Teach Grow Love Travels to Manitoba!

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A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of presenting at the Manitoba Child Care Association (MCCA) conference, A Few of Our Favourite Things in Winnipeg.  MCCA is Canada’s largest child care association, and conference drew many early childhood educators from across the country; I made so many new friends, and it was such a wonderful experience.

My presentation titled, What Can We Learn From Te Whariki: A Closer Look at New Zealand’s Early Childhood Education Curriculum was (and is) something I am really proud of.  Over the last two years, I have really immersed myself in Te Whariki and woven in many elements of it in my practice as an educator in Ontario.  The goal of my presentation was to provide early childhood educators with inspiration on how to weave alternative early learning philosophies in their programming while staying true to provincial curricula.

One of my favourite parts of presenting is being able to share my Master’s research and experiences from New Zealand.  Observing Te Whariki in action and using bits of it alongside  Ontario’s Full Day Early Learning Kindergarten program has been really interesting both as a researcher and educator.

Here are a few photos from my presentation and a quick trip to Winnipeg!  I hope they give you a little peek into my workshops and inspire you to embrace the values of Te Whariki in your own teaching practice!

A colorful handmade bookmark made from fabric scraps with ribbons attached.
Educators created weavings using/naming the unique partnerships and considerations in their learning environment.
Four pink carnations with green stems against a white background.
Sharing the difference between curriculum led play and open-ended play, and why educators should examine which play is present in their learning environment.
Indoor play area with soft climbing structures and colorful mats for kids.
Getting some classroom inspiration from an open plan learning area! I really like the mix of kinesthetic and exploration areas.
Mirrors reflecting tall grass on a wooden fence under a clear sky.
Thinking about how we can create outdoor spaces that support early learning.  Participants were encouraged to think of their learning environments and how they can further incorporate outdoor spaces into their practice. 
Colorful circular art pieces displayed on a black wall above a counter with various items.
Observing the beautiful art space at the Manitoba Children’s Museum in Winnipeg. I love how the colour wheels are displayed among a variety of art materials.

Since presenting at the MCCA conference in May, I’ve also presented at the OISE Summer Institute (a workshop on Te Whariki’s Learning Stories), and my heart is so full.  I can’t express how inspired I am by Te Whariki’s inclusiveness and the ease with which it can be woven into any early childhood education curricula/programming.  Over the summer I will be sharing some useful strategies from Te Whariki early childhood educators in a variety of settings can use to weave their own unique interpretation of the philosophy, so please stay tuned!

If you’d like to begin reading a bit more on the curriculum, please see my blog post:

What Makes Te Whariki So Special?

He aha te mea nui o te ao
What is the most important thing in the world?
He tangata, he tangata, he tangata
It is the people, it is the people, it is the people
Maori proverb

xx

Kamini

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