In this beautiful space we believe …

 

Children, teachers and parents deserve to live in aesthetically pleasing, interesting, and comfortable surroundings.  Valuing beauty and respect for people, places and things determines the ‘ways of being’ we role model and foster with children, parents and whanau.

 

We know children already have plans in mind when they arrive in the centre. So, we use our collective wisdom to design the curriculum and offer resources we know will be attractive and hold the attention of this age group of children.  Children’s engagement is cherished, so we give them long periods of time in which to choose where to place their attention.   The environment delivers a delicate balance between the edginess and intrigue of new experiences and the stability of familiar favourites.  This creates an atmosphere of reassurance, allowing children to relax into discovering the affordances of the myriad of interesting materials, and then rise to the challenge of using them in increasingly complex ways to communicate ideas, tell stories, imagine and create.

 

Self–regulation, resilience and good manners are important characteristics to foster from an early age.  Tuning children in to how their ‘thinking hat’ is going helps them take responsibility for their actions, words and feelings.  Teachers constantly talk to children about what manners would be appropriate in any given moment and establish boundaries for acceptable behaviour.  These strategies support the aspiration for a peaceful and harmonious classroom.