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Play'n'Learn
100% NZ owned and operated
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NEO’S SUCCESS STORY
Written by Stacey November 2011
After lunch today Neo arrived at the centre very excited about his first school visit that he had attended at School. After lunch we decided to find somewhere quiet to sit and reflect on his time spent at Lots of Hugs by reading and discussing his discoveries that were documented in his portfolio. As we began to read through we came to a story and photo page on one of Neo’s creations which were about Neo creating a trailer. Neo was outside riding one of the bikes and managed to find a cardboard box and was trying to attach it to the back of the bike using the tape from the box. Neo was very excited, calling out to me "Stacey, Stacey, look at my trailer” he said. As Neo began to pedal off the trailer became detached and he got a bit upset. I suggested to Neo that maybe we could find some resources that would be a bit more durable. We went in search of some resources around the centre and we both agreed that the plastic reels we had might work. We used a range of different techniques to attach the reels for the wheels on the trailer but unfortunately didn’t have much luck. We decided to ask Megan for some ideas and she suggested that we might be able to use one of the ride on cars from the under 2’s. We were super excited to see that this was successful and Neo's peers were also very impressed with his creativity and determination to succeed. Neo was proud of the invention and even more so to see it documented as he began sharing it with his peers, teachers and other parents within the centre when they came to pick up their child. Sarah sat down with Neo to learn about his discovery and he was able to recall every single detail including talking about his feelings and emotions that happened throughout achieving the goal he had set.
As we continued to flick through his portfolio, he was quick to point out a story that represented him creating another trailer, this time informing Megan that he needed a box to make another trailer, attaching it to the coupe car. Megan and Neo went in search of a suitable box and some string and Neo decided exactly where it needed to be placed and then Megan supported him by helping to tie the trailer to the car. We were very impressed to see Neo extending on the previous experience and thinking of new ways to be creative.
We then looked at a learning story which showcased Neo’s creativity in a range of areas. It showed Neo and a friend working together to create a campfire outside. They collected bits of driftwood and a range of material from the art trolley. Neo enjoys role play and uses different tones and noises to represent his discoveries from transport to animals. Neo also likes drawing and puts a lot of detail in his art work and is very confident when sharing about what is happening in either photos or artwork and this is represented throughout his portfolio by helping to write his own learning experiences.
After observing Neo for the past month the teachers have noticed Neo’s increasing ability to identify and use information from a range of sources gaining more confidence with complex language. Last week Neo came and asked me a question "Stacey where does rain come from? And why does it rain?” Firstly I explained to him about what I knew and suggested we get the laptop and maybe we could create a resource to represent this discovery. We found templates and created the water cycle using Velcro so Neo was able to teach his peers the water cycle in the correct order. Neo was quick to get the resource and venture around the centre willing to share his new found knowledge about how the water cycle works. From this activity Neo was able to share some other knowledge regarding water. "Stacey do you know that when you wash your hands you need to dry them properly” he said. "Why do you need to do that?” I replied. "Because bugs they like wet hands and my dad taught me that”. "Maybe we need to create a resource to teach our peers about this Neo” I replied .Neo agreed and thought this would be a good idea and we are planning to do this next.
All of the teachers here at Lots of Hugs all recognise Neo’s great imagination and know that he has the ability to use his ideas to enhance his play and knowledge with both his peers and teachers. Di mentioned that the other morning while she was outside with Neo she noticed him staring at one of the coupe cars in deep thought. She observed him saying to his peers that he needed cello tape, sticks and that the sticks needed to be taller. As neo collected the resources from the art room that he needed he rushed back to inform Di that he could make chain wheels by HIMSELF! He began attaching the ice block sticks to the wheels, once finished he spun the wheel and said "It’s a bit wiggly, we need it tight!” As neo continued to work on the product a group of friends gathered round, intrigued about what was happening. Neo was quick to inform them about what he was doing, giving a detailed description. When Di mentioned to Neo that when she was younger she had seen "chain wheels” on hot rods in a movie called Grease. Neo was quick to tell Di that he saw some on the spider man car at the shop. We thought it was great to see Neo coming up with ideas for problem solving and shared the success with members of the learning community.
As we continued to read through Neo’s learning experiences we began to see Neo’s growth in a range of areas. He has gained much confidence in using a variety of strategies for exploring and making sense of the world, which include using trial and error, asking questions, explaining to others, listening to others, participating in reflective discussion, planning and observing and listening to members in the learning community. Neo has grown into a very competent and confident learner who excels in everything he does and we are sure he will continue to learn and gain more knowledge as he begins his new adventure at School.
The Teachers at Lots of Hugs see success in a child as them being curious, willing to discover and showing a sense of pride in their achievements. After reflecting on all of Neo’s achievements in the past year, it is obvious to see that Neo is well and truly ready to carry on his learning journey at school. Being able to say this speaks success for both the teachers at Lots of Hugs and Neo’s Whanau who have worked in such a strong partnership with the centre to extend every aspect of Neo’s growth and development.
Ahakoa iti, he pounamu
Although it is small, it is of green stone
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Mission Statement |
We are committed ...
•To develop creative minds
•To inspire positive learning
•To facilitate individual excellence
•To be the best resource for learning centres nationwide
•To provide cultural and sustainable resources
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Vision Statement …
Inspiring educators to motivate
the development of creative minds
achieving individual excellence
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"To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong”
James Chilton Pearce
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