share with our tamariki. They arrived at whānau time, and we greeted them with a Mihi whakatau, welcoming them into our whānau for the day and sharing our pepeha with them. Ari responded, telling us they and the taonga they had with them share a connection with our pepeha and us, through the name of our harbour, Whānagarei te terenga Parāoa. After sharing kai we moved outside, where Ari told us more about the tao ..read more

Our kindergarten has recently participated in 'Daltons Sunflowers in Kindergartens', a nationwide project which encourages tamariki in becoming our next generation of gardeners.  https://www.daltons.co.nz/sunflowers-kindergartens On August 21st 2023 we started by planting our sunflower seeds, with each tamaiti carefully taking a biodegradable pot, filling it with soil then sowing their own special sunflower seed. These were then labeled and placed inside in a warm spot. Planting our sunflower seeds individually was a meaningful hands-on experience, that encouraged a sense of responsibilit ..read more

  The Mairtown Kindergarten year is coming closer to its end, and that always means very special events are just around the corner – Christmas and the Summer holidays!! This is a time of anticipation and planning for our special year’s end traditions. One of these is decorating a Christmas Tree for the Christmas Tree festival at St John’s (Golden) Church. For some years now our tamariki have created beautiful decorations with a sustainability theme to adorn our Mairtown Kindergarten tree. To create our decorations, we use a variety of recycled, reused, and natural resources, a diverse ran ..read more

At Mairtown Kindergarten we love to celebrate Matariki (the Māori New Year) because it is unique to our country and culture. During Matariki we celebrate our unique place in the world. We give respect to the whenua on which we live, and admiration to our mother earth Papatūānuku.  Matariki signals growth. It’s a time of change. It’s a time to prepare, and a time of action. During Matariki we acknowledge what we have and what we have to give. Matariki celebrates the diversity of life. It’s a celebration of culture, language, spirit, and people. We began by sharing pūrākau through our boo ..read more

Back in April 2022, I learnt of a water sampling programme which was being undertaken by Wai Tuwhera o te Taio (Open Waters Aotearoa), part of the Environmental Authority. Their programme involves linking community groups and the science of Wilderlab, to sample and undertake testing of the water within our rivers, lakes, estuaries and wetlands. The aim of this programme is to enable local communities to understand their own waterways better, and use the knowledge gained to consider how we can contribute to improving the health and diversity of life within them over time.  The testing inv ..read more

          Last year our Professional Practice Manager Kim Townsend brought in eight caterpillars, and this turned into a great learning experience that lasted many weeks, even months. Tamariki began observing the caterpillars, drawing what they saw, asking questions, and investigating using the insect books provided. Tamariki explored the changes occurring within this area throughout the days, both alongside their e hoa and on their own.  Some of our caterpillars were named by the tamariki. “Slinky, plinky, blinky, twinky and blon ..read more

Emotional competence includes understanding what we are feeling and why we are feeling it, as well as appreciating how others may be feeling and the impact of our actions on them. It also includes responding to our feelings and expressing them appropriately – and, when the feelings are strong or difficult to manage, in ways that help us calm down and feel better.(He Māpuna Te Tamaiti, 2019). Emotional literacy is made up of 'the ability to understand emotions, the ability to listen to others constructively and the ability to express emotions productively. To be emotionally literate is to ..read more

At Mairtown Kindergarten "the enviro-schools kaupapa guides our teaching, and we uphold Papatūānuku as an important kaiako; in nature herself the possibilities to learn and grow have no limits. We valueand utilise the expertise within our wider community regularly in our teachings. Respect for each other, our environment, our community and resources are both encouraged and promoted, and our teaching team sensitively scaffold and role-model these expectations" (Mairtown Philosophy, 2020).   In March we decided to create a mud kitchen space where our vegetable garden was ..read more