ABC Hastings

Part of the Overseas Project requirements is that you complete 8 hours of service-learning within the community that you are living and teaching. Upon my arrival I asked Emma and the other teachers for suggestions about where to volunteer. After attempting with the volunteer coordinator at the Hastings hospital I found myself talking to Kate – the Center Director of ABC Hastings Kindergarten.

In New Zealand – Kindergarten (or Kindy for short) is an Early Childhood Education Center. All ECE Centers implement the Te Whariki curriculum developed around five strands: Well-being – Mana Atua, Belonging – Mana Whenua, Contribution – Mana Tangata, Communication – Mana Reo, and Exploration – Mana Aoturoa. At ABC Hastings, teacher-initiated and student-initiated activities are developed to ensure the students experience holistic development.

I was placed in the 4-year old room working with Bronwyn and Linda. After school on Mondays and Wednesdays I would walk from Heretuanga to ABC Hastings and spend about 2 hours working in the room and interacting with the children. The majority of the academic curriculum took place between 8 am – 3 pm so by the time I arrived it was free time and fun. My responsibilities ranged from supervising outdoor play, setting up activities tables, reading stories, and cleaning up at the end of the day.

Working with the 4-year olds was always a refreshing experience after a day in the Intermediate school. It took the children about 45 seconds before they asked me “Why do you talk so funny?” As my ambassadors – they grabbed my hand and showed me every inch of the playground and classroom. They recounted all of their adventures of the day for me. I learned about their units about the Solar Systems, Healthy Eating, and Garden Building. They made me dinner in the play kitchen, we built train tracks around the room, and played freeze out (a dancing game where I was doubled over fighting back my laughs).

My favorite day was when I arrived to see a sign on the door that said – 6 June Dress like Royalty Day. I was greeting by the children wearing sparkly pink gowns and homemade crowns. It was so much fun to talk to the children about the Queen of England and their celebration of her birthday.

On my last day I took pictures of the room and some of the activities. Check them out below!

Learning center with the Letter of the Week,
Days of the Week in English and Maori, and the
New Zealand National Anthem

Building the train tracks

In NZ when a child turns 5 years old they are enrolled in
a Year 1 classroom if we are still in Term 1 or Term 2
of the school year. This makes New Entrance classes
challenging because there are always new students
joining as they turn 5 years old.

Play kitchen area

Hard at work making me a crown

Egg and spoon race

(ping pong ball and spoon race)

Computer station - every week they were playing
Freddie the Fish - brought back memories!!

Washing dishes

"Magic Tricks" with knot tying 

Which was secretly shoe-typing practice :)

Cooking dinner

He was tying one HUGE knot that I was never going
to be able to get out :)

Knot tying turned into making leashes for the dinosaurs

Which is why I love the imagination of four year olds...

After creating the leashes the dinosaurs moved into
their new home in the egg crates