Project: Diggers, Diggers, and More Diggers!!
Date: July/August 2025
From the very first day of this new project, everyone at the preschool was buzzing with excitement! Many of you arrived proudly carrying your favourite digger and construction books—and some of you even turned up dressed in full construction gear, from hard hats to high-vis vests!
Henry brought along a very special Te Reo Māori construction book, and with Paris’s help, we learnt how to pronounce the names of different vehicles in Te Reo Māori. This sparked a rich discussion: “Are diggers and excavators the same thing?”
Our research revealed that while excavators are larger, heavier machines for big excavation jobs, mini diggers are compact and better for smaller spaces.
Our preschool quickly transformed into a hive of construction activity. Indoors, outdoors, and even in the atelier, you explored diggers and vehicles through imaginative play, construction challenges, reading books, and conducting research.
We were fortunate to have a visit from Steve, the builder, who shared his special tools with us. You were fascinated to see how each one worked. Steve reminded us that “real tools” are powerful and must be used safely, with adult guidance. This helped you learn about responsibility, risk, and safety.
At meeting time, we introduced the “Walk, Wear, and Work” race! Two at a time, you would walk to the construction site, wear the safety gear, and then work by completing a task. You joined in the cheering and celebrating, developing teamwork, confidence, and plenty of laughter along the way.
Another big question emerged: “What is the difference between a front-end loader and a bulldozer?”
Through more research, we discovered that bulldozers have caterpillar tracks, while front-end loaders have wheels. This inspired deeper thinking about how different vehicles are designed for different jobs.
Later, a discussion ensued about roads, and we all wondered: “How do you actually build a road?”
You learnt that roads are made up of several strong layers underground to handle heavy traffic. We were amazed to see how deep the layers go, and you were able to explore this concept by building our own “mini roads” in the art area—digging down, smoothing, layering, and finally driving little cars across them.
One of the highlights of the project was our “Diggers in the Wild” photo challenge. Many of you joined in enthusiastically, sending in incredible photos of diggers spotted in our community. By sharing and displaying these special photographs, you were making strong links between home and preschool learning.
Kapai, Gulf Harbour Preschool children —you rock! This project showed us how curious, creative, and determined you all are when it comes to discovering the world around you. Marianne xxx
