In September we went on a trip to the Shirley Library/ Te Kete Wānanga o Ōraka. We took a short walk to the bus stop near preschool; the tamariki were very excited, especially from the ones tamariki that haven’t been on a preschool trip before, and after a short delay with the buses we were on our way to the library/whare pukapuka! We had a great time on the pahi/bus, some of us were pointing out places they have been or friends and relatives houses. When we arrived at our destination there was another short walk to the library. The tamariki were filled with excitement during the walk, there were lots of chats along the way about who has been to the mall, who has been to the whare pukapuka before and what fun things we can do at the library. Before we went into the library we decided to have some morning kai at the little garden area down the road.

Now we had a full puku it was time to venture into the library. We discussed what is appropriate in the library, how to be respectful towards the other people, and what we were going to do. The tamariki had a great time perusing the books, choosing which ones to bring back to preschool, reading with our Kaiako, playing on the computer and playing connect four. We collected a great selection of books, we almost had too many to carry! Before we left the whare pukapuka we all took a turn at scanning the books and putting them in the bag, then it was time for our journey back to Dudley Creek.

Excursions are very valuable experiences, they provide tamariki with opportunities to learn with their peers, to feel as part of the community they live in, and to learn about the wider world around them.

.Written by Jenny.