'Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God'. (Phil 4:6)

The Pikanini team is made up of educators from many diverse backgrounds and cultures; we love to share our culture by singing songs in our languages with the kids at forum time. We sing “Read Your Bible” in English, Afrikaans, and Fijian. The children sing along as best they can, and their enthusiasm is a wonderful thing to see.

Miss Ivy taught our children about Chinese culture for Harmony Day, and we made our own Chinese Lanterns. We also learned the song; “Hello to the Children of the World.” Our Pikanini’s learned how to say hello in Fijian; “Bula,” Samoan; “Talofa,” Chinese; “Nihao,” Afrikaans; “Hallo” and Indonesian; “Apa-Khabar,” and we wore national costumes to represent our home nations.

We also collected herbs from the garden and used them to create flower arrangements in orange play dough as part of Harmony Day. We picked mint, basil, and rosemary, which the children loved smelling and tasting. In Fiji, basil leaves are used as a medication; children blended them with coconut oil.

We have been learning about using gentle hands and encouraging (and role modelling), using words and signs—these words help children communicate their feelings to each other peacefully and productively.

We have had a few new children join us in Term 2; all have adjusted well to the room and routine, with lots of smiles and laughter all around.

Our older children have been participating in forum sessions and our songs with enthusiasm, happily packing away at mat times and singing along with “Open Shut Them,” “Once I Caught A Fish Alive,” and “Sleeping Bunnies” before washing hands for mealtimes.

For Easter, we read Bible stories, made a cross from sticks and had an Easter egg hunt.

We have been trying to get outside daily to explore nature, get our hands dirty, and feel the fresh air; the children love to chase birds and laugh outdoors.

Inside we have been focusing on construction and developing our fine motor and cognitive abilities; we are also still creating work based on our ocean theme carried over from Earth Day and doing a lot of sensory play/exploration.

Miss Edwards, our student, has been providing invitational provocations such as threading with pool noodles, 1 to 1 counting activities, spaghetti play, a sensory tray about bugs and an extension of our ocean theme through a painting activity. She also helped us make some bird feeders; her contributions and significant effort will be missed. She did an excellent job.

Mrs Laqere

Pikanini 1 Room Curriculum Leader