Brightstart August – September 2015

august/september 2015
The magazine for the BestStart community
Ma nga akonga harikoa me nga akonga maia
For happy, confident learners
Growing
great boys
and girls
Baby talk &
why it matters
Do you love me
mummy?
Being school ready
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Welcome
to the BestStart family
One of the most pleasurable things about my job is
reading the wonderful letters mums and dads write
about our teachers.
One of the ones that resonated with me - a working mum - was the letter
from a mother written after reading an article we had on ‘Choosing Childcare.'
She said, “it reminded me of how I felt when I went back to work part time.
I remember feeling guilty about whether childcare would compare with being
at home with our daughter.
“I knew I would be able to give my daughter a lot more if I was doing
something for me and, although this seemed selfish, contributing and adding
value in a workplace and at home was good for me.
“Now my family can really see the benefits for me but also the value of good
childcare. If anything, my husband encourages more days for our daughter
because we can see her development and social skills increase. We are so
lucky that the childcare we have chosen has teachers who genuinely love
what they do.”
Another mother wrote telling us what her four year old said: “Mum, you know
I love being at kindy!” She continued that it made her realise the wonderful
work the teachers were doing in getting him ready for loving school. “We
love the books the teachers keep on Sam’s development, you can see the
educational philosophy, and also the expert eye in education, development
and the affection for children from the teachers.”
“It’s awesome what children are learning
through play and fun, thank you,” wrote
another parent.
We know how important the partnership is
with our families and we couldn’t do what
we do at our centres without the strong
relationships our teachers have with parents,
children and families. I am sure you can see
the benefits from this and look forward to
hearing from you.
Fiona.
Growing
great boys
and girls
Baby talk &
why it matters
e
Do you love m
mummy?
READY
BEING SCHOOL
Gc\Xj\kXb\fe\
c o n ten ts
4 Shorts
5 How REAL baby talk stretches the brain
by Liz Fletcher
6 Is my child ready
for school?
by Victoria Carter
8 Growing Great Girls
by Valerie Davies
10Growing Great Boys
by Valerie Davies
12Do you love me mummy?
by Victoria Carter
14Roundabout
Publishing Details
Editorial direction: Victoria Carter.
Contributors: Valerie Davies, Liz Fletcher,
Jane Brown-Smith.
For advertising and enquiries,
please phone: (09) 250 4136.
Bright Start is published by BestStart.
PO Box 276 177, Manukau City, 2241.
Phone (09) 250 4136; Fax (09) 250 1072.
Email: [email protected]
No article can be reproduced without permission
of Bright Start. ©Copyright BestStart.
Circulation 60,000.
BestStart is New Zealand’s largest private early
childhood provider. Over 20,000 children are
enrolled annually in BestStart centres around
New Zealand.
Bright Start aims to increase our sense of family
amongst our teachers and to better connect us
with our parents and their families.
Bright Sta rt
3
BOOKS
My Aunt Mary went shopping
By Roger Hall and Daron Parton
Scholastic - RRP $19.99
Well-known playwright Roger Hall has written a
wonderful rhyming story of Aunt Mary going shopping.
It’s fun, it’s repetitive, it’s a wonderful read-aloud story
that won’t drive you batty!
Where is Pim?
By Lena and Olof Landstrom
Gecko Press - RRP $19.99
A great read-aloud book in the vein of ‘Where’s Spot?’
Pom is playing with Pim when suddenly Pim disappears.
A simple story for toddlers told with few words, gentle
humour and lovely pictures.
Counting, singing and jumping
engages a different part of
your brain from the ‘anger
reflex,’ helping you calm down
quicker. It may feel silly, but
singing about your frustrations
entertains your children and
diffuses tension, allowing
you to ‘reset’ your emotions.
Give it a go next time you feel
exasperated! It works.
Piri’s Big All Black Dream
!
Give away
By Jared Bell and Jimmy Diaz Penguin
Random House - RRP $19.99
With Rugby World Cup fever about to start, this book
is a great way to get those not so keen on books to turn
the pages! It’s a story of a young Piri and all the work
he puts into making his dream come true. He eats good
food, practices hard, gets lots of sleep. It is a story with
a positive and encouraging message to have a dream,
believe in it, and keep trying.
