Bowling!!!

 Some of the best learning happens in between what is planned. While I was working with some children on their paintings a bowling game unfolded. Karaitiana had found a ball in the class and was showing me his bowling technique. It is a very fine technique where he goes down on one knee to bowl.

I found some bottles to use as skittles...

Kauri joined Karaitiana. It was hard to wait and take turns so he found a chair to sit on while he waited.

The skittles fell down! We talked about what would be a fair turn. The boys agreed on three bowls each for a fair turn - resetting the skittles each time - while the other person waited for their turn on a chair.

Soon some others came to join the game...

And then some more... sitting waiting on a chair for their turn. This was a great opportunity to reinforce kind ways to include others in our play, how to join in when others are already playing, and how to negotiate turns or rules of a game. All important skills for tamariki to learn. Koia kei a koutou!

Korean War Vets

 Every year we have the Korean War Vets visit. This morning veterans, families, officials of the Embassy of South Korea, NZ Army Field Regiment at Linton, and Otaki RSA Executive attended the annual memorial service at our school. The manuhiri started with with a service by the memorials located at the front of the school. Then they were welcomed in to the Whare Manaaki with a powhiri.

Pikelits!

 

There was fierce in debate in Kono about what we should cook together as we come to the end of term - we landed on pikelits. This was so all the tamariki could get a fair turn at stirring in ingredients - and lets not forget the essential flipping! This is another way we learn about turn taking and fairness. This is a great activity to extend and model language also. Tamariki were fascinated by the development of the bubbles to indicate when they would be ready to be flipped.

Before we started making the pancakes we had to 'gather' some milk from the staffroom. We visited Matua Rauru on the way and told him what we were about to do. As we left Fiona expressed concern that Matua Rauru might be hungry - could we make some pikelits for him also?! He pai rawa atu tō manakitanga Fiona!

The Jets Basketball team visit Ōtaki School!

 On Monday we were lucky enough to have some members of the Jets basketball team visit and practise some skills with first the tuakana then the teina of the school. It was a great way to finish off this terms learning about the different skills of basketball.

Tēnei te mihi ki a Whaea Kahurangi - who organised this for the kura!

Manawatia Matariki! He ingoa hou!

 Ngaa mihi o te tau hou! On Thursday we came together as a school to view Matariki as it appeared in the sky. The tuakana had had a noho the night before. Many of us came before dawn to join the tuakana around the fire to say karakia, to remember those that had passed, the new babies that had been born and of course to view the kahui of whetū that make up Matariki.

   

After we sighted Matariki we went for a hikoi around the school and Matua Ricki lead us in the naming of the classrooms for the new bilingual pathway - Ngai Kete! We are no longer Waitī - we are now Kono. All the classes in Ngai Kete are named after woven baskets that start with the simple kono then as the tamariki grow they move through the classes, learning more complex mahi, so too does the weaving of the kete become more complex. Manawatia Matariki!