Hopping great fun at the Easter Rock Hunt
mokoroa Playcentre’s annual Easter Rock Hunt was a particular hit for the young pre-schoolers in our community again this year. Our little tamariki spent the morning of 9th March scurrying all over Gerald Crapp Reserve in search of painted treasure (rocks) which could be traded up for a real chocolate egg. Some of the kids from our centre had helped paint the rocks during an earlier Playcentre session and it was significant they could observe their efforts being used for the enjoyment of so many other local children.
It was heart-warming also for us to watch some of the older children help their younger siblings spy out the rocks – although there were some that found so many rocks they definitely didn’t need a hand to hunt, only extra hands to carry what they’d found. The tamariki especially enjoyed climbing the trees and clambering over the enormous tree roots on the reserve after the hunt was over. It is such an amazing place for little ones to explore.
The morning’s adventures were a great way of helping the children connect with their wider world, learn to communicate with each other, and gain confidence in the movement of their own bodies and minds.
We are grateful to RJ and Pooja from Ōmokoroa Mini Mart who so generously donated the chocolate eggs – thank you for your kind community spirit. It was wonderful too to have so many new families who don’t normally attend Playcentre come along to join in the fun.
We are all getting very excited for our 50th Anniversary celebration – an Open Day being held at Ōmokoroa Playcentre on Saturday 10th April – and we’d like to take this opportunity to invite the wider community to help us mark this special occasion. All are welcome:
If you were a founding member or involved in the early years, we’d love you to come along and share your stories and memories with us. For the kids and families who have attended Ōmokoroa Playcentre in the past, so much has changed since you were here last – come and see! And if you’re new to the area or have never been to Playcentre before, this is a great chance to pop in and discover what Playcentre is all about.
We’ll be unveiling our new playhouse, our legacy project marking 50 years of Playcentre in our community; we’ll have facepainting and lots of fun play opportunities for the kids; a showcase of the history of our centre; and plenty of home baking and yummy morning tea. Don’t miss out.