All
e Piri’s Big
We have thre books to give
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brightstart@ ctivity your
Tell us the a to do!
child loves
Learn to read with Bud-e
and give them a gift for life!
Bud-e gives children a head start as they prepare for school and makes
learning to read fun, motivating and rewarding.
Already a winner with parents, Meg says, “Bud-e is an excellent resource for
pre-schoolers and their parents.”
Bud-e is a fun digital app and series of lavishly illustrated picture books,
designed to teach children to love reading and become independent readers.
Available at:
and all major bookshops nationwide.
4
B r i gh t Sta rt
rm
For more info
ation about Bud-e please visit
how real baby talk
stretches the brain
By liz f l e tc h e r
Looking into your baby’s eyes with a smile on your face, love in
your heart and in your eyes is the deepest learning experience
for your baby (it’s also relaxing for you - smiling has been proven
to improve our health!). Feeling that connection with you, your
baby will respond as soon as she is able to make her first coo,
and learns to move her lips in that first awkward gummy little
grin, (and don’t believe those old wives tales that it’s wind).
The more you enjoy and interact with your baby, the more brain
connections she makes and this lays the foundation for all her
learning. Below is an inspiring list of things prepared by Maureen
Creating a language
enriched environment
•Sing and talk constantly to your child
•Hold and rock when singing to allow body to body transmission of sound through vibration. We feel sounds as well as hear them
Hawke, who has had 25 years in child development work. Born
in NZ and now living in Brisbane, Maureen trains teachers on
ways to promote child development.
This list of simple things will create a language-enriched
environment for your baby and she will soak up all the
stimulation that you can give her.
The funny things is, as you do all these little things with your
baby, the depth and quality of your love for each will deepen.
It’s like fertiliser in the garden, the more you apply, the richer
the garden gets - the same with the quality of your relationship
with baby.
Listen carefully
Our world is full of sounds and many of us tune
these noises out. Encourage your child to listen
carefully, hear the cicadas, the birds, the rain on
the roof, encourage them to describe what the
sounds are like. Help your child to listen.
•Repeat rhymes and poems to your baby. These develop listening and expose the child to patterns
of speech. Nursery rhymes have a rich phonetic
content as well as good rhythm
•Read to your child at least once a day
•Talk all the time to your baby. What about? Talk about what you are doing and why you are doing it. Don’t use baby talk. Use real words - 'thank you' not 'ta'. Remember repetitive language builds that memory bank of sounds and words in the brain
•Sit as close as possible to baby and make sure your mouth movements can be seen. We learn language by the brain making connections with how the mouth moves when certain sounds are made
•Spend a few minutes each day giving your
older child simple requests or instructions
•Try whispering sometimes. When whispering to children for short periods we get their
attention and promote listening skills
•Remember - unlike things we can see,
once a sound has gone, it has gone and
needs to be repeated again and again,
if it is to be remembered
Bright Sta rt
5
As you drive away
you may wonder
to yourself what is
she learning and
will she be prepared
for school?
The answer however
is YES, Yes, Yes!
By victoria carter
At a quality childcare centre
there will be emphasis on play
because it is when they play
that children learn. Teachers
are skilled at watching what a
child is playing with and using
this as a way to extend their
learning and encourage them to
try something more difficult or
different.
Much of the learning that is
taking place, often during play,
is important for developing the
basics of literacy and numeracy.
However, important social skills
that will last a lifetime (like turntaking, sharing, negotiation) are
also being taught.
Multiple learnings happen, for
example, at the play dough
table! Maia was playing with
play dough - which not only
introduces children to maths
(shapes, weight and quantity)
but encourages creativity,
use of language (to describe
what is being made) and with
imagination it promotes links
to real life experiences like
pretending to cook. “I’m making
a cake for my mum’s birthday.”
