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fun things to do with kids around Aotearoa

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We’ve bought everyone together to make it easy for you. Scroll down to see North and South Island activities

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tots to teens december 2023 - january 2024

Made from scratch

FEED ME

elevate your summer get-togethers with these scrummy recipes from celebrity chef michael van de elzen.

Honey Muesli Bar

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Makes: 24

  • 2 cups cooking oats
  • ½ cup chopped almonds
  • ½ cup dried cranberries
  • 2 tablespoons cacao nibs
  • A pinch of fine sea salt
  • 150g good-quality dark chocolate
  • 3 heaped tablespoons honey
  • 2 heaped tablespoons peanut butter


  1. Preheat your oven to 160°C fan-bake. Line a 30x20cm slice tin with baking paper.
  2. Mix the oats, almonds, cranberries, cacao nibs, and salt in a large bowl.
  3. Break the chocolate into a heavy-based pot. Add the honey and peanut butter and stir over a low heat until just melted, being careful not to allow it to boil.
  4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry mix and quickly combine well. Press into the prepared tray and bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars.

These little muesli bars are a great way to get your kids involved in the kitchen. You can easily leave out the cacao nibs and replace the cranberries with more affordable raisins.

Mini Lamb Burgers with Fennel Tzatziki

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 5 minutes

Serves: 6

  • 500g lamb mince
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
  • 2 teaspoons mustard seeds, crushed
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon cracked pepper
  • 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
  • 12 small burger buns
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 recipe Fennel Tzatziki (see below)
  • 1 cos lettuce, broken into leaves
  • 1 small cucumber, finely sliced and pickled Fennel tips for garnish


  1. Place the mince in a large bowl with the egg, breadcrumbs, mustard seeds, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper. Mix until sticky and well combined. Form into 12 evenly sized patties.
  2. Heat a heavy-based frypan or barbecue over a medium heat. Lightly oil the patties with the grapeseed oil and fry until golden brown.
  3. To assemble your lamb burgers, toast and butter the buns, then spread each base with a dollop of Fennel Tzatziki. Divide the lettuce, patties, pickled cucumber and fennel tips between the burgers. Finish with the bun tops and secure in place with a bamboo skewer.

tots to teens december 2023 - january 2024

Fennel Tzatziki

Prep time: 10 minutes plus soaking time

Makes: 2 cups

  • 250ml water
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 medium fennel bulb
  • 1 green chilli, halved lengthwise and deseeded
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled
  • 6 fresh mint leaves
  • 375g Greek yogurt
  • ¼ teaspoon flaky sea salt
  • Cracked pepper, to taste


  1. 1. Combine the water and lemon juice in a large bowl. Cut the fennel bulb in half lengthwise, then remove and discard the core (save the fennel tips to garnish the burgers). Slice the fennel with a sharp knife and place it in the lemon water, ensuring it is covered (this will stop it from browning). Place a paper towel on top and gently press down until soaked. Chill for at least 10 minutes.
  2. Drain the fennel, then place it in a food processor with the chilli, garlic and mint and blend quickly. Transfer it to a bowl then stir in the yogurt, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Store the tzatziki in the fridge for up to 4 days.

check out
more recipes at totstoteens.co.nz

Extracted from Good From Scratch by Michael Van de Elzen, photography by Babiche Martens. Published by Allen
& Unwin NZ
. RRP $49.99.

teach our tamariki to read

teach our tamariki to read

Primary school

How we

Literacy levels in Aotearoa are on the wane. Yvonne Walus asks why is this happening, and what can we do?

You’ve probably seen the headlines: “New Zealand kids used to be in the top 10 in the world for reading.” For the past two decades, however, our literacy results have been sliding. As parents of young learners, we have the right ask what happened, and, more importantly, how do we fix it?


The past: Phonics versus the whole language approach

To understand the challenge, let’s take a quick look at the history of literacy instruction in our country. Before the mid-1970s, Kiwi kids were taught to read using phonics. In other words, focusing on the sounds that letters and letter combinations make. Children learned to recognise and sound out individual letters (like “t”, “s”, “w”), as well as combinations of letters (like “th” or “sh” or “wh”). Teachers would point out the different sounds the letter “a” can make in “mad” and in “made”, and they learned helpful soundbites to help them remember, such as: “The E at the end of the word is magic because it makes the vowel say its name,” or “The bossy R changes the sound of the vowel before it, like in car and bird.” This meant that children learned how to work out pronouncing written words, and how to string those words together to make sentences.

