http://www.beachcomberelc.co.nz/blog/ The latest Blog feeds from www.beachcomberelc.co.nz en-us Wed, 17 Jun 2026 22:12:16 +1200 Rocketspark http://www.beachcomberelc.co.nz/blog/post/149072/monkey-bars/ Our tamariki have shown a huge interest in gross motor play, with monkey bars being a huge focus.  One of the many skills shown have been not only practising climbing across the bars, but also hanging upside-down, hanging from a bar for longer periods of time and helping others swing across by holding their legs.  Our children have shown a huge amount of confidence, determination and perseverance, problem solving and teamwork. We have been so proud of the aroha, mana, whanaunatanga and... Wed, 12 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +1300 http://www.beachcomberelc.co.nz/blog/#post149072 http://www.beachcomberelc.co.nz/blog/post/149073/living-eggs-2024/ We have been so lucky over the last few weeks to have pépi heihei (chicks) at kindergarten.  Ten eggs arrived in an egg box and were transferred to the incubator to keep them warm.  The ten eggs stayed safe and warm until the chicks hatched from their eggs over the next few days. Our tamariki seemed so intrigued watching the eggs and waiting for them to hatch.  This year almost all of the eggs hatched at night time and we got a big surprise to see the chicks the following mo... Wed, 18 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +1200 http://www.beachcomberelc.co.nz/blog/#post149073 http://www.beachcomberelc.co.nz/blog/post/149141/celebrating-our-dads/ Every year we celebrate our Beachcomber Dad’s with a special Father’s Day evening.  Children and their Dad’s shared some yummy takeaways for dinner in the workshop where we had set up a special restaurant.  Each table was decorated with ‘Dad Rocks’ which some children had created earlier in the week.We had lots of special activities and different spaces set up to explore and share this special event with our dads. There was face painting, threading, play dough monster creatio... Wed, 28 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +1200 http://www.beachcomberelc.co.nz/blog/#post149141 http://www.beachcomberelc.co.nz/blog/post/149148/give-a-kid-a-blanket/ Each year we ask our Beachcomber whanau to donate warm clothing and bedding for those in need.We choose to support Give a Kid a Blanket who’s mission is to relieve the effects of poverty and offer practical help to those in need.Thank you to our wonderful families for your support.... Fri, 05 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +1200 http://www.beachcomberelc.co.nz/blog/#post149148 http://www.beachcomberelc.co.nz/blog/post/149151/new-zealand-sign-language/ At Beachcomber we are excited to learn New Zealand Sign Language.  It is an official and unique language of New Zealand and is the language of New Zealand’s deaf community.  NZSL uses the hands, the body and facial expressions to express meaning. It helps us communicate with everyone, including friends who are deaf or hard of hearing.  It helps our brain development, boosts memory, attention, and creativity.It also teaches us social skills, such as empathy, patience, and un... Sat, 01 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +1200 http://www.beachcomberelc.co.nz/blog/#post149151 http://www.beachcomberelc.co.nz/blog/post/149152/samoan-language-week/ Talofa!  We are always keen to learn something new at Beachcomber and have been enjoying celebrating Samoan language.  We have made our own tapa cloth; and learnt new songs, dance and vocabulary.  Learning about different cultures helps children understand and appreciate diversity. It fosters a sense of acceptance and belonging for all.... Tue, 28 May 2024 00:00:00 +1200 http://www.beachcomberelc.co.nz/blog/#post149152 http://www.beachcomberelc.co.nz/blog/post/149153/mothers-day-evening/ Our tamariki had a fantastic evening celebrating their Mum’s and Grandmothers at our special Mother’s Day evening.  We shared some yummy kai for dinner in the workshop where we had set up a special restaurant.  Each table was decorated with flowers which some children had arranged earlier in the week.We had lots of special activities and different spaces set up to explore. There was face painting, bead bracelet making, our light box with beautiful natural resources, sparkly ocean p... Wed, 08 May 2024 00:00:00 +1200 http://www.beachcomberelc.co.nz/blog/#post149153 http://www.beachcomberelc.co.nz/blog/post/149155/the-treaty-of-waitangi/ We have been learning about the Treaty of Waitangi and its importance in Aotearoa.Some children dressed up as the first Rangatira (chief) and the European Settlers.We talked about how the Europeans and Māori people argued and fought battles over the whenua (land) the resources and trading.  Communication became difficult because Māori spoke te reo and pakeha spoke English and they couldn’t understand each other to put an end to the fighting and disagreements.The British Crown decided to... Mon, 05 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +1300 http://www.beachcomberelc.co.nz/blog/#post149155 http://www.beachcomberelc.co.nz/blog/post/149156/te-taiao-and-a-love-of-insects/ Te Taiao is the natural world that contains and surrounds us – the land, water, climate and living begins.  It refers to interconnection of people and nature.  Ko au Te Taiao, ko Te Taiao ko au (I am nature, and nature is me).  It is an eternal relationship of respect, reciprocity and interdependence.Over the last few months, our children have been extremely interested in insects, seeking them out daily, full of wonder and curiosity of the secret life of bugs.  One of our t... Tue, 30 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +1300 http://www.beachcomberelc.co.nz/blog/#post149156 http://www.beachcomberelc.co.nz/blog/post/149158/teddy-bears-picnic/ Today we had a teddy bears picnic to celebrate our wonderful teachers, Mandy and Elaine, as they go on maternity leave.We made name tags for our teddys and enjoyed lots of teddy songs and dancing at group time.Our morning tea was lots of fun, with an outdoor picnic.We wish Mandy and Elaine all the very best for the safe arrival of their babies.... Fri, 08 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +1300 http://www.beachcomberelc.co.nz/blog/#post149158