It also develops children’s fine
motor skills (using the tips of
the fingers will support writing
in the future). It’s also a great
Being school ready
BestStart has a unique initiative
to prepare children for their next
learning journey - school. The
initiative helps children become
familiar with the new routines
they will find at school, like mat
time, managing a lunch box, to
how to hold a pencil correctly
so that they can use it properly
to develop writing skills.
Teachers will provide purposeful
experiences that introduce
children to early concepts like
maths, science, art, reading and
other curriculum areas.
For example, you might be
growing some vegetables at
home. If you share this with your
child's teacher they can use this
information to teach children
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B r i gh t Sta rt
about science, life and things as
abstract as gardening to colours.
This is one reason why so many
centres have gardens, because
they are opportunities to take
every day fun activities and use
them as learning activities.
Children can talk about the green,
orange and red tomato. They
know that the green isn’t ripe,
orange is nearly ripe and that red
means ready to pick. What we
as adults think the child learned
was how to grow a tomato and
when it was ready to pick.
What we missed was the other
learning that may have
occurred - they have learnt not
just three colours but perhaps
also an understanding of when
to pick them. They may have
explored some maths learning
- how many tomatoes were on
the plant, how many they were
allowed to pick and so on. The
opportunities are endless and
not confined to planting a seed
and getting fruit.
When children are interested
in something they will
engross themselves in it. This
creates further learning and
opportunities to make sense of
the world around them. A skilled
stress release which is why
you often see children doing it
first thing as the first activity.
Maia was putting buttons into
her play dough. She counted
aloud as she placed them in
the dough, one, two, three
showing her grasp of counting
and that numbers have a
sequence.
Her teachers extended her
learning by asking questions
of Maia. What colour are the
buttons? Then they notice
that some buttons have holes
in the middle of them. Maia
then counts the holes and
notices that some buttons
teacher takes that fascination
and builds on it. Children who
have learned to think clearly
and solve problems take these
skills into the next phase of
their education at school.
They will have the courage and
confidence to ask questions and
expand their knowledge.
Centres explore early science
concepts too. A creative
teacher at ABC Greenmeadows
had children do a science
experiment to see whether
balloons with water inside
would weigh more or less when
frozen. Children filled balloons
with water, weighed them,
wrote down the weight and
then put them in the freezer.
Once frozen the children took
turns weighing their balloons
and soon discovered there
have 2 holes while others
have “three” or “four.”
To support Maia’s learning,
the teacher then describes
what she sees Maia doing.
“I see you are putting the
buttons in a row.” By doing
this the teacher supports and
enriches her experience by
engaging with Maia. While it
looks like simple playing with
the dough it is this process
of talking about numbers
and exploring the activity in
more depth that consolidates
the learning - in this instance
mathematical concepts which
will help Maia at school.
was no difference. Later they
peeled the balloon off the ice
and rubbed salt on to hear and
see it cracking and crackling.
They dropped dye onto the
ice and watched the colours
blend into each other and sink
through the cracks.
When they had tired of this
they put their ice balls into
the water trough to see if they
would float - they did - just like
a real iceberg. Children learned
so much, as well as strategies
for active investigation,
thinking and reasoning, all
wrapped up in lots of fun.
At BestStart you can be
confident your teachers are
preparing your child for school.
Ask them about it, our teachers
love to share what learnings
are happening with your child.
While you may think children
are singing, playing games on the
computer or playing with paint these are in fact steps to literacy.
Bright Sta rt
7
‘Growing Great Girls’ and ‘Growing Great Boys’ are two must-read books for parents by
Ian and Mary Grant. In them they distil all their imaginative wisdom, practical experience,
and inspired common sense to give parents guide-lines from birth to adolescence for
creating happy families, and raising their children to be confident, decent human beings.
By val er ie dav ies
Girls need:
Girls need parents who:
Apart from their own life-times experience
working with families, they include the
work of other child experts, and the
understandings and experiences of the
many parents they have worked with.
_To be brought up by someone who
is crazy about them
_ Let them know they’re lovely
So, beginning with girls and reminding
us of the usual things like cuddling,
stimulating and creating a safe and relaxed
environment for the baby,
they move on to the
growing girl, and give
their first summary.
