A Day in the Life of a Child at Fossil Bay School

This piece is written by our wonderful Teaching Pricipal, Donna Smith.

"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." - Rudolf Steiner

This quote by Rudolf Steiner emphasises the idea that education is not just about imparting knowledge or information to students. Instead, it's about igniting a passion for learning and fostering a curiosity that drives students to explore and discover on their own. The metaphor of "filling a pail" represents the traditional approach of simply delivering facts and information, while "lighting a fire" symbolises the transformative power of education to inspire and empower individuals to think critically, engage actively, and develop a lifelong love for learning.

So……………, what actually happens at Fossil Bay School that lights a fire in the soul of each student every day? Let’s take a small glimpse into our children’s School day and discover some of the experiences that ignite passion, curiosity and exploration in their learning.

The day starts at 8.45 am as the children bound up the stairs to the School classroom excited and enthused to discover what learning adventures await them. Each child is greeted at the front door by myself and a warm hug is exchanged as they are welcomed into the classroom. This provides a great opportunity to check in with each individual student to ascertain their physical, mental, emotional and spiritual sense of well-being in a holistic way.

Each child brings in a piece of fruit and places it in the fruit bowl so that it can be shared later on in the morning during our snack time, before making their way to their desk to find out what awaits them. The reading book they are working on for the week will be on their desk along with a fun activity to assist them with their spelling. This provides a sense of security as each child knows what to do when they enter the classroom and they have something to look forward to, as they discover “what is on their desk today?!". Once they have finished reading their book and undertaken their word of the day activity, they are free to read books from the library shelf or engage in drawing.

A kaiawhina (helper) is rostered on each day and that child has the responsibility of putting our daily Gnome in its correct position in correlation to the day of the week, and taking the cut fruit into the Whānau room ready for morning circle. In addition they are my right hand person for any other assistance I might need during the day which empowers them to develop a disposition of responsibility and reliability.

Morning Circle

At around 9.00 am we all make our way into the Whānau room and sit around a beautiful handmade rug, made by one of our loving parents, (especially for her child’s class and has followed her from Kindergarten to Nikau class) ready for Morning Circle. It is the Kaiawhina of the day's privilege to light the candle and then we all stand and say a morning verse given to us by Rudolf Steiner followed by a Karakia in Te Reo Maori. A couple of welcome waiata are then sung before the Kaiawhina snuffs out our candle signalling our School day has officially begun. We all say our Pepeha and then the Kaiawhina, being our main speaker, will recite his/hers. As a Whanau we will embellish the Pepeha of the Kaiawhina through the singing of an appropriate waiata. The verses and songs are recited by the students and myself at the beginning of each school day as a way to establish a sense of rhythm, connection, and community within the school day. The morning verse centres us into the present moment and helps us transition into a focussed and intentional mindset, that is required for the school day.

The remainder of our morning circle is focused on lots of movement including fun activities that incorporate the left/right brain and the crossing of the midline. Movement is also undertaken utilising a range of different activities such as obstacle courses in the playground, skipping with skipping ropes outside, or bean bag throwing to each other. The integration of movement is an important part of our morning rhythm and allows our students to assimilate what they are learning through their whole body. Practising skills in letter knowledge, phonics, and the four maths processes are all incorporated through movement during this time in a way that makes the learning almost subliminal. Morning circle is completed through the sharing of kai and this provides a great source of brain food for our tamariki, before their Main Lesson. The Kaiawhina serves his/her peers and thus the value of Manaakitanga (caring for others) is strengthened. The Kaiawhina also separates the scraps out into the compost that feeds our garden, and then joins us ready for the Main Lesson.

Main Lesson

The Main Lesson goes for around an hour to an hour and a half and provides a deep dive into a subject for our tamariki. Time is given to dig deep into subject matter and allows opportunities for critical thinking, inspiration, and active engagement. This is never rushed and the beauty of our children’s Main Lesson books is testimony to the value placed by everyone in the class of the learning and knowledge gained during this part of the day. Concepts are introduced through the power of stories and this allows our children to learn in a way that is fun, interesting, and meaningful.

The Main Lesson builds on itself each day as the week unfolds and a Main Lesson block will last for a period of three to four weeks. Tamariki get to experience the Main Lesson through the heart, hands and head and lots of creativity. From learning a new concept through being told a story, they are soon immersed in drama, acting out each character, truly experiencing what it feels like to be each of the different characters within the story. This allows our tamariki to further gain clarity and meaning of what they are being taught. Once our children have fully been able to explore the concept through movement, creativity and within their soul, only then are they ready to embark on written work. Written work is undertaken with beauty and time in mind and a special book for this mahi (work) is reserved solely for this purpose. Our tamariki are all very proud of their Main Lesson book complete with beautiful intricate borders and neat colourful written work inside. Their Main Lesson book is a credit to each and every one of our students and demonstrates the value and the pride they show in documenting their newly acquired knowledge and skills.

