Blog & Free Resources

Dear Tooth Fairy {FREE Printable}

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Our household experienced a very significant life event last week – our big boy lost his first tooth! He was fairly certain that everyone else in his class (including his best buddies) had lost their first teeth yeeaaars ago, so this was a long anticipated occasion! I quickly scrambled to whip up a little ‘Dear Tooth Fairy’ sheet for him to leave with his tooth under his pillow (which I’ve since hidden away in his memory box for future reference) He really enjoyed filling in all the parts of the sheet with facts about this momentous event. This resource also includes a little letter in reply from the tooth fairy back to your child – just add their name and leave in place on the tooth…

Click here to download your FREE copy!

Teacher Struggles 2019

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Kua tae te wā – it’s time!

*Time to make some positive changes that will impact the daily goings-ons in every primary classroom in the country. Time to make this a thriving and attractive career option once again. Time to make this a healthy and balanced profession where teachers are treated as professionals and supported to do the best for our tamariki.

Scroll to the bottom of the post to find a FREE printable version of these conversation starters…

Click here to download a FREE printable version of these images. Kua tae to wā – it’s time, so get out there and tell it like it is!

Looking for more images like the ones below from previous ‘Kua tae to wā’ series? Click here!

Gumboot-Up New Zealand!

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It’s totally heart warming the way kiwis have thrown themselves behind @gumbootfriday & @iamhope_nz to raise funds to provide free counselling for any kids who need it!👌🤗 You don’t need to give me an excuse to wear my gumboots – these are the boots we wore on our wedding day over a decade ago!! 💕 (Our ceremony location required a short stroll down through the bush, so we asked our wedding guests to design, make and wear gumboots that reflected some of our passions – the ultimate ice breaker and so much fun!! 🙌😎)

#gumbootfriday #5april2019 #mikekingyourock #getyourbootson #gumbootup

Make sure you snaffle up our *FREE* G=Gumboot activity pack (normally a paid resource that’s part of our Kiwiana Alphabet activity bundle, but now *FREE* in support of this amazing cause)

Click here to grab your FREE set of Gumboot-Up printables!

It’s a great activity for the last week of term and the perfect way to reflect on all the goings-ons of Gumboot Friday. Complete and fold a teeny-tiny gumboot booklet, then add a photo/illustration and writing to the ‘Gumboot-Up NZ’ publishing pages!

Looking for our other Kiwiana Alphabet activities? You can check out the full A-Z range here on Tpt!

Kia kaha Christchurch

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Holding you gently in our thoughts Christchurch. 💔 Kia kaha to those of you who will be back in the classroom Monday morning compassionately helping your little learners to negotiate the aftermath of this event. #kiakaha #loveyouchch #christchurch #otautahi

At times like this, there’s always strength in unity. If you’re looking for a quiet way to reflect on the events of the past week, you might find this colouring sheet helpful..

Click here to download a FREE copy of the colouring sheet above.

Back to School Resources for the Kiwi classroom!

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Ease into term one’s routines with these handy (and FREE!) ‘first week of school homework sheets’ – perfect for getting to know your new class and their families a little better. It includes a one page print out for the children in your class to complete, plus a double sided sheet for their parents/caregivers.

‘First week of school’ homework sheet for your new students!

I have never failed to be amazed at the amount of new information I learn from these sheets – it’s always interesting to compare the child’s sheet, with their parents and also their previous teacher’s reports. I recommend printing and keeping a few extra copies on hand for any new students that arrive during the year. This simple FREE printable is our most popular download – 60,000+ downloads to date!

You can find this instant download here – I hope you find it useful!

Print the parent/caregiver version double sided to save paper!

The student version of the homework sheet now also includes a space for the children to record their Maunga & Awa (Mountain and River) as a quick and easy way for children of all ethnicities to share where their family’s roots lie. *If you’re looking for a more in depth way for your class to share their full mihi/pepeha, you might want to check out our FREE mihimihi booklet (link in image caption below)

Another great ‘getting to know you’ activity for the start of the year (which forms an interactive wall display) is using the standard A2 classroom wall maps, labels and string to link children’s names to places they went on holiday (or maybe countries/towns where they have relatives or were born) I always found it useful to have an NZ map, plus a world map on hand as you’re never quite sure where this activity might lead you! *link to our Map Labels resource in the caption below!

**You can find our Map labels resource in our store here!**

Setting up your classroom this month? You might want to have a peek at some of the other kiwi themed ‘back to school’ resources in our website store (tab at the top) to help you bring a splash colour and fun learning to your classroom. Have a smooth and productive start to the new school year guys!