The organisation for men who work in Early Childhood Education

We have had four Summits in Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin and Auckland. This year we are going to be slightly different and have it at Peel Forest in South Canterbury.

To give some idea of the programme, much of the Saturday will be devoted to practical outdoor activities for boys and girls in ECE centres, including:- 101 ways with ropes; Water rockets  “How to share your recycling with your neighbours.”; Using real tools –  “The only way to learn to hammer a nail is to hit your thumb a few times”; Torches; Using fire Volcanoes, cooking, melted crayon pictures;  Theory and practical aspects; Equipment needed and where to find it; Links to Te Whariki; Safety; Relevant EC regs.

We will have a barbecue on the Saturday evening.

On the Sunday we will have the AGM plus.

How to change organisational thinking re gender issues, and “where to from here?”

Exploring the wilderness from a pre-school viewpoint. We all have to imagine as if we were 3-4 yrs and see it from that perspective. Peel Forest has lots of native bush and bush walks.

This Summit is for men AND WOMEN. We like having women teachers in ECE who support having men colleagues. Also it is really interesting for women to experience an ECE conference where the majority of participants are men.

So, basic details:

Our next Annual Summit is the weekend of:
  Saturday and Sunday 19th – 20th March, 2011 –  People can arrive from Friday 18th.

Venue:  Peel Forest  Montessori Preschool [where???] near Geraldine in South Canterbury.

How do I get there?: South Island people can drive. North Island people can fly to Christchurch or Timaru. Transport can be arranged from there if we know when your flights arrive.

Where to stay: Peel Forest has a camping ground, including cabins; there is a similar place at Orari Bridge (Grumpy’s Retreat); Geraldine has lots of motels and a camping ground. Tents will be provided for anyone who wants to camp.

Cost: [this is the best bit]: $40 for members of EC-MENz;  $50 for non-members.

Please pay before the Summit.