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B r i gh t Sta rt
_To be part of a loving family
_ Provide emotional support and a listening ear
_Parents with a strong vision of what sort of young woman they want to launch into the world
_ Help them to interpret situations - children are good observers but poor interpreters
_Lots of warmth and fun
_ Have high expectations of them
_A parent who will be the big person from the start.
_ Will always be there.
.
Self-esteem
Discussing daughters and self-esteem,
Professor Richard Whitfield makes this
penetrating observation: ‘All children
long for recognition and acceptance
of their essence - secretly so do most
adults. The insistent question inside all
of us is: do you see me, not only my
body, but my essence; the gifts, potential,
needs, wounds, character and quality of
soul that shape me individually?
‘The core parenting challenge (beyond
meeting a child’s basic needs) is to nurture
this new, emerging human identity.’
Discussing this challenge, Ian Grant
quotes a therapist friend saying that
90 per cent of his work with adults
would be redundant if their parents had
sat on the end of their bed every night
and de-briefed them, letting a child tell
the big person about the good as well
as the bad.
He says a loving parent will teach their
child that problems can be solved, that
mistakes are okay, especially while you’re
still learning, that you can think for
yourself, and you can influence others
with your opinions and ideas.
The power of ‘We’
Discussing a nurturing family
environment where everyone has their
needs met, Ian Grant suggests that
parenting is like a three legged stool.
Give a child
praise and
you will make
her day.
Teach her to
like herself
and you equip
her for life.
The first leg is fun and communication, the
second leg is boundaries and discipline, and
the third leg, teaching character and virtues.
‘Games and laughter, doing things together,
picnics, rituals and celebrations are the living
glue that connects a family.’ He turns family
chores into fun by saying things like -“in our
family when you are two you are allowed to
make your own bed”... (she can pull up the
duvet on her own) or: “in our family, when
you are three, you are allowed to unpack the
dishwasher, and at four set the table” He says
at five she’ll discover that these are really jobs,
but already she is hooked!
Family rules
Meal-times and manners, fun and teaching
children to communicate and make
conversation are all covered before moving
on to the next leg of the parenting stool,
rules and monitoring behaviour. He writes
of using family rules to monitor speech.
Maybe the most important part of this
section is where he says that they only
do ‘put-ups’ in his family, not ‘put-downs’.
Anyone who does a ‘put-down’ has to be
the servant of the other person for the
rest of their day, and do their chores. Phew
- what a great idea, and one that many
parents could adopt for themselves!
Developing character
In the third leg of parenting Ian Grant
describes how to teach children values,
so that they develop character and
goodness. Telling stories about heroines,
discussing right and wrong, talking about
courage, character and conscience help
to build a life of meaning, where feelings
are recognised as unreliable guides for
teenagers or children to base their actions
on before they have the judgement to
make mature decisions.
Teaching our children that doing the
right thing or the good thing, taking
responsibility for our actions and how they
affect others, knowing that happiness is not
the same as pleasure, give satisfaction and
fulfilment that builds character and is the
foundation for a rich and rewarding life.
To develop self-esteem, a child
has to be:
A daughter needs her father to:
A daughter needs a mother who will:
_ Listen to her
_ Encouraged to help in the home and
be appreciated for doing so
_ Encourage her
_ Encourage her to take risks and seek
challenges, to speak up and speak out,
to ask questions and not always accept
the answers given
_ Expose her to great mentors, and build a community of women she respects
and trusts
_ Expect the best of her. Show her that
you trust her, and she is likely to rise to
your good expectations
_ Maintain her own self-respect and value
_ Able to express her viewpoint, even
when it differs from her parents
_ Allowed to make mistakes and learn
from them
_ Acknowledged as having special
talents
_ Loved and valued for who she is not just for what she does or in
comparison with anyone else
_ Invest in the relationship; make sure
there’s time in your diary for her
_ Be a positive role model
_ Keep alive the fun times
_ Teach her about healthy friendships
_ Give her a dream, self-respect and goals.
