A Visit from Community Heroes!

We have noticed our tamariki have a huge interest in the Police, Ambulances and Fire Trucks - as each day, we can hear them zooming along Cameron Road. When this happens, our little ones run to the gate to see which one it is and they proceed to have discussions about where they think they are going and what each service vehicle does to help people in the community. 🚒🚑🚔

This interest is carried on naturally throughout the day with different role play scenarios being created and communicated in group play together. The roles of Policemen, Fire Fighters and Ambulance Drivers are allocated, and of course there are always people who need to be rescued or helped. 😊

It is amazing to watch their imaginations take over and in no time, our little ones transform everyday objects such as brooms, into vital pieces of equipment such as a hose to put the “fire” out.  🙌😍

To extend on this interest, one of our wonderful kaiako asked her brother David (who is dog handler for the Police), if he would mind coming in to Buckle My Shoe for a visit. It just so happened that he was due to come to Tauranga for some special training with his puppy Vince and stopped in to have a korero (talk) about what his role as a dog handler for the Police is all about. Our little ones and even our teachers were very interested to hear what David and Vince do to help in the community. 👏

David was wearing a special uniform which our little ones were curious about. They noticed he wore a special vest, hat and even had special boots on which they said “helped him catch the bad guys.” 

As David continued to talk about Vince, our little ones couldn’t help but notice some movement and noises coming from David’s special red Ute. Perhaps it was Vince? Soon our little ones got to find out, as David brought Vince into our front play space to meet everyone.

Carefully and gently, our little ones had turns to say hello to Vince with a little pat up close and personal. “He feels soft”, one child commented, as another little one pointed out how his tail was wagging fast. It seemed like Vince was very happy to meet the tamariki of Buckle My Shoe and they were really enjoying meeting him as well. 🐕😊

After all the excitement, it was time for Vince to head back into the Ute and for David to get ready to go. Our little ones were lucky enough to spend a little bit of extra time with David, drawing special pictures and sharing these with him. 

In Te Whāriki the NZ Early Childhood Curriculum, one of the goals is around creating a sense of belonging in the centre where connecting links are made to the wider world, community and whanau. David and Vince’s visit was an opportunity for our little ones’ interest in service vehicles and roles to be extended on in a real life scenario.

Providing our little ones with real life experiences adds another level of depth to their understanding about the complex world around them and where they are in relation to that. 😊

It would be awesome to have a fire fighter or ambulance driver visit us next, wouldn’t it? Watch this space!  🙌