Whānau events hold significant value for us here at Bream Bay Kindergarten. The opportunity to create cherished memories through shared experiences, provides a way for us to foster a sense of belonging and connectedness to each other that is just so wholesome and good. Beach Night never fails to impress!   After last years wild and windy adventure, we were pleased with this years turn out of calm and tranquil.  The weather played the game perfectly and we were able to get on with the job of making fabulous sand sculptures, eating copious amoun ..read more

Like the bright colours of rangoli, may this Diwali bring you fresh happiness and joy, undiscovered avenues and different perspectives..... Today our tamariki experienced the traditional hindu art form of Rangoli. The brightly coloured patterns are traditionally created during Dawali, often on the ground outside the front door. They are thought to bring good luck, peace and prosperity for the coming year. We watched some video clips of people creating a range of Rangoli patterns and we carefully observed their technique. We noticed that most of the Rangoli were symmetrical or geometric ..read more

  Storytelling... It takes practice. As a team, teachers have been working on strengthening oral language within our environment.  With the recent opportunity for children to hear stories from reknowned storyteller Tanya Batt they were keen to create their own stories.  As a teacher my inquiry has been focused on better understanding, responding to, and effectively supporting children’s oral language learning.  As part of this I have been offering opportunities for children to engage in storytelling.  With a basket full of props and a space dedicated to one child ..read more

Here at Bream Bay Kindergarten we love a competition.  We have a focus on oral language and literacy and our recent fun has come from a phonics game we play "Big T, little t, what begins with T?" The name of the game is to think of things that begin with the sound. For example the letter T, we might think of someone whose name begins with the T sound, or a toy that begins with the T sound, or even something at home or on the farm. All the while sounding out the letter and trailing ideas together. "Phonics is a way of teaching children how to read and write and learning phonics throug ..read more

  Te Whāriki (2017) states “one of the major cultural tasks for children in the early years is to develop competence and understanding of language.” As such, oral language and communication are a priority within our learning environment at Bream Bay Kindergarten.   It was with greatly anticipated pleasure that recently we welcomed renowned performance storyteller Tanya Batt to provide children an opportunity to experience the awe and wonder of a master storyteller, who weaves together story, movement and music. By her own admission, Tanya Batt is a self-confessed story-lover from ..read more

The allure of a darkened space with light table, cascading fairy lights, an array of coloured objects, blocks, mannequins and torches is too much for tamariki to resist.  Let exploration begin! Awe and wonder... "I've got a rainbow on my tummy!" said Spencer. Trial and error...where is that rainbow? Found it...duplicating results! The urge to play and explore in our light and shadow space has been a delight for the senses and has become a very popular space for children to venture into.   This is a very child led space with open ended resources ..read more

Over the past little while, we've been focusing on rejuvenating our outdoor play area and what a journey it has been! Our journey began with a question to children about what they wanted in their play and learning space.  Children came up with some pretty wonderful ideas... Big rocks and little rocks A waterfall Lots of plants A door and some windows A rainbow Water and mud A swing bridge Bigger monkey bars Sand and trucks A pool Rainbow flowers Another slide A big as climb up and jump off More thought was needed and the team sought further inspiration from a group of talented tea ..read more

 Winter's arrival and an abundance of lemons on the tree means...it's juicing time! Hot water, lemon, honey and a beautiful set up invites children to play.   A quick blast of vitamin C...good for what ails you!         Sticky, sour, yellow, zesty, fragrant, citrus, rind, wedges, whole, half, bitter, tangy, delicious, slushy, mushy, gooey, mouth watering, sloppy, wet, squishy, fresh, ripe, fruity, squeezable, juicy!    Sour!     Tasty.      Really sour!           &nbs ..read more

 At Bream Bay Kindergarten Matariki holds a special place in our hearts as the perfect opportunity for us to celebrate and draw our community together in authentic and meaningful connection.   Over the past 8 years we have been thrilled to rejoice in a wide range of experiences that celebrate and honour mātauranga Maori.  This was the first year that the importance of this time was recognized with a public holiday in Aotearoa...yeehaa!       That this is happening now is just wonderful.   Acknowledging Waitā, the star connected to the ..read more

It was great to catch up with some of our tamariki and whānau on Zoom last week and hear about what everyone has been doing to keep themselves busy, as well as the highs and lows that being in lockdown presents. Some expressed enjoyment towards the challenges that have been offered. So, collaboratively another challenge was made...  'Show us in photos three things that make you feel happy.'  We know how important it is to find the little things that make us feel good and find the bright parts in our days during these times. Appreciating happy experiences is a mindfulness ..read more