We've been exploring Ko Wai Au? - Who am I? How do we belong as part of our Deaf Community, and what and who are important to us?

In the Early Years Whānau Centre (EYWC), we have been exploring Ko Wai Au? Who am I, All About Me; who we are, what, and who are special to us, and how we belong as part of the EYWC. We’ve decorated whānau (family) leaves and added them to our whānau tree. We all belong here and are part of a great big whānau at the EYWC!

We’ve been delving into our local Cultural Narrative and local history on-site at Sumner exploring how we fit and belong as part of this Deaf Community. There is an amazingly rich history here in Sumner, and we have been lucky enough to hear some stories of van Asch from when it all started in 1880! We have all learned so much, and we want to extend a very big thank you to Janet Stokes for supporting us with this journey and to Hayley Ahpene for leading our history walks.

Tane and His Children and Fantail have been the focus books for storytime. Through these books, we have explored the ideas of creating plants, animals, and insects and where these creatures belong. We had a great time acting out and retelling the stories. We’ve been apple picking at the old Orchard at the Sumner site and have made apple pie just like the pie in the Fantail, Fantail story. It was delicious!