Hāwera

Te rūma o ao - Infants

Rūma Ao is a space where infants are nurtured. Teachers respond to individual children’s cues and life in the rūma ao is centered around each child’s unique needs and ways of being. The teaching team work from the heart to create a loving space, where the relationship between baby and teacher is paramount. The partnership with you as the parent and us as the teacher, is the fundamental base of what happens for your child and how. Through this strong connection between the parent, the teacher and the child; rūma ao at Future Kids becomes a loving, caring and nurturing space to be in. 

Benefits 

• Two sleep rooms to ensure your baby sleeps soundly 
• Fabulous large windows and doors to create indoor/outdoor flow 
• Covered outdoor area so they can play out of the wind 
• Teachers who understand the importance of the parent, child and teacher triadic relationship 
• A space where infants feel a sense of belonging, a connection to teachers and a safe place to explore
• Connection to nature where babies have the opportunity to explore the natural environment, engaging all of their senses 
• Access to animals, animal sounds and natural, outdoor spaces including real grass 
• Great adult: child ratios 
• Ongoing documentation in your child’s own education portfolio (which is online as well – in a private and safe portfolio system called Educa) to capture and share moments of your child's day 
• Communication booklets where teachers and parents share daily notes about feeds, sleeps and relevant information 
• Because rūma ao  is separate to other rooms infants can have uninterrupted periods of time in a safe setting 

Te rūma o wai - Toddlers

Rūma wai daily life is busy but calm.  As children start to grow in confidence and communication skills, rūma wai provides a space where children are seen as capable and confident. Singing and small group times start to take shape and become informal parts of the day.  Negotiation and problem solving are new skills which take practice and in rūma wai, children are given the time, space and just the right amount of teacher input, in order to master the skill of turn taking, empathy and being a friend. Care moments are special moments in the day where children begin to take responsibility for small tasks and become active leaders in their room. Teachers notice what is happening for each child, recognize the learning and teachable moments, respond through a range of skilled teaching techniques, and revisit that learning in a range of exciting and stage appropriate ways. The kaupapa in this room really starts to shine with children taking care of gardens, worms, animals, exploring nature and being active eco friendly citizens of Future Kids. 

Benefits 

• Sleep room 
• Covered outdoor area so they can play out of the wind and rain 
• Fabulous large windows and doors to create indoor/outdoor flow 
• Dedicated creativity station 
• Dedicated carpentry workshop area 
• Fabulous playground to expand your child’s sense of exploring 
• Natural shade 
• Interaction with animals, worms, gardens and nature; which inspires taking responsibility, curiosity, empathy working with others, scientific and math concepts, cause and effect 
• The by product of animals, plants, worms are used in the programme to develop awareness and knowledge of the value of acting sustainably, organically and becoming ecologically aware 
• The Future Kids community comes to life as the skills of people in our community become friends of the centre offering specialist skills such as sewing, music, wood work, gymnastics; by using our own produce as hokohoko (trade items) 
• Learning is documented in your child’s own education portfolio (which is online as well – in a private and safe portfolio system called Educa)

Te rūma o ahi - Pre-school

Rūma ahi offers the opportunity for children to build on emerging confidence, to understand the complexity of friendships, working with others and caring for our environment. Rūma ahi offers children the chance to share ideas, be creative, take responsibility for themselves and the environment, show leadership and explore their sense of identity. The programme is built around a project base approach whereby everyday happenings such as collecting the eggs from the chickens, offers learning about how much to feed the chickens in order to get the eggs, what to do with the eggs and how many eggs do we need to sell in order to buy enough food for the chickens. The fruit trees offer another example of the project based approach whereby children are part of the growing, pruning, feeding, picking, bottling and sharing process. 

Rūma ahi includes approximately 15 areas of play as well, such as dress ups, junk play, construction, mat times alongside the added value of connection with nature and acting in an environmentally friendly way. 

Our hope for your child when leaving us from rūma ahi is that they leave us feeling confident in who they are, strong in identity, with the competence and capability to follow their dreams into school in an environmentally and sustainable way. 

Benefits 

• Sleep room that couples as a quiet room and classroom 
• Covered outdoor area so they can play out of the wind and rain 
• Fabulous large windows and doors to create indoor/outdoor flow 
• Dedicated creativity station 
• Dedicated carpentry workshop area 
• 15 areas of play including dress ups, clay, cooking, construction, loose part play…. 
• Literacy, numeracy, science and mathematical concepts developed through real life and applied experiences, promoting life and school readiness 
• Small groups times such as mat times 
• Fabulous playground to expand your child’s sense of exploring 
• Natural shade 
• Interaction with animals, worms, gardens and nature; which inspires taking responsibility, curiosity, empathy when working with others, project approaches, language, numeracy and literacy comprehension 
• The by product of animals, plants, worms are used in the programme to develop understanding and knowledge of the value of acting sustainably, organically and becoming ecologically aware 
• The Future Kids community adds to the rūma ahi life as the skills of people in our community become teachers in the centre offering specialist skills such as sewing, music, wood work, gymnastics; by using our own produce as hokohoko (trade items) 
• Teachers in rūma ahi work in conjunction with the local school teachers to ensure that the programme offers children the skills, enquiry and opportunities that are expected for starting school 
• Learning is documented in your child’s own education portfolio (which is online as well – in a private and safe portfolio system called Educa) showcasing the learning journey of your child, providing essential information for your child’s next teacher.