By the late 1970s, most New Zealand schools adopted a new literacy philosophy called “the whole language approach”, also known as “balanced literacy”. This method was based on the idea that reading, just like speaking, would come naturally to children – all you needed to do was to put the learners in a book-rich environment and encourage them to be curious about reading. Phonics and analysing the sounds were abandoned in favour of understanding the overall meaning of a text. Teachers encouraged young readers to rely on sentence context, pictures, and partial word recognition to guess what’s written, without breaking down words into individual letters or components.

Recent scientific studies, however, have shown that the “whole language” method doesn’t work for all learners. Because speech developed at least 50,000 years ago, human brains are hardwired to learn to talk, and it happens naturally simply by being immersed in an environment rich in talking. In contrast, reading and writing were created a lot more recently, and because they are an artificial social construct, they need to be taught explicitly and systematically.


The way forward

The Ministry of Education is making changes in how reading is taught today, focussing on methods that have been proven to work, like phonics and structured literacy. Structured literacy emphasises explicit, systematic, and sequential teaching of literacy at multiple levels: Phonemes (smallest unit of sounds in the English language – English has 44 of them!), letter-sound relationships, syllable patterns, vocabulary, sentence structure, paragraph structure, and text structure.

Some schools are already using structured literacy with help from private providers, and they are impressed by the positive impact it has had on students’ literacy skills and overall confidence. Universities are also beginning to train new teachers in how to teach reading using structured literacy. On its website, the Ministry of Education states that it supports a range of teaching approaches, including phonics, and plans to enhance its resources for phonics instruction in the early years.

Lifting Literacy Aotearoa chair Alice Wilson welcomed the change but challenged the speed of the journey, claiming that the government is reluctant to let go of the old way and of the balanced approach philosophy. “At this stage, with the research we’ve had around so many years now, they’re still dragging their feet and they’re not being brave enough.”

READING ACTIVITIES YOU CAN PRACTISE AT HOME

While you may believe it’s the school’s responsibility to teach literacy, reading at home as a family creates a strong bond between parents and children. It’s an opportunity for quality time and emotional connection. When children experience the joy of reading at home, they are more likely to develop a lifelong love for books and become independent readers. Here are a few tips for reading at home:

Does your school have a library?

In the last few decades, a number of schools decided the library space was needed for other purposes. Although students can make use of city council libraries to borrow books, it’s not the same as having access to books on the premises, with a regular time slot dedicated to enjoying the library as a class. School libraries are crucial to foster a love of learning, a love of books, a love of reading.

tots to teens december 2023 - january 2024

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talk to me

Parenting can sometimes feel like issuing an endless list of requests, questions, and demands, often in that precise sequence: “Can you get ready to go, please.”

“Are you ready to go yet? Get ready now. We have to go!”

This familiar escalation can quickly bring the household into chaos: Weeping kids, flustered caregivers… In this particular scenario, everybody is at odds with each other before the day has properly begun.


What are you really saying?

Above are all examples of imperative language, useful for functional purposes, but – given a distinct lack of nuance – also a quick way to negate any positive behaviour guidance that may have taken place prior. Imperative language demands a prescribed response; in the case of our example above, the only acceptable “correct” answer is “Yes, I’m ready.” There’s no room for the child to make any other response that won’t spell some degree of trouble or disappointment on the part of the parent.

Parenting experts advocate the use of declarative language as a key way to achieve desired outcomes without resorting to old-fashioned methods of raised voices, threats, bribery, shaming, or punishments.


Communication invitation

Declarative statements are simple invitations to children to share an experience, and they could be a game-changer in your home. Its most effective use for improving communication with children is through casual, neutral observation, and in so doing, the encouragement of a child’s own critical thinking pathways. In short, using declarative language can be a masterful way to lead children to their own logical conclusion.

