Pūkeko students have been engaging in a variety of tactile and sensory experiences, working hard while exploring all areas of the curriculum.

Our learning focus this term is All About Me, and we’ve been having lots of fun getting to know one another and celebrating the unique qualities each student and staff member brings to our special space at Pītau-Rapa (Kendal).

With the help of our communication devices and visual supports, we’ve been asking and answering questions about our learning. One of the things we explored was our likes and dislikes, and we discovered that everyone has different preferences! We also compared our shoe sizes, hand sizes, and heights, learning that we are all wonderfully different in these ways too.

We’ve read books related to our topic, which have made us smile as we connect with the stories and our own identities. The laughter has been flowing as we splash in the water, and we’ve felt proud of ourselves when we tried new things—whether it was something we were nervous about or something we achieved with support. Through activities like painting and dyeing, we’ve created visual language posters, used sensory play to write letters and words, and explored the feelings different textures give us. We’ve followed recipes to make some of our favorite foods—birthday cake and cookies, of course!

We even visited a sunflower field with a maze, where some of us were worried about insects, and others weren’t sure about navigating the maze. What we learned was that with plenty of support, we could face our fears and give it our best shot!

We are truly enjoying this wonderful journey of discovering All About Me and feeling proud of all that we are learning about ourselves!