At the end of 2024 we discovered that not many of our tamariki at Snells Beach Kindergarten had been to Kelly Tarlton’s Sealife Aquarium so we decided to plan a trip.

To prepare throughout term 1 we had weekly focuses on sharks, penguins, octopus, jellyfish, whales, sea horses and stingrays. Children were invited to bring resources from home which included books, soft toys and a swimming shark toy.

Over the term we worked on a variety of craft ideas including making bubble wrap octopus, footprint penguins, salt dough turtles and screen printed sea horses. Our Kids’ Hui Times became very creative with made-up songs and games as we re-invented old favourites to suit our sea creature focus.

During Sea Week, we discussed the sad effects of rubbish pollution on marine creatures and a number of whānau joined us in a beach clean at Martins Bay.

Preparation also involved fundraising for the $1100 bus hire.

By the time trip day arrived, our tamariki were so excited and very prepared for the experience. We took over 90 people, our biggest trip ever! Highlights for the children were seeing penguins up close, having ‘hands on’ with kina and starfish, experiencing the many interactive technology areas and having huge sharks and stingrays swimming around them in the shark tanks.

Some children had not been on a bus before and that was another new experience. Whānau supported the trip in huge numbers and appreciated our efforts with their caring comments and written feedback. For kaiako, the term-long focus was motivating, it kept us inspired and brought out our creative  superpowers.