Back to Articles

Learning Adventures Rosedale went to the Theatre

06 July 2018

Learning Adventures Rosedale went on an excursion to the Pumphouse Theatre in Takapuna to watch a Tim Bray production of "The Great White Man-Eating Shark and other stories" recently. A group of our 4-year-olds (and almost 4-year-olds), boarded a bus outside the centre, and headed off on an adventure!

Once the children arrived they had a short walk down to the beautiful setting of the Pumphouse Theatre on the edge of Lake Pupuke. While they were waiting to be seated in the theatre, they were able to take in their surroundings and discuss the many animals that make the Lake their home. Once they took their seats for the show, they were excited to see the stage all lit up and the masses of seating all around. They were lucky enough to get front row seats!

The children all sat so beautifully throughout the show, and thought many of the antics were hilarious! After the show, they were able to say a quick hello to the cast members, before they boarded the bus home again.

This excursion provided the children with an opportunity to experience the theatre setting and see that there are many different ways to tell a story. This links with the Te Whaariki strand of Communication - Mana reo Goal 3, where children experience an environment where they experience the stories and symbols of their own and other cultures.

Is there anything more fantastic than seeing an infant, toddler or young child fully rocking to a beat with their own artistic movements, not a care in the world as they create, move and groove to music that sometimes only they can hear?! There are, of course many learning benefits for children when they engage in music and movement, these are just a few of them as well as some ways that you can bring music and movement to life for your child.

Young children are learning their place in the world every single day in multiple ways. The ideas that they form from observing the world around them will often show up when children are engaging in family and dramatic play, but what exactly is family and dramatic play and what are the benefits of your child engaging in it?

Kia Ora! This month has been full of exciting activities and cultural celebrations at our preschool! We celebrated Cook Islands Week and Tongan Language Week by learning about greetings, colors, numbers, and the days of the week from these cultures. The children enjoyed making Tongan “Otai” and learning some Cook Islands language from one of our dads. We also had a visit from the librarian who entertained the children with puppet stories and songs. A highlight was our parent evening where we discussed raising resilient children. Parents learned about language development and strategies for managing common behavior issues. The children had fun with our homemade Olympic Games, where they created and awarded their own medals. We also raised awareness about asthma with the Sailor Asthma Show, presented by Aimee Gaestro. The Kapa Haka group from St Mary’s School performed for us, and it was a fantastic experience. Be sure to check out the videos! Our oldest children visited St Mary’s School to see what primary school is like and what they can expect. It’s been a busy month, and we look forward to more enriching experiences for the children. Connections to Te Whāriki (ECE Curriculum) Learning Outcomes: Belonging: Connecting with people, places, and things in their world Contribution: Using skills and strategies to play and learn with others Communication: Enjoying and creating stories

Learning Adventures Rosedale went to the Theatre

Music and Movement

Family and Dramatic Play

A month full of Cultural Celebrations and Learning!