Tag: Learning Activities
Five board books to broaden children’s horizons
Aren’t board books wonderful? It’s handy to be able to buy all sorts of classics, from The Very Hungry Caterpillar to We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, in hard-wearing editions for those of us who are still getting the hang of being gentle with books. Not only that, there are also now a lot of new titles produced only as...
Expanding Children’s Horizons
A new study has confirmed that children form fixed ideas, very early on, about the kinds of jobs they will aspire to do in the future. How do young children decide on a job? It’s not from signing up with a job agency or browsing employment listings. The study asked children from 7 to 17 years old, from...
Tips for Tramping with Toddlers
Have you heard of vitamin N? According to author, Richard Louv, the N is for nature. He’s written several books about the value of nature for healthy development and quality of life, such as Vitamin N: The Essential Guide to a Nature-Rich Life and Last Child in the Woods where he introduced the term “nature deficit disorder.” There is an...
Kaitiakitanga: Children as Champions of Nature, for Nature
Kaitiakitanga: Children as Champions of Nature, for Nature By: Brigitte Alamani (Head Teacher | Daisies Early Education and Care Centre) Background Daisies is a family owned long-day education and care centre in Johnsonville, Wellington, that is licensed for 30 children a day. We are a mixed aged centre, catering from 9 months to school aged children. Our pedagogy embraces New...
The Benefits of Tramping with Children
“It’s Tuesday Adventure Day! Where do you want to go today?” My 4-year-old turned to her friend to begin a serious discussion about their favourite local day walks. In the end, they voted on a track through nearby farmland rumoured to have new lambs. My daughter and I have been doing Tuesday Adventure Days since she was just a baby,...
Six great dinosaur books for young scientists
Just about every child I know has been through a dinosaur phase – and for some, it never stops! Here are some fantastic books to make the most of this interest, and extend it. Now, there are lots of funny fictional books about dinosaurs wearing undies or riding tricycles. That’s great, of course, but today’s list covers books where the...
Do your books have characters that look like the children in your neighbourhood?
Do the books on your centre’s bookshelves reflect the ethnic make-up of your families? Can every child in your centre read books, lots of them, every day, about children who look like them? These are important questions for anyone responsible for young children’s wellbeing. If you are of European descent, you’ll find thousands of picture books filled with people that...
Six lovely Christmas picture books
Books and Christmas are a great match! If you would like your children to have an idea of why some people have a special holiday at Christmastime, here are some lovely picture books you might want to add to your collection. For a good laugh, read Jesus’ Christmas Party, by Nicholas Allan This hilarious book tells the story of Jesus...
Better Books: Does Your Book Collection Encourage Gender Equality?
Are you a huge fan of reading with children? There’s just about nothing better, is there, than cuddling on a sofa with small people, watching them learn to love the world of books. Every parent and teacher wants the best for children, and for them to grow up able to navigate through the world by being able to read and...
Healthy recipes for children
Finding new, delicious and nutritious recipes for young children can be a struggle at the best of times. We have created a printable selection of recipes that have been tried and tested by some of our youngest scrutineers. This involved testing using all of their senses, and we can safely say the selected recipes passed with flying colours! Cauliflower Tots Healthy Fruit...