"Technology is a universal and age-old human activity. People have always adapted resources to meet their needs, from such fundamental, far-reaching innovation and invention as the development of the wheel" (Ministry of Education, 1995, p.6).
The motorbike visit was very popular with our children and triggered lots of conversations about the types of bikes they have at home.....So we decided we would have our very own
The motorbike visit was very popular with our children and triggered lots of conversations about the types of bikes they have at home.....So we decided we would have our very own
"WHEELS DAY".
Our children were encouraged to bring in anything with wheels and we closed off the car park for the day and our children were able to ride, slide, skate, roll, push drive their wheels.
Following on from our conversations about helmets, why we wear them and the safety they provide...we encouraged our children to wear their helmets if they had one. Most of the children were quite competent with putting their own helmets on and only needed a little bit of assistance with the buckle.
J is very happy to pose in her safety gear!
Along with our bikes, prams, scooters, skateboards, roller blades, trikes and more......came some of our parents. closing off our carpark meant we had the freedom of the whole carpark with the safety of closed gates.
Our children were all very excited about bringing in something from home to share with their friends and teachers. The opportunity to bring in their wheels for a day helps "children to develop connecting links between the early childhood setting and other settings that relate to 'our children', such as home" (Ministry of Education, 1996, p. 56).
An interesting outcome I was able to witness today was how comfortable the children felt while riding their bikes, scooters or skateboards. The increased confidence in children that are normally very cautious was quite a delight to watch and gave an insight into the confidence children display when they are familiar with the environment. Te Whariki espouses the importance of children being able to bring things from home to the early childcare environment. I believe it is extremely important for children to be able to make and strengthen the links between home and centre and having familiar things that connect to both environments helps develop a sense of belonging.
Our children, parents and staff had a fantastic day together....lots of laughter, smiles and fun had by all!
Hi Liz,
ReplyDeleteThe wheel would have to be one of the best technologic wonders man ever invented. With it brings so many aspects that the children can investigate and explore. Great you have a large area close by for the children to show their skills off.
I agree with you about links between home and centre. I remember learning in our Family and Community studies (year two) that children behave differently in different environments. You've gained some valuable knowledge about children who you describe as 'normally cautious'. I would be interested to know how you plan to use this new information, about these children.
ReplyDeleteDid parents join this activity too? It looks fun and the weather was nice.
ReplyDeleteYes, children are always interested in 'wheels', they have been listening to 'the wheels on the bus' when they were little.
How would you extend children's interests in 'wheels'?