It all sounds far preferable to the on-autopilot, broken-record way of polarising into “good” or “bad”, “right” or “wrong” by forcing them to respond one way or the other to our demands and instructions, doesn’t it?

Like anything, it may take time, repetition, and patience for declarative language to kick in and be effective, and it will depend on the age of your child. That said, you may see immediate benefits from a switch from imperative to declarative language, especially for determined kids who have become used to hearing imperative instructions from morning to night.


Getting started

Here are some guidelines for implementing declarative language:

  • Try to remain calm and neutral when you talk to your child. The goal is to stimulate their own thinking brain, rather than flip them into a flight/fight/freeze state or trigger them by our own feelings of frustration, eagerness, or hyper-awareness.
  • Think about issuing invitations instead of asking questions. Say “Let’s read a book together.” instead of “Would you like to read a book?”
  • Statements encourage a child to engage their own logical thought processes. Saying, “I notice you haven’t cleaned your teeth yet” creates an opportunity for thoughtful consideration, rather than commanding, “Clean your teeth!”
  • Observational self-narratives are an example of modelling, like saying, “I’m going to the bookshelf to look at the books."
  • Turn a question into a statement. “Why aren’t you ready for school?” could become “We’re walking to school today. I think you’ll need your walking shoes on.”
  • Try turning directions into an observation. “Stop doing that to your sister!” could become “I don’t think that makes your sister feel very happy.”

WORDS TO USE

  • When you’re practising using declarative language, include plenty of the following:
  • Verbs relating to our thinking processes, like wonder, know, imagine, remember, forget.
  • Observational, sense-related words, like hear, see, smell, feel, notice.
  • First person pronouns, like I, we, us.
  • Statements to communicate emotions, like I feel, I like, I don’t like, I’m not sure.
  • Words of possibility/uncertainty: Maybe, might, sometimes, possibly, perhaps.

Benefits
of using declarative language

Declarative language for everyday use

Here are some real-life examples of shifts from imperative to declarative language. Put this printable where you can see it and take inspiration from the simple changes you can make in your communication style. Download here for this handy printable.

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tots to teens december 2023 - january 2024

brain drain

Summer brain drain

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Learning matters

Do kids really lose learning over the holidays? Tiffany Brown investigates.

The notion that kids lose academic proficiency over the course of the long summer break has been so pervasive, there are now at least four ways to describe it: “Summer learning loss (SLL)”, “summer slide”, “summer reading loss”, or “summer slump”.

Following decades of speculation and observation from the education sector, a systematic review of available research published in 1996 showed American students lost the equivalent of about one month’s worth of classroom learning across the summer period, with more pronounced regression in maths than reading. This seemed to confirm what frustrated teachers the world over had been saying about the school year’s educational gains being lost in the haze of summer. The same research also indicated a widening gap between children from higher or lower-income families, the latter losing more learning than the former.


Taking another look

But a 2018 study led by Paul von Hippel showed that inequalities in basic skills originate at the earliest stages of childhood, before any formal education even begins.

It also showed that gaps neither significantly nor consistently grow or shrink. This was based on a range of metrics, including ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic factors. The 1996 research – which entrenched SLL as an educational phenomenon – was criticised for a number of inherent flaws.

Paul von Hippel went on to question everything once believed true of SLL, and wrote, “So what do we know about summer learning loss? Less than we think. The problem could be serious, or it could be trivial. Children might lose a third of a year’s learning over summer vacation, or they might tread water. Achievement gaps might grow faster during summer vacations, or they might not.”


Complicating matters

Even more recently, a US study analysing assessment data from 3.4 million students presented an increasingly complex picture of the brain drain phenomenon. While the study found evidence for significant knowledge loss across the summer months in some students, it found those experiencing the greatest summer loss were those who had made the largest gains during the academic year. The authors felt the results called into question the usual explanations for SLL, such as access to summer learning programmes, and the length of the school year.

The picture looks a little inconclusive at this point, right? Both empirically and evidentially, educators appear united in at least one viewpoint; SLL is real, but it doesn’t impact all children in the same way. So let’s turn our attention closer to home.


