Reggio Emilia with Kaiako Samara
Investing in our teachers is paramount in our thinking, so providing opportunities for international professional development is one of our natural ways of ensuring this.
Magic – fulness!
I often reflect upon how privileged I feel to be given the opportunity to see the world through the eyes of our youngest citizens. I see myself not just as a teacher and kaiako, but also an explorer, investigator, scientist and co-learner. To me this is highlighted when I walk through the doors of our […]
Exploring Self Expression & Identity
At Bear Park, we view each child as deeply unique, with their own opinions, experiences, thoughts, and feelings. As teachers, we seek to truly understand children—their ways of being, who they are, and their sense of self-identity, both as individuals and within a whānau/community. Inspired by Loris Malaguzzi’s concept of “The Hundred Languages of Children,” […]
Healthy Risk Taking
At Bear Park we strive to have the highest standards of safety for our tamariki, but also providing throughout our programme the opportunity for risk taking. We believe that teachers play a fundamental role in supporting children to engage in acts of risk-taking, for when our tamariki take risks, they build essential skills that they […]
Interpretations of Nature
Investigating our ecological identity, invited us to explore nature from a perspective, that can lead to the discovery, recognition, and reinvention of natural subjects. The process depended on our diverse cultural perspectives as well as our ability to create new and different visions of the original subject through the use of both analogue and digital […]
Teachers as Researchers
At Bear Park, there is a strong emphasis on nurturing teachers who are dedicated to refining their methodologies. Here, we enhance our research-based approach by gathering evidence and documenting key moments of learning. Once we have gathered and structured and interpreted our observations, we are able to assess children’s learning approaches, identify schemas and theories, […]
Our Secret Garden
Our secret garden – a space for wonder, ako and empathy Nestled behind our centre is a secret garden, that is tucked away from the busyness of the world. Throughout the day this space is used by our tamariki, Kaiako and the creatures that live within it. In the mornings the preschool classrooms can be […]
Leaving my imprint – Liz Knight
One fine morning as one of our Kaiako was sitting along with our Tui tamariki by the friendship chair they all noticed a rock that was made by our alumni Abby who left the centre some time ago and now continues her learning journey at school. As the tamariki and Kaiako looked more closely, they […]
Creating Connections Through Materials
Our mutual investigation this year at Bear Park Kohimarama “Awakening Relationships with Sustainable Communities” provoked us as kaiako to consider how we support tamariki to develop their strong sense of identity and contribute their unique ideas within a group as well as developing the range of skills and capacities needed to collaborate as a community […]
NZ Building and Architecture Awards in 2024 – Bear Park Childcare.
Earlier this year, we had the honour of being nominated for the prestigious New Zealand Institute of Architects Awards and ultimately winning the Education category.
Documentation, a tool for thought – Mandie Hall
Documentation is a vital path for making learning visible and as a way to share learning, discovery and development within our learning community. However, it is also a deeper and richer creative process that involves the children, teachers, parents and the environment. It emerges through the power of observation, noticing, conversations, intentions, listening, questions and […]
