Late last year the kaiako at Mairtown kindergarten started to talk about the idea of starting up a pātaka kai that we could be kaitiaki of. The Pātaka Kai/Open Street Pantry Movement is a resident led, grassroots, crowd sourced solution to immediate and local need, rescuing food and encouraging the co-sharing between neighbours to strengthen communities.  Whether a need for food or a need to give, this movement facilitates neighbours helping neighbours, building community.  Those who wish to contribute may do so at their own discretion when convenient.  Kai has a role of nour ..read more

  Kia hora te marino, kia whakapapa pounamu te moana, kia tere te kaarohirohi a, ko tou hoa haere, ko te rangimarie. May the calm be widespread, may the ocean glisten like greenstone, may the shimmer of light dance across your pathway and may peace itself be your travelling companion.   Last Tuesday we sadly said farewell to Mairtown Kindergarten’s Head Teacher Susie.  Susie has been part of the Mairtown Kindergarten teaching team for the past 7 years and she will be greatly missed.  Susie has chosen to resign at this time to enable her to focus on her recovery, as she unde ..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 value and 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 wa ..read more

  At Mairtown Kindergarten we love to celebrate Matariki (The Māori New Year) because it is such a special event in Māori culture and for our bicultural nation. As the twinkling stars of Matariki rise in the winter sky, this is a time for people to come together, to remember their ancestors, to share kai, sing and tell stories. This celebration reminds us of the cycle of life, and natural ways of marking the passage of time. It is certainly a ritual which is very much looked forward to and treasured by the whole community of Mairtown Kindergarten, warming our hearts as we come together, r ..read more

  “Just like reading and writing, children have to learn how to move”.   After reflecting on the learning taking place this term at Mairtown, a big interest is in physical play and risky play. Our children have enjoyed testing their physical capabilities, pushing their limits in what their bodies are capable of, and learning new skills. With the different ages, abilities, and skill levels within our kindergarten, this is an interest that has been expressed by many of our children in a range of different ways. A good way to look at/set up an environment is to consider the fo ..read more

  As our kindergarten whānau were settling in to the new year together, and Waitangi Day was approaching, I reflected on two things; how could we introduce the importance of Waitangi Day to our tamariki in a way which was meaningful and relatable to them, and how could our establishing community strengthen common understandings about working together and relating to each other and our environment in positive ways? It seemed that te Tiriti ō Waitangi could open a door to beginning a shared kōrero, building towards both goals. The New Zealand Curriculum states: “The Treaty of Waitangi i ..read more