On Thursday morning, my phone reminded me it was the last day of Term one. Wow, that really got me thinking! What an unprecedented end to our kindergarten term this has been, for us as teachers, for our beautiful tamariki and their whānau, and for our communities, both local and global. The emergence of Covid-19, and our resulting Level 4 lock-down, has challenged us to adapt to a significantly changed framework of daily life, learn to communicate differently with those we work with, socialise with and love, revisit old skills and develop new ones. Everyone, young and old, has experienced uncertainty, anxiety, challenges and opportunities as we faced, entered, and continue to navigate our way through this never-before experience. In the words of our Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, “You are not alone. The benefit of what we are doing will be felt into the future. By staying at home, you are breaking the chain”.
For our teaching team, it is really important that our
awesome learning community remains connected and strong across our separate
bubbles, as we know the benefits and the importance of our shared
relationships. This has meant that our teaching role and interactions with each
other at Mairtown Kindergarten have taken on a different form, moving us into
areas of technology that we are not necessarily confident or familiar with; as
within our curriculum we pride ourselves on utilizing our environment and using
natural resources, in preference to technology.
Establishing and contributing to our Kindergarten whānau
Facebook page has challenged our team to extend our skills, and our
understandings around how to be effective ECE teachers; and it has also proved
to be a fabulous way for our tamariki and whānau to remain in daily contact,
sharing their experiences and ideas. “Kaiako are the key resource in any ECE
service. Their primary responsibility is to facilitate children’s learning and
development through thoughtful and intentional pedagogy.” (Ministry of
Education, 2017, p. 59).
We have so loved being able to share in the lock-down lives
of Mairtown kindergarten, and we felt we would love to acknowledge the amazing
learning which we see taking place every day within our community. This blog is
a huge shout out to the first and most important teachers in the lives of our
tamariki, their whānau, and the wonderful learning experiences they are
providing at home!
Viv Shearsby (2017) states When children have
opportunities to play at length, and be involved with others in investigating
possibilities and developing hypotheses, they try things out. They have little
fear of failure, and through ongoing and recurring experiences they secure
brain synapses that form the framework of their learned knowledge. Over time
their competence increases, and with this they develop confidence in their
capability. Play allows children to be relaxed and work creatively, revisit
experiences, solve problems, engage with others and discover an endlessly new
world. Part of what makes play such a successful tool for learning is that it
requires a freedom. Play is an activity that is full of purpose – and yet
purposeless. Play is often seen as something you do when you are having fun or
don’t have something ‘better’ to do, and yet at the same time it brings about
the most rapid and profound development visible in our lifetimes.
Bongiorno (2018) further explains the learning explored
within play, saying Never underestimate the value of play! It supports
children’s learning in so many ways, promoting cognitive, language and
literacy, physical, social, and emotional development.
Play is healthy, and reduces stress
Play helps children grow emotionally, as well as helping
them grow strong and healthy. It’s active nature is joyful and provides an
outlet for anxiety and stress.
If you have a back yard, take the play outside. Humans evolved in nature and research around the world shows very clearly that all of our physiological stress indicators calm down when we are outside in nature (Pennie Brownlee, 2020).
Play outside and inside offer different opportunities but equally valuable learning
Think about the value of your own childhood experiences, and
make sure your children create these memories, too.
For children it is crucial that they are the heroes and
sheros in their own story, in the real three dimensional world, with their
imagination, bodies, and souls. This is true at any time but especially now
when many choices for independent action have been taken away, and along with
that, their sense of having any personal power (Pennie Brownlee,
2020)
Play and learning go hand in hand
Play and learning are not separate activities. Think about them as a science lecture with a lab—play is a child’s lab.
A huge part of our human brain is the result of our ancestors making things with their hands. That urge to make things is alive and well in our kids. When we invite our children to work alongside us in the kitchen, not only do we end up with co-created scones and soup, our children get to feel that they are important players. Their contributions are appreciated and valued as an essential service for our Bubble (Pennie Brownlee, 2020).
Play is a child’s context for learning
Children practice and reinforce their learning in multiple
areas during play. Play provides rich learning opportunities and leads to
children’s success and growth in self-esteem.
Our children need to be, to do, and to think. It is their active participation in this world that unfolds their intelligences. That’s why making things is so great. It is problem solving in three dimensions with built-in feed-back: either what you are making works or it doesn’t. If it doesn’t you keep going until you come up with ‘workable’ solution. That’s grit in action right there (Pennie Brownlee, 2020).
In a shared interview for Radio New Zealand on 27th
March, neuroscience educator Nathan Wallis and parenting mentor Mary Willow
said, The kids are gonna remember this for the rest of their lives. It's
going to be a memorable thing. So I think it's good for parents to have that in
the forefront of their mind and just create wonderful memories. If we can look
upon this period as an adventure rather than a jail term we can bridge the
children through it and set them up for expanded minds and hearts on the other
side, rather than residual anxiety and scars. Your family ship is in new
waters. Let the adventure begin!"
We are filled with joy and confidence as we watch from afar, the learning adventures of tamariki within our kindergarten community. The rich and varied learning experiences they are gaining within their whānau bubbles are developing their physical and thinking skills, growing their self-confidence and building positive lifelong memories of this historic time spent in their circle of love.
As the first term ‘officially’ comes to an end, we send our
aroha, and best wishes for a safe, healthy and play filled Easter. We are on
the right track, and we are looking forward to the time when we are all able to
share our lock down tales in person. In the meantime, remain in your bubbles,
keep learning and keep sharing!
Nurture and play. These are the two absolutely essential
requirements that enable the human brain to unfold into its human potential,
the more emotional nurture and play the better. Bringing our playful spirits to
any task turns living into an adventure (Pennie Brownlee, 2020).
Be safe, be kind to yourselves and others and Kia Kaha!
Susie, Sarah, Hanna, Anne and Emma
