Our preschool week

This week was a lovely week to spend out in the springtime sunshine. The children really enjoyed being outside, feeling the warmth of the sun on them.
Next week, we have a busy week...Monday, we have our kids at play photographer coming in to spend some time with the children. Thursday, we have our special fathers day morning. This is where the fathers are able to come in and see what their child does throughout the day at preschool. They will be able to catch up with all the other dads, too. On Friday, we have our trip to the Mt Albert YMCA. This will be a trip filled with lots of energy. Please remember to dress the children in suitable clothing and to also wear suitable shoes. Jandals will be tricky for the children to wear and try to participate in.
Just another reminder, if your child has a fever and is not well, the best place for them to be is at home.
The letter of the week for next week is "Dd".
Have a fantastic weekend, and we will see you all next week ready for a fun filled one!

Welcome to Kickstarts

Kickstarts - Football * Fitness * Fun *

Kickstarts runs structured weekly training sessions, teaching both boys and girls aged 3 - 6 years, the fun and exciting game of football (soccer). 
Football is the fastest growing sport within New Zealand, so let us teach your child all there is to know, including; balance, ball control, passing, dribbling, shooting, skills and team work, and we'll ensure they have a huge amount of fun in the process.
To ensure that each child receives the very best quality training, our fun sessions incorporate the fantastic newly developed age-appropriate "Whole of Football Plan" recently released by New Zealand Football.
So whether your child; wants to learn a new sport; keep fit and have fun with similar aged kids or; is already in a team and is looking for additional training; Kickstarts is your perfect choice.
Demand for our quality training is high, so if you would like to enrol your child, please visit our website to either download an Enrolment form or Sign-Up online.
Kind regards
Owen Ellis
Director/KickstartsNZ
M:) 022 KICKSTARTS - e:) info@kickstarts.co.nz 

A new teacher in Preschool

As you all know Cindy is due to have a baby next month.  She was hoping to continue work for another couple of weeks but has had to give up work sooner as her health has not been good.  We have a new teacher, Rebecca Reynolds, who will be taking her place.  Rebecca has recently moved from South Carolina, U.S.A. and is hoping to make her home in New Zealand.  She is a very experienced teacher and she is qualified and registered with the New Zealand Teachers Council.  Rebecca has been relieving for the past few weeks and will take over Cindy's maternity position permanently as from Monday, 29th of August 2011.  If you have not done so already, please introduce yourself to Rebecca.
Welcome on board Rebecca!  

Fun, fun and more fun...........

This has been a busy, busy week for all!
The 4 year olds were thrilled with the rainbow caterpillars they made and were all quite exhausted running after Earl and his kites.
Then we went fishing with rods and magnets and tried desperately to snag a shark or two; some were lucky.
The bikes and scooter have been the main attraction all week. The children have learned to manouvre them in tight circles, and also to wait very, very patiently for their turn. Well done everyone!
Amongst all the fun and joy, also a little sadness. Goodbye to Lily and Sacha as they move on to their next learning adventure.
Enjoy the weekend, everyone.
Go the Springboks!!

Fathers' Day - - Thursday, 1st September

Come one and all to our Open Morning for Dads on Thursday, 1st of September from 9 until 11.00 a.m..
This is a special morning just for Dads to come in at their leisure and spend some time with their Bayfield child.  Even if you can only spare fifteen or twenty minutes, please make the effort as they all look forward to your appearance and love to show off their teachers and what they do at day care.
We will get our cook to make some yummy morning tea and give you all a chance to catch up with the other dads.
See you there....

Kids@Play Photography

On the week of the 29th August we have Donna from Kids@Play Photography coming to photograph the children.  Donna has been coming to the centre for approximately 8 years now and she is very professional in what she does.  She takes very natural photos of the children at play throughout the day.  Once she has edited them, they will be available for you to purchase.  If you DO NOT WANT YOUR CHILD PHOTOGRAPHED BY DONNA, please let us know prior to her coming.  More notices will be placed around the centre soon.  If you have any queries at all about this, please see Mona or Shona at reception. 

Preschool Week!

This week has been all about enjoying the sunny weather when we have had the chance. We have had a great week, with kites, rainbows, movement and volcano’s, each child has been bringing their unique individuality to our projects which have allowed them to change and develop. Our little artists have been producing some amazing pieces of work to be taken home and treasured. These are in each child’s folder, and at the moment some of these are becoming very full. Therefore please remember to take these amazing paintings and drawings home.
On another note the children have been enjoying the family corner, and showed a huge interest in developing it. Therefore, we have added a new bed, ironing board (the iron is on its way!) and soon we will be putting in a table and chairs. Please come and have a look at the exciting dramatic play that seems to be developing both inside the sand pit and family corner.
I hope everyone has a great weekend and I know next week will be just as eventful.

Clay ! Clay! Clay!

Why are we experimenting with the Clay?

Manipulating a piece of clay develops the child’s large and small muscles. Clay play fosters eye-hand coordination. Soft clay is receptive and responsive to all kinds of emotional expression. Clay is so fascinating that some children work for long periods without any adult motivation to maintain their interest. It can be a great way to extend the attention span of some children.
Around three years, children become more deliberate in their clay experimentations. “As scientists, they put clay to a series of tests by rolling, pinching, tearing, pulling, and poking it. Four year olds begin to take their scientific studies to the next step by bringing their clay forms to life. Rolled balls can become snowmen with feelings and thoughts of their own. While they are now making real objects and creatures, it is happening more by chance than actual planning.
At about five years, children now have the confidence and ability to come to the clay table with an idea of what it is they want to make. For them, their challenge is to find the right processes and strategies to fulfil their ideas. This helps children learn to problem solve and to come up with creative solutions to their own ideas (Schirrmacher, Robert. Art and Creative Development for Young Children. 5th ed.
Thomson Delmar Learning, 2006. 254-265).

That’s why we decided to extend our children’s interest in “Rainbows” using Clay as a medium.

The children were very excited to see the white ceramic clay. They did all sorts of things with the clay such as rolling, twisting, spreading and punching it with their thumbs. Then they carefully moulded it in the shape of a rainbow and placed the beads in the right sequence of colours to make an awesome Clay Rainbow. Making this clay rainbow was a great medium for the children to express her creativity and her emotional needs (Well- Being 2:5).

There goes the sun do do do do do

Well it’s getting cold outside. So we have decided to keep very active, to keep ourselves nice and warm. We have had a fun week playing all sorts of games that involve a lot of movement. We’ve been playing Hide and Seek, Tag, and Soccer, to brush up on the gross motor skills. When we are inside, there has been a group that have loved the game of Insey Winsey Spider. As it gets colder, we will have to find fun activities to do to keep us all active, warm, while we also continue to have fun learning.

Our very own Playball session

With it being the school holidays, Playball does not come to preschool. Our 3 year old teachers thought it would be a great idea to continue on with the movement theme, which also is heavily involved in our planning at the moment.
The 3 year olds loved this concept, and had a fantastic time doing our wonderful session. Although it is not the same, as it would be, with our orignal Playball coaches, the children thoroughly enjoyed being able to participate.