News and Updates
HAPPY 10TH BIRTHDAY SUNBEAMS Anticipation was building as the morning of our Sunbeams Birthday approached. The kindergarten was decorated with balloons and a huge banner and the great morning tea feast was prepared. Let the fun begin….. How wonderful it was to celebrate this very special milestone with our tamariki and their families. Sunbeams Kindergarten has been open for ten years and in that time we have welcomed so many families through our doors. It has been a pleasure being a part of this amazing journey and building a very special place of learning for our tamariki . Thank you
Malo e lelei! It’s Tongan Language Week and we have been busy learning about Tonga and its many islands. We’ve also made kiekie, (a Tongan dress) out of feathers, made and tasted some delicious ‘Otai (a tropical fruit and coconut drink) and did some Tongan flag craft. Toto’atu!
Today it snowed at Sunbeams! We had a snow fight, we stomped in the snow and made snowballs, we mixed the snow with dye to see what happened and we even tried tasting the snow!! The tamariki spent all day exploring the snow and using it in different ways as it changed properties into water and slush. We had cold fingers and toes but that’s what going to the snow is all about!
A message of thanks from Give a Kid a Blanket: Give a Kid a Blanket was thrilled to receive Sunbeam communities support with your recent blanket and warmth collection/donation. Children of all ages are not only our future but also an important part of our present, so having your preschoolers involved in such an action of kindness was very heartening. It was lovely meeting some of the young ones in your care and seeing what a warm and nurturing environment Sunbeams is. Congratulations. Sometimes when I visit pre-schools/schools or with some interactions I have with parents who have brought their
It’s BOX DAY today! The kindergarten is filled with all kinds and sizes of boxes and the tamariki are busy making forts, towers, boats, houses, artworks, climbing frames, helmets, swords, and so much more! Boxes give amazing opportunities for creative, open ended play and their imaginations are running wild! Thanks to everyone who brought in their boxes!
It’s Emergency Services Day today at Sunbeams! We were so lucky to have both the fire service and the police visit us! The tamariki asked so many great questions and learnt all about the gear that police and fire fighters carry. We also got to go in the police car and talk on the radio, as well as sit in the fire truck. Fun for everyone! We are so grateful to them for coming, and we hope they enjoyed the cookies we made for them!
We LOVE loose parts play at Sunbeams. Whether used inside or outside, a loose parts provocation inspires innovation and imaginative play - it is open ended and long lasting. Today’s provocation of loose parts inside has created an opportunity for group cooperation, creativity and communication. And FUN!