The local evidence

Little research had taken place here in New Zealand until 2015, when PhD student Louise Turner, along with Laura Tse, produced a paper: “Solving summer slide: Strategies and suggestions”.

Turner had been running a pilot study over the previous five years investigating whether SLL could be reduced by providing students with 15 self-selected books matched to their reading and interest levels over the summer holidays. A home liaison also visited each participant three times to offer support and discuss the programme with the student and their family.

Turner and Tse’s research provided a springboard for the New Zealand Summer Reading Programme (summerreadingprog.nz), which is ongoing, and now has a number of participating schools. Despite slower gains as a result of COVID-19 school closures, the research has consistently shown a positive impact on students. Reading aptitude has improved each summer – especially for those with lower ability. In 2022-2023, Years 3, 4, and 5 students gained between 1.6 and 4.3 months’ worth of learning as a result of the programme.


Reducing the brain drain

So, your child may be affected by SLL, or maybe not. If they gained immensely in knowledge during the school year, it’s possible they’re more at risk of a backslide or, at least, of losing some oomph during the holidays. With that in mind, how can parents and caregivers stem any potential brain drain?


Explore different ways to learn

summerreadingprog.nz suggests a wide range of strategies that could hit the mark, including ways to encourage reading by making it accessible and entertaining, and modelling reading behaviour by letting kids see the older children and adults around them reading a variety of material. There are also ideas to encourage kids with maths, and strategies to make the most out of summer activities or trips. With a small shift in perspective, learning opportunities pop up everywhere; children helping with shopping, preparing meals, and getting from A to B are all rich sources of reading and maths, as well as being ways to strengthen parent-child relationships, a key component to successful learning.


New places, new experiences

One of the best ways to encourage kids to learn during a break from school is to visit different places and provide different experiences. If you’re able to take a holiday, everything from the plane, boat, train, ferry, or car journey through to the history, geography, people, or culture at your destination can offer engaging ways to learn. Closer to home, you may simply use an alternative mode of transport to visit a different location, with similar fresh opportunities for discovering new things.


Holiday programmes

Libraries, museums, and galleries all routinely offer holiday courses, activities, or programmes to keep students learning during the school break, as do many sports and cultural clubs or groups. “Catch-up” tutoring can also be used as a tool to reduce summer brain drain; some students who struggle in a classroom environment absolutely thrive in a one-on-one learning situation, especially if it’s focussed on fun and enjoyment alongside achievement. Tutoring can cement learning gained during the school term through repetition and familiarity. Look for opportunities in your area, or investigate online options.


Online learning options

Let’s face it, kids are likely going to be increasingly exposed to screens during the summer holidays as it is. So you might as well seek out educational online programmes to keep their brains active and engaged. As opposed to cartoons, shows, or movies, online courses or tuition often include a rewards-based scale of achievement which creates more engagement for a child than passive observation. Gaming may have its own inherent perils, but likewise, can offer more positive learning outcomes than the relatively mindless pursuit of watching televised or online content. Just make sure they head outside for at least part of every day… It’s summertime, after all!

Summer Learning Loss is real, but it doesn’t impact all children in the same way.

tots to teens december 2023 - january 2024

Summer scavenger hunt

Getting outdoors and learning from the environment you’re in is a great way to keep your brain active! Here’s a fun scavenger hunt to keep children’s minds moving this summer. Download here for this handy printable.

Giveaways galore for the whole whanau to enjoy.

Over $4,200 in prizes to win!

Classic wooden toys

These timeless toys will become treasured heirlooms that generations of children will love to play with! Pioneer Wooden Toys is a family-run Kiwi business that aims to produce the finest top-quality handmade wooden toys on the market. Their beautiful products are in over 300 ECE centres around the country, and your children can enjoy them at home, too. We have a Doll’s House, Ride-On Engine, and Push Trolley to give away, valued at $500 total. woodntoys.co.nz

Little love

Little Gatherer is a children’s boutique based in Clevedon, Auckland, filled with beautiful products from all corners of the globe. We have a $300 voucher to give away so you can choose beautiful children’s toys, homewares, and clothing for your child from their charming collection. littlegatherer.com