_ Not take yourself too seriously
_ Be involved in your daughter’s friendships;
_ The subject of her parents’ full engage her friends in conversation
attention; listened to and knowing
_ Stay calm
that she has been heard.
_ Laugh a lot. Be a kid again. Dirt washes
off, clothes dry out, but memories stay
for a long, long time.
‘Growing Great Girls,’
by Ian and Mary Grant.
Published by Random
House - RRP $38.99.
Available from most
bookshops.
Bright Sta rt 9
This companion book to ‘Growing Great Girls’ explains to parents the different
style of parenting that helps boys develop their uniqueness.
By val e rie davie s
Like all Ian and Mary Grant’s advice, it
continues the theme of how to keep
relationships of love and trust while giving
children leadership, shaping their characters,
as well as laying down the rules, and being
consistent about good behaviour.
Beginning with what he calls: ‘the
true measure of a man,’ Ian Grant lists
compassion, self-discipline, decency, honour
and empathy as the qualities of such a
man, and then proceeds to give advice and
check-lists on how to achieve this.
He emphasises the vital importance of his
father to every boy, quoting David Openoe’s
findings that the presence of a father helps
10
B r i g h t Sta rt
children develop more links between left
and right brain, which means boys have
an increased ability in speech; that boys
who spend quality time with their father
are better at mathematics; and that boys
without fathers are four times more likely
to drop out of school and have problems
with drugs, alcohol and delinquency.
Expanding on this, Ian Grant lists what boys
need from their fathers: one who is fair and
friendly, consistent and who believes in
them; a man who will pass on adult wisdom,
play with them, show them what to do
and how to do it; someone who will solve
his own problems and introduce his son to
traditions and spirituality.
A pre-school boy needs:
H A safe environment that meets his
physical needs
H A secure framework for his exploration
and learning
H Relaxed confident parents who create
appropriate boundaries
H A calm atmosphere that promotes
co-operation
H To be busy and able to fulfil his
insatiable need to learn
H Lots of physical touch and closeness
H Loving parents who are approachable,
decisive, practical and clear
H Routines and consistency
H Lots of new experiences and outings
H Fun with safe, wider family and friends.
Ian Grant quotes Harvard research on how
mothers can help their sons develop a
good brain, which includes being loving
but firm with her discipline, is available
and open to interruptions to answer questions, gives information and explains the
world to him, and allows full access to the
house - to touch and experiment.
Family rules
Children love to feel that they are part of
a family team and love statements like:
‘we will always stick up for each other and
be loyal to each other’. Ian Grant suggests
writing a family mission statement
together, and says that rivalries and small
meannesses fade away when children
know they’re all working together with
regular family rituals and belongingness
routines.
Routines
Boys need help getting organised. Most
mothers will have heard that despairing
cry: ‘I can’t find my shoes, bag, lunch,’ just
before leaving for school. Ian Grant has
this advice to offer - make a portable job
card. It could look like this he says:
Establish
family rules
and use
phrases
like: ‘in our
family we talk
politely to each
other,’ or; ‘we’re
not a hitting
family.’
for him, and if he gets
de-railed, ask him where
he is on his job card, and
reward him on Friday
night for staying on the ball all week.
Staying on his side, saying things like:
‘you’re a good kid, this isn’t like you... let’s
work out how to fix it,’ supports him
when he’s made a bad decision.
He doesn’t need a lecture,
he needs to be able to
work out how to fix it,
and by giving him time to
tell the truth and identify the
problem, you can both work out
a solution.
And when he’s slipped up, stay on
his side... say something like, ‘that’s
a problem son, you’ll need to work
out how to make sure it doesn’t
happen next time.’ This gives him
room to own the problem and sort
it, all the time knowing he has his
parent’s support.
Most of the wise and wonderful
advice in this book could just as
easily apply to girls of course. If
I could only choose two childrearing books out of all the
hundreds of other books out there,
it would have to be these two for
their practical wisdom and insights
for parenting from babyhood to
adolescence.
Rise and shine - 7 . 15 am. Make bed. Get
dressed. Have breakfast. Empty dishwasher.
