Creating “Tangles” - Something for the whole family

Dear Parents of Bear Park,

Welcome to an action fun packed newsletter to start this week off and we really hope that you enjoy partaking in some of these activities with your child/ren.

We hope that your weekend went well and that your bubble is still keeping safe and warm.

Wishing you all wellSue & the Bear Park Team

Bear Park from Home

“If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him

the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in.” Rachel Carson

There is nothing more exciting for young children, than when they see adults joining in with their play or art process. One thing to remember however is to draw with your child not for them and below are some articles, which explain why.

https://www.janetlansbury.com/2012/05/why-not-draw-for-a-child/

https://www.elp.co.nz/files/Wendy_Lee_Red_and_Orange_Horses_Do_They_Matter_Educational_Leadership_Project(2)

If you focus on your design this usually will be enough encouragement for your child/ren to start and they may even copy your first design, but soon will be inspired to do their own.

You also do not need to be ‘artistic’. This style of drawing is to let the image emerge through the process and the tiles will create the designs of the patterns.

How to start?

1. Cut paper into a square and I would recommend nothing bigger 5 x 5 cm.

2. Firstly place a light pencil dot in each corner, about a pen's width from the edges.

3. Connect those dots with a light pencil line, straight or curvy, to create a square. This is your border.

4. Inside the border, draw a light pencil line or lines to make what we call a "string." The string separates your tile into sections, in which you draw your tangles. A string can be any shape. It may be a curvy line that touches the edge of the border now and then, or a series of straight lines that go from one side of the border to the next.

5. Now for your ‘tangle’ – start to draw this using a pen inside the pencil strings and borders. You can create this by drawing combinations of circles, dots, lines, simple curves, S-curves and rainbows.

When your pattern of lines has filled the whole page you may like to fill in some of the spaces with solid black to bring out a new dynamic of the pattern. You can do this by using a graphite pencil to bring contrast and dimension to your tile.

The possibilities are endless and the more you and your family create the more ideas will emerge. Matching and combining your patterns in different ways can also be a lot of fun and perhaps you could create a collaborative mosaic with your collection of tiles.

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Observations of Autumn Autumn is arguably one of the most beautiful times of the year as for a few fleeting weeks we are able to bear witness to the glorious transformation of our planet. The leaves of trees as they shift through hues of deep greens, burnt oranges, vibrant reds and glowing yellows. The sun begins to set earlier in the evening, affording us time to observe the transition from day to evening, even the sunlight itself seems to have a different hue to it.

In Māori culture, Autumn is known as Ngahuru, and is regarded as a time where food is plentiful and harvested frequently. According to Maramataka(the Māori lunar calendar), Haratua (April-May) is a time for storing harvested food, especially kumara in preparation for the winter months ahead.

Over the past newsletters, we have suggested ways to incorporate leaves, acorns and other gifts of Ngahuru into learning experiences, now that many of us have established a connection to these taonga(treasures), a suggestion can be made to look a little deeper.

On your next walk in the community, work with your child/ren to capture some photographs of trees that you feel have a strong sense of ‘Autumness’. From these photographs, choose one of these trees to revisit and capture again each day if you can.

At the end of the week, make time to look at the photos together. If you don’t have access to a printer, try creating a collage on your computer, tablet or phone, so that your child/ren are able to see the photographs in relation to each other.

You may be surprised to see how much your Autumn tree has changed (or hasn’t!) and so from here allow for a rich dialogue to happen. Encourage your children to follow their imaginations, and support a sense of empathy for the tree. Possibly some ways to provoke deeper thought and encourage critical thinking could be to ask:

Why do you think the tree has/hasn’t changed?How do the leaves know when it’s time to leave the tree?

What do you think it feels like to be this tree?

Children at Bear Park are immersed in a world that appreciates Māori perspectives. Talking about elements of nature can be a great way to discover more about te ao Marama (The living world from a Māori perspective). Consider supporting your child/ren to draw on their knowledge of Māori culture and perspectives by asking:

Does Tāne Māhuta (guardian of the forests) know what is happening to the trees? I wonder if Tāwhirimātea (god of weather, including wind) is talking

to the leaves. What would they say to each other? How can we show gratitude to Tāne Māhuta for these taonga? (While gathering fallen leaves)

Take time to notice the beauty of Autumn that is so often missed in the bustle of daily life. It is my hope that by having these experiences alongside your child/ren, you will have a lasting memory of their unique, and profound perspectives.