‌Play outside

Perfect for outdoor play, the Kinderfeets Tent is a cosy space to read, play, imagine, or even just take a nap. And when your child feels like coming out into the fresh air, the Kinderfeets Child’s Swing encourages development of balance and coordination – perfect for the garden, camping, or the local park, or set up inside on a rainy day. We have a Kinderfeets Tent and Swing to be won worth $320. kinderfeets.co.nz

Just relax

Who wouldn’t want to relax and drift away in a cloud of dreamy bubbles? We have three Lush Relax Gift Sets worth $49 each to give away, each including Dream Cream Body Lotion, Sleepy Shower Gel, Twilight Bath Bomb, and a Mini Sleepy Bubble Bar, as well as three Lush Sweet Dreams Gift Sets worth $60 each, including Snow Fairy Shower Gel, Sleepy Body Lotion, Snow Fairy Lip Jelly, and a Sleepy Shower Bomb. lush.com/nz/en

Mini foodie‌

The nutribullet Baby Steam + Blend is the perfect product for parents who want to give their child the nutrients they need in the easiest way imaginable. This unique all-in-one steamer/blender lets you cook and blend fresh, wholesome ingredients, with timed water levels and automatic programmes. RRP$269.99, we have one to win! nutribullet.co.nz

Drink up

Hydro Flask gear replaces single-use plastic bottles and takeaway containers with thoughtful, innovative, reusable, sustainable solutions that are kind to our planet. We have one epic Hydro Flask bundle worth $430 to give away, including a 354ml Kids Drink Bottle, an Insulated Kids Lunch Box, a 946ml Wide Mouth Flask, a 354ml Coffee Flask, and a 591ml Ty Williams Limited Edition Tumbler. hydroflask.co.nz

tots to teens december 2023 - january 2024

Wash your hands

ecostore’s new Foaming Hand Wash comes in two fragrances, Creamy Coconut and Citrus Burst. Formulated to be gentle on skin, the range uses vegan-friendly, plant- and mineral-based ingredients and is proudly made in NZ. We have five ecostore Foaming Hand Wash bundles worth $64 to giveaway. Each pack has 12 products and includes their concentrated refills. ecostore.com

Back to bed

Bengali textiles are designed in NZ and sourced from exotic locations in India and China. Unique, colourful, beautiful baby and children’s bedding, toys, and homewares. We have a $300 Bengali gift voucher to win, so you can build your own bedding bundle and sleep in style. bengali.co.nz

Protect your skin

Did you know that “typical” sunscreens are made using 50-70% water? Skinnies Sunscreen is sustainably made using zero water, so less is more. Because it’s not diluted, it acts like a concentrate, staying on your skin and doing its job for longer. A pea-sized amount covers your face, neck, and ears, and it rubs in clear and adapts to all skin tones, so everyone can wear it with confidence (and no white streaks). We have three Skinnies Sunscreen bundles to win worth $144 each. skinnies.co.nz

Raw deliciousness

Win one of three Raw Goodness bundles to get you through the summer holidays. Each prize pack includes a large Christmas slice pack and a bag of Raw Goodness Super Seeds, each valued at $118! Christmas packs include limited edition cranberry white chocolate slice, Jaffa slice and strawberry and lime slice, all raw, vegan, gluten free and absolutely delicious. rawgoodness.co.nz

Summer baby

Discover the perfect summer essentials for your baby: An IZIMINI portable baby chair with a matching hat, silicone beach toys, pram liner and a cozy hooded towel. Dive into a season of sun and smiles! We have one IZIMINI Summer Baby Essentials Bundle worth $320 to give away. izimini.com/en-nz

Work from home

Logitech’s Casa Pop-Up Desk is an ergonomic working station you can use anywhere, whether at a café, the kids’ sports practice, or on the go. It unfolds to a laptop stand, featuring a wireless keyboard, touchpad, and storage space inside. Folding down to the size of a notebook, the Casa takes work out of sight at the end of day. We have one in black to give away. RRP$329.95 from pbtech.co.nz

Print out and do at home or on your travels. Download here.

tots to teens december 2023 - january 2024

Print out for home or on your travels. Download here.