This term our tamariki have been very busy with excursions, especially our regular grocery shopping trips.
Every Thursday or Friday, two kaiako take a group of eight preschoolers to Woolworths Kilbirnie to do the centre’s grocery shopping.
On Wednesdays, the children work together to create the shopping list. At the supermarket, they work in pairs and take on different responsibilities — some look after the trolley, some search for items on the list, and others check the prices. At the checkout, the children help place the items on the counter and assist with the payment.
At Montessori Rongotai, our grocery shopping excursions provide meaningful real-life learning experiences for our tamariki. During these outings, children participate in practical life activities such as helping carry the basket, choosing items from the shopping list, and assisting with the checkout process. These experiences support the development of independence, responsibility, and confidence as children take part in everyday tasks. The excursion also strongly supports our centre priority of social and emotional development, helping to nurture children's mana and sense of belonging. Tamariki learn to work together, take turns, listen to others’ ideas, and follow group expectations in a community setting.
Through these shared experiences, they practise cooperation, patience, and respectful communication with their peers and kaiako. In addition, grocery shopping introduces early mathematical and language concepts as children count items, recognise numbers on price labels, and expand their vocabulary when discussing different foods.
Overall, these excursions help our tamariki connect their classroom learning with the real world while building important social, emotional, and practical life skills, supporting the holistic development (te whānau tangata) of each child.