“Children require situations and experiences that are unique and complex. Because life itself is unique and complex.”

- Daniela Lanzi (quoted at ‘Landscapes of Wonder’ Conference, Ipswich, 2013

Embracing the love for nature through video (Part 1)

“This is the key to time management - to see value in every moment”- Menachem Mendel Schneerson

What you need: A smartphone such as Samsung, LG, or iPhone or iPad with built in slow motion and time lapse options.

When it comes to spending time out-side exploring using video is another great tool for observations. With video we can capture the smallest changes as well as manipulate time, so we would like to invite you to experiment with the possibilities of video.

The great thing is that most smartphones already have in-built video features such as time lapse and slow motion. For the first experiment I suggest for you to find something in your garden or on your walk that is moving at a medium rate. Something that isn’t moving too fast therefore making it hard to capture. For example I went to the beach the other day and captured the waves. Trees and leaves in the wind is also another good starting point.

Let your child video the movement in both settings: slow motion as well as time laps for a few minutes. Make sure you are using the same time frame for both. Watch both these videos and compare.

“What do you notice?” “What happens to the movement?” Which video captures patterns?”” Which one shows more detail?”” What happens to time? ””Which video is

longer?”

We hope you and your family will have a lot of fun with these video features, and I will extend on this in the upcoming issues.

Yoga & Meditation

Teaching children aspects of yoga and meditation has many wonderful benefits for their growth and development. Their flexibility, strength, coordination, and body awareness are enhanced, and additionally their concentration, sense of calmness and relaxation will improve.

We live in a busy world, so it is important to take time during the day to slow down, practice basic stretches and promote exercises that have enormous benefits. Doing yoga allows children to connect deeply with their inner self, and develop a relationship with the natural world that surrounds them.

To facilitate this simply set up a yoga mat or a towel on a flat surface. There are many different stretches you can practice. Entice your child by inviting them to stretch like a dog on all fours, balance like a flamingo on one leg, breathe in nice and deep like a bunny, or stand strong with your arms stretched out like a tree. Let them make a connection between the environment and their bodies.

If you prefer to have a bit more guidance you could follow this link below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X655B4ISakg

“The rhythm of the body, the melody of the mind and the harmony of the soul create the symphony of life.”

-B.K.S. Iyengar

Something special for ParentsLemon Spiced Honey Tea – Emma, who is the Nutritionist for My food Bag shares one of her favourite immunity boosting tea recipes to help us live a healthy and balanced lifestyle. We hope you enjoy this Vitamin C burst.

½ tsp honeyZest & juice of ½ lemon1cm ginger, thinly sliced1 pinch of cayenne pepper or 1tsp fresh diced red chilli (optional)1 cup boiling water1-2 slices lemon

1. Add honey, lemon zest and juice, ginger and cayenne pepper/chilli (if using) to a small teapot or jug.

2. Stir in boiling water until honey had dissolved, then allow tea to steep for about 5 minutes, until the ginger becomes aromatic.

3. Pour tea into a mug, straining if desired, add a slice of lemon and enjoy

Creating a shadow tube – a teacher’s storyOver the lockdown period my son has become increasingly interested in shadows. He has spotted them while out on our evening walks and around our bubble at various times of the day and night. This has prompted questions about shadows and lots of fun experiences that we have started to have.

When asked where it came from, Cohen replied; “it came from me!” This was a great starting point for further exploration. He also remarked on how it followed him and how he could make it do the things he was doing.

One way we further explored shadows and how we could manipulate them was to make our own shadow tubes. Using a cardboard tube, some repurposed plastic film and stickers we constructed these very clever devices.

By carefully covering one end of the tube with plastic film and sticking on the sticker of our choice, we found when using a torch shining through the other end of the tube, we could cast an amazing shadow. We could also make the shadows big or small depending on how far we stood away from the wall.

We have been able to create many different shapes and shadows by starting to find objects around the house that we can use instead of a sticker e.g. a nail, wool threads, small pieces of tin foil, bottle top etc… by carefully sticking these onto the plastic film.

This has been a very fun experiment and one you can definitely revisit and continue to create more shadow stories with.

www.bearpark.co.nz