BNZ volunteers take penguin and pig to Mangawhai Kindergarten

 

Mangawhai Kindergarten welcomed some interesting characters recently, including a penguin, a tuatara and a kune kune pig!

The virtual animals are the stars of an interactive story designed by BNZ to start preschoolers on their financial literacy journey.

Children got to be part of the story about a penguin called Penny, her broken boat and the friends she gets help from along the way.

Auckland Kindergarten Association teachers and education specialists have helped put the story together over the past several months and Mangawhai is one of 100 Association kindergartens and learning centres participating as part of the annual BNZ ‘Closed for Good’ initiative.
Auckland Kindergarten Association CEO, Pauline Winter, says the message is all about making good decisions.

“Children get to choose what Penny uses to fix her boat, some items will be needs, such as rope and sail material, and other items will be wants, such as ice cream and toys – it’s a very appealing story.”

As part of the BNZ’s annual volunteering day, staff will be visiting preschoolers, teenagers and seniors around the country sharing financial know-how tips through the use of interactive tools.

Winter says the opportunity to work alongside BNZ developing the language of both the interactive app and the companion book was an important one.

“Helping our children learn about the potential consequences to others as a result of their decision-making encourages critical thinking and problem-solving – developing these skills is a key part of our early learning syllabus, Te Whariki, and concepts used every day in our kindergartens and centres as part of the pedagogy of play. This initiative is one of those that helps bring that learning to life.”

Mangawhai Kindergarten kids get interactive with BNZ volunteers and on-screen characters.