The completion of the Main Lesson is followed by Morning Tea which is either inside, or outside dependent on the weather.

After a healthy and nourishing morning tea the children run out into nature and to enjoy their beloved playground. The addition of the newly built Magic Tower and Whare has provided further opportunities for physical activity and provocation for imaginative play. On the way, they check their flower and vegetable gardens and admire the new growth on the lettuces and another daffodil that has bloomed. The children foster collaboration over competition and are very inclusive of each other, so often are playing together as one big group, displaying a sense of kindness and fairness towards each other.

The ringing of the bell can be heard throughout the playground as the Kaiawhina of the day dutifully calls all their peers back to class. Sometimes the class is the outside classroom which consists of tree stumps in a circle out in nature. Whenever we can we like to immerse ourselves in nature and that includes the outside classroom, the local beaches, the Valley of Tranquility and around the grounds of Fossil Bay itself. A recent favourite place is the island in the middle of the lake reached via a wooden bridge and boardwalk. The children feel a sense of adventure and magic on the island and this has proved to be a productive sanctuary for their learning.

Practice Lessons

Practice Lessons are held after morning tea and provide opportunities to practice skills learnt from previous Main Lessons. This is mainly numeracy or maths and literacy or writing. Form drawing, phonics, reading, knitting, arts and crafts, science, handcrafts, painting, Kapa Haka, music, gardening and Te Reo Māori can also be included in these lessons. There are two practice lessons between morning tea and lunch each day. Again practice lessons don’t necessarily have to be held in the classroom. Form drawing can be done with a stick on the beach and maths can be undertaken up in the bush within the Valley of Tranquility. Often though this part of the day is done in the inside classroom and involves more written work in their subject books.

Lunch is next on the timetable and brings the rhythm of the day to a moment of rejuvenation of the head, heart and hands. After the blessing of the meal, the children chatter together as they eat a nourishing lunch together, often with produce grown from their garden added to their meal. It is a natural way for our tamariki to experience from garden to table as they plan out their games in anticipation of their next playtime in their School playground. Once the last of their friends have been excused from the table they bounce down the stairs and run eagerly to the playground ready to play football, play on the equipment, or act out the next part of their adventure through imaginative play. There is always time to have a chat with friends at Kindergarten through the fence, pick a few lavender flowers for the vase, or scoop up a worm for the axolotl from the garden in between running, jumping, climbing and playing with their friends. Play is an important part of their day and a chance for them to rejuvenate from their morning work.

Creative Projects

After lunch the children come inside and the rhythm of the day slows down. Children will find a cushion and get cosy, choosing to either sit or lie down while I read to them for 10 minutes. It is important that children realise that reading is a pleasure to adults as well. The tamariki have read to me throughout the day, and they too, enjoy being read to. The current story we are reading is The Dragon Defenders.

Tamariki will then engage in more creative projects during this time. Music, arts and crafts, painting, etc. Recently they have been making their Matariki mural, Matariki mobile, building a harakeke kite, and planting new seeds to replenish their garden.

Whakapai- The end of this block is Tidy up time. Each child has a job that they are responsible for doing at the end of the day. This teaches them responsibility and cultivates pride in looking after their environment. Jobs range from vacuuming, emptying the compost bin and washing it out, stacking the chairs, taking out the rubbish, sweeping the deck, wiping down the desks, to straightening the books, sharpening the pencils and cleaning the dusters. Our tamariki take on their jobs with enthusiasm and vigour and demonstrate being great Kaitiaki (guardians) of their classroom. Once everyone has done their job, we gather together for end of the day circle time. We sing a few songs, then each of us share our gratitude for the day and then together we say our end verse.

A hug is again exchanged at the end of the day as we say goodbye to each other. Children take their book bags with their reading book carefully tucked inside, ready to read to their parents when they get home. Parents and children excitedly greet each other as the days learning adventures are exchanged with their parents as together they make their way down the School stairs. With their pails filled and their fire lit, our tamariki return to their homes and Whānau. A good night's sleep and tomorrow we will do it all again. A new learning adventure awaits to touch the head, hands and heart. Tomorrow each child will rekindle the fire inside them, inspiring and empowering them to continue to think critically, engage actively and continue to nurture a holistic lifelong love of learning.