Spring time in New Zealand is when we get to see babies of all shapes and sizes being born all over the country. One or our teachers finds orphan lambs most years to bring in to Kinderen so our children can start to learn about caring for animals, life cycles and being brave to try new things.
This year we have enjoyed lots of little white Romney and Perindale lambs and even a black faced Dorpet came to spend some time in the centres.
The lambs wear nappies at Kinderen to keep our playgrounds hygienic and this is of great interest to children!
Some of the children can be a little bit afraid of the lambs to start with and it is wonderful to see them grow more confident and enjoy spending time playing with these animals. We often hear the children laugh out loud as they witness lambs learning to jump and run in the playground.
The children all love to help feed the lambs their bottles and it is a fun way to learn all the incidental concepts and skills that children are constantly acquiring e.g. social skills (taking turns, leadership, helping others), fine and gross motor skills (holding bottles steady), science (holding the bottle at the angle that has milk at the lambs mouth), and lots and lots of language.