Clean teeth. Check everything is in school
bag. Kiss mum goodbye. Write it in a list
When it comes to coping with life, there’s
this sound advice - for fathers as well as
mothers - avoid putting your son on the
defensive - don’t get angry when he has
a problem, help him take responsibility.
Boys need a mother:
HWho is available to talk and sing and
Some ideas for family rules:
HWe use manners: ‘excuse me,’ ‘please,’
Hot Tips include:
HWhen asking a boy to do something,
play with him
‘thank you,’ ‘I’m sorry’
HWho respects herself
HWho will expect the best thing of
HWe don’t insult people or behave rudely
HWe don’t ridicule anyone who tries
HWe don’t use vulgar language
HWe don’t interrupt; we wait our turn
him and not the worst
HWho will enable his sense of
adventure and fun
HWho envisions a great future for him
HWho will be consistent and
persistent with discipline
HWho will monitor the lines of good
taste for him and teach him to
respect women
HWho will listen to him
HWho will allow him to take
responsibility for himself.
to speak
HWe presume people are innocent.
We first listen to their side of the story
before we jump to conclusions
give the instruction with a time limit,
like: ‘I’d like you to clean your room
by lunchtime,’ or; ‘You can go out to
play when you’ve fed the cat.’
HHave clear rules and administer them
fairly - without anger
HAcknowledge that different treatment
for different ages is appropriate bed-times for example - fair doesn’t
mean equal.
HWe do not make promises that we don’t
expect to carry out
HWe respect each other’s property and
right to privacy
HWe show respect for older people
HWe respect other’s cultures and beliefs
HWe celebrate each other’s
accomplishments.
‘Growing Great Boys,’
by Ian and Mary Grant.
Published by Random
House - RRP $38.99.
Available from most
bookshops.
Bright Sta rt
11
do you love
Supporting
an anxious
child.
A parent wrote and asked
us how best to support
her 4 year old daughter.
She and her husband had
separated and the child
had seen some pretty
aggro situations.
By v ic toria c a rte r
She wrote, ‘she seems happy at her
preschool. However, if her Dad or I show
the slightest bit of frustration she bursts
into tears and seems easily destabilised.
She often asks me, “Do you love me
Mummy?” and her Dad says she asks the
same thing. We both want her to start
school feeling a bit more self-assured.’
A reply could read: it’s easy to beat
ourselves up and feel bad about
arguments our child may have seen.
That was yesterday. Our challenge is to
be better parents today. Make sure you
avoid any more arguments in front of
your daughter.
What all children need is predictability
and stability. Children who know what
is expected of them and have a good
routine tend to be more settled. Just
like us, when they know what the rules
are they can be more confident. So if
you let her stay up for quite a few late
nights, when you want to change the
rules and start establishing a routine, or
get her to bed early, she will probably
be confused, get cross and cry.
12
B r i g h t Sta rt
“If you’re good,
I’ll….” If you
hear yourself
saying anything
like this stop
yourself.
Children really
need to know
that your love is
not conditional
on anything.
Children need to know what the rules
are - it helps make the world a safer
and more reliable place. The more
predictable the routines are for a child,
the less anxious they will be and the
bonus - better behaved. Their world
makes more sense. This is especially
important if you are co-parenting.
One of the most exasperating things
for parents is when the other parent
doesn’t follow the often sensible rules
you have in place - like mealtimes, tv
programmes, sleep-time. Try to explain
to the other parent why the rule
exists. For example: routine makes your
daughter more co-operative, less whiney
and it also makes her feel safer.
“If you’re good, I’ll….” If you hear yourself
saying anything like this stop yourself.
Children really need to know that your
love is not conditional on anything
Children get anxious if they think they
are only loved for certain behaviours
and they see the love being switched
on and off. This doesn’t mean you can’t
me mummy?
tell your child off or tell them you don’t
like a particular kind of behaviour. It does
mean not saying: ‘if you don’t behave you
won’t get……’ It makes it a bit easier when
you have to ‘discipline,’ to think of your
child as the neighbour’s child. You would
probably explain the rules in your house
with a slightly softer voice and gentler
manner!
