Wiggles and giggles
November 2010

Milson Kindergarten's very own Wiggles took centre stage at a Milson Women's Institute meeting on Wednesday November 3, where they impressed the ladies with their energetic moves.

Dressed in all the Wiggles gear, including t-shirts, belts and badges, each of the 11 Milson Kindergarten children introduced themselves before performing three song and dance numbers from the popular Australian children's entertainers.

The idea for the performance, which took place at Milson Community Church, stemmed from Matthew Lynde's passion for all things Wiggles-related and an earlier show held at the kindergarten for family and friends.

Teacher, Teresa Cottle, said children practiced their moves for two weeks leading up to the event and did an "absolutely awesome job".

She referred to Matthew as the "Wiggles king" due to his unusual goal to "become the orange Wiggle and move to Wiggles World when he turns 40" and said all the children "just love The Wiggles and are so excited about performing".

"It's amazing the confidence they've gained as a result and all the parents have really supported it as well", she said.

Women's Institute member, Bev Williams, thanked the Milson Wiggles for their wonderful entertainment as she handed out lollies.

"We'll look forward to seeing some new numbers from the Milson Kindergarten children next year", she said.

Above: Milson Kindergarten children perform Wiggles numbers at a Milson Women's Institute meeting

Download the Tribune article here
Wiggles World comes to Milson (5.16MB)

Bugs, birds and beasties 
April 2010

Milson Kindergarten is surrounded by native bush, bugs and birds thanks to mum and talented artist Fiona Burmeister. The developing nature mural adorning Milson's playground wall is inspired by the children's interest in bugs and their new bug garden.

Head Teacher Emma Henderson and her team put their feelers out for parents to assist with the mural and Fiona Burmeister took up the challenge. Bell birds, pukekos, fantails, spiders, moths and frogs all hide amongst the native bush Fiona's painted. She admitted she hasn't really painted since fourth form but on completion of the first section she had parents convinced her plants were real.

Suggestions and requests from children, parents and whānau/families are welcomed. "I've had requests for more butterflies from the girls and one of the teachers, Teresa, wanted frogs", Fiona said.  Ladybirds, birds in flight and ducks sitting on water are next on her list of creatures to paint.

The mural doesn't only look good it also encourages children to make sense of the living world by observing, identifying and describing animals. Creatures have been hidden so the children must become explorers, looking carefully to find them peaking out from behind trees and bushes.

Bug backpacks have also been developed containing a magnifying glass, insect reference book, bug catcher, notepad and pen. These packs assist children in locating bugs and identifying the ones they find. Kindergarten pupil Izaak demonstrated the bug backpack and when asked which bugs had been captured previously, was able to identify a cicada in his bug catcher.

Milson Kindergarten would like to thank Bunnings, Mitre 10, Guthrie Bawron, Wattle Trade and The Paint Factory for kindly donating paint to make the mural possible. The mural's a delightful addition to the kindergarten environment and will remain a valuable learning resource for years to come.

Above: Learning's brought to life at Milson Kindergarten