All children need to feel reassured. For
children who live in a single parent or
separated family it is really important to
hear from both parents regularly how
loved the child is. Share the story of her
birth, all the positive details, the people
who visited, the role her grandparents
may have played and so on. Asking ‘do
you love me mummy?’ is the child’s way of
letting you know she is feeling a bit scared.
She has seen someone special in her life
move out and she may be afraid that if she
isn’t good that she may lose you too.
Establish some routines together. A simple
way to connect together after your work
day and her childcare day is at bedtime
to share the day. Invite her to share her
day, you will have to ask lots of leading
questions but it will help her remember
what she liked and didn’t like. Anything
that didn’t go so well you can explore
together. You can walk her through the
next day and how she might do something
differently, more confidently. Help
your daughter get better at
something that she enjoys doing. Focus
on how hard she is working on it and then
celebrate when she masters something.
Hug and cuddle her lots. Find lots of
things to do together.
Finally, don’t forget to share some of
these ideas with her Dad if you co-parent
so he can also support your daughter to
feel more confident and secure.
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ABC Hayman Park
ABC Claudelands
Commonwealth Gold Medalist in Boxing David Nyika came in to present
books to children. He delivered strong messages about healthy eating,
boxing in a ring and not with his friends. Children all had a turn holding
and wearing his gold medal. Ka pai David, you are a great role model.
After 19 sleeps, their little caterpillar
- turned cocoon - turned butterfly has emerged. The children have been
fascinated by the journey from a
caterpillar into a butterfly.
Early Years Redwood & TopKids Harrison
The Wellington Early Years children sent a beautiful parcel to the
Whanganui TopKids centre after hearing about the floods. The children
were fascinated as they
pulled out different
goodies from the package.
Inside was a big jar of
gingerbread men and other
treats. The children plan
to bake more gingerbread
using the recipe to 'pay it
forward.'
First Steps Maich
The centre visited Auckland Museum as
part of the children’s interest in fish and
dinosaurs. The Taku Tamaki took the prize as
children just did not want to leave this area!
Community Kindy Manurewa
A ‘Living Eggs Adventure’ led to the children caring
for and nurturing another living creature. When the
incubator and eggs were delivered, it developed a bonding
process between the children and their potential chicks.
The excitement built with the ‘piping’ of the first egg,
and remained until the chicks hatched. A daily diary
documented the progress and the children chose names
for 3 little female chicks and 5 little male chicks!
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Early Years Nevis
The centre had a huge Pink
Ribbon buffet breakfast
feeding approximately
150 children, family and
friends, while raising $1174
for the NZ Breast Cancer
Foundation! There was great
community support with
food and supplies donated
by local businesses in Lower
Hutt and Wellington.
Kids to Five Donny
Every Friday 10 children go
to Hilton Brown Swimming
sessions. The 3 and 4 year old
children gain confidence and
knowledge about being safe
around water.
Topkids Pukuatua
Children and whanau enjoyed a lunchtime
Matariki Hangi. One wonderful family
helped prepare the Hangi with the children,
then cooked it in a steamer.
ABC Te Aroha
Children have enjoyed keeping
active on the centre bikes. The
centre made bike rules to keep
safe and also bike licenses.
Northwood Nursery and Preschool
Grandparents were invited to soccer. Children practiced
kicking balls into the goals, balancing on the planks, bean
bags, and balancing their feet on the cones. It was great fun
sharing the event with grandparents and parents.
Kiwicare Preschool Tennessee
Talofa lava all the way from Samoa Mint House.
A big thank you to the wonderful parents who
came in to bless the centre with yummy cooking
(mea’i), beautiful singing (pese), graceful dancing
(siva) as well as storytelling at the library.
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15
maths
science
sharing
reading
Enrol your child at a Beststart
centre. We have NZ’s only
Be School Ready programme.
TM
Maths and reading
Language skills
Learning to think
Relating to others
Friendship
Physical development
Independence
And much more....
www.beststarteducare.co.nz
For a centre near you phone 0508 BESTSTART