Central Otago REAP Lock-down Connector Newsletter - 5
Welcome to what could be our second to last newsletter before we move to Level 2.
How amazing are we! balancing home-life with work commitments. For some of us working from home has been a comfortable transition, for others it has been a challenge juggling childcare, technology and finding ways to innovate and create while caring for others without the physical presence and support from outside our bubbles.
We have achieved so much! Our facebook page is humming with great learning content, loads of shares and notifications. We have supported our learning community with Abi's story-times, Anna's Enviroschool's posts, Aaron's Parenting tips, Mary's workshops for parents, Robbies facebook posts to her Playgroups and Playcentres, Marata's waiata with her children, helpful well-being tips and educational links for our communities and much, much more from passionate REAPians. Overall we reached over 4000 people, over 1000 engagements. Let's keep this growing in the coming weeks!
Please do view Abi's links for those who do not have access to Facebook.
Week 1: Messy Play: https://www.facebook.com/coreap.org.nz/videos/986623741735441/?v=986623741735441
Week 2: Garden Fun: https://www.facebook.com/coreap.org.nz/videos/628213971242727/?v=628213971242727
Week 3: Early Numeracy: https://www.facebook.com/coreap.org.nz/videos/3403352396346234/?eid=ARDwCO8KtmVXH-kVR2Whjb8xoq4RFOOKFPsL5hMCdRQplOdJf4K6EdlbtohcG9K67iOKqSIQYKzQDx5e
Week 4: Supporting imagination & Schemas of Play: https://www.facebook.com/coreap.org.nz/videos/2760636510887722/?eid=ARDwCO8KtmVXH-kVR2Whjb8xoq4RFOOKFPsL5hMCdRQplOdJf4K6EdlbtohcG9K67iOKqSIQYKzQDx5e
Mary-Anne and Jean have shared quotes and celebrated our beautiful language of Te Reo Māori which brought tears to our eyes (well mine anyway) - in a good way :)
Mary-Anne hosted a community Te Reo course via zoom - Ka pai tō mahi Mary-Anne and to begin another next week.
Some of us have engaged in self-driven study, webinars and podcasts
Gavin and Karen have shared stories and funnies to make us smile ............ I am happy to report Sid is back in Mum and Dad's good books.....
Frustrated working from home? I can relate to this clip as my broken office chair was a challenge until I purchased a new one online during week 1 - before I got to this point I must add!! - This clip comes with a warning - This guy may need some anger management support! Please be mindful of aggressive content (copy the link into your browser to view). Thanks Gavin :) https://mail.coreap.org.nz/owa/attachment.ashx?attach=1&id=RgAAAADiya%2bV0rDgTYc7CyFoWLzXBwBQoRLXhPONR4%2bBWXKSvSL4AAAAq75oAABQoRLXhPONR4%2bBWXKSvSL4AACFtNcBAAAJ&attid0=BAAAAAAA&attcnt=1
We have connected with our stakeholders and colleagues from around Aotearoa via zoom.
We have connected with each other via regular calls, Monday morning tea and sector zooms and joint activities.
Our Strengthening Families team, ESOL, careers and choices have been busy supporting their clients throughout lockdown.
We have appreciated the collective mahi of the REAP Team to keep us engaged in learning activities, sharing strengths and interests.
Our mahi celebrates our Central Otago REAP Vision, Mission and values everyday. We walk it, talk it, live it, love it. We do something great everyday.
Empowerment – Whakamana :
People Focused – Manaaki tangata : .
Responsiveness – Whakautu:
Flexibility – Ngāwari:
Connecting – Hono ana:
Quality – Papai :
And we keep on being amazing sharing our expertise and knowledge, yummy bites and readings......................
Please view Anna, Remi and Coco's seed saving clip - (Paste in your browser) https://mail.coreap.org.nz/owa/redir.aspx?C=4a233edcf94e4b1a955468fed065a8a0&URL=https%3a%2f%2fyoutu.be%2fwqUMXJ5y0Mc
Kitchen Medicine, or stuff our grandmothers knew with research!
Getting hip with Roses.
Sweet Briar has been in New Zealand since the days of the early European settlers. It was originally grown as an ornamental rose but is now found growing wild in large areas or Central Otago.
Rose hips are said to be some of the most nutritionally packed fruits of any plants.
The beneficial components of rosehips include Vitamins C, A, E and VIt B complex and important minerals such as selenium, magnesium and phosperhorous.
They can lower cholesterol, boost immunity, aid in the control of diabetes and help digestive problems. You will see lots of natural cosmetics using rose hip oil in their products.
Best time to pick is late Autumn and even into winter, when most of the leaves have fallen off and the fruit has taken on its Autumn colour just started to shrink a little. The best time of the year to forage for rose hips is after the first frost. The cold snap increases the natural sugar content in the fruit, making them sweeter.
Vitamin C is its major benefit, and we can all use more as winter approaches. I can remember being given Rosehip syrup to boost Vit C as a child and it was often given to babies in a watered down version. Personally I prefer the less sugary method to consuming, so I use the hips to make tea. You can use fresh or dried hips. Once I’ve picked the hips I just let them dry naturally in a bowl in the sun, and use them as they continue to dry. When they are dried completely store in a jar for use through winter.
Making tea
Toss a small handful in a pot and add hot water. Let steep for a few minutes, up to 15 is good. Strain and drink. You can add a tsp of honey to your cup if you like it a bit sweeter.
Enjoy!! Debbie Grundy
From Marbecks Cafe in Dunedin and is DELICIOUS!
Spicy Thai Carrot & Peanut Soup
1 onion roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic
500g carrots roughly chopped
salt & pepper to taste
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1/3rd cup crunchy peanut butter
2 tsp chilli sauce
1/2 can coconut milk or cream
Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. add 1 Tbs olive oil and add garlic and onion. Saute til soft. Add carrots and stock and simmer 30 mins or until carrots are soft. Blend until smooth. Return to pot and add peanut butter, chilli sauce and coconut milk. Reheat. Season with s & p. If you like it spicier add some hotter chilli sauce. To be extra fancy, top with coconut yoghurt and fresh chopped chilli. (Jane Scott)
Check out www.farmstrong.co.nz for stories relevant to farm life.
WOW - Feeling exhausted? Hardly surprising..................... Kia pai to mahi!! pat yourselves on the back and say "Well done me".
Naku te rourou nau te rourou ka ora ai te iwi - With your basket and my basket the people will live.
We have worked collectively to move ahead, we have added to our baskets and the baskets of others, we have supported each other and our communities.
Credits:
Created with images by Calum Lewis - "Baking some strange bread" • Clark Tibbs - "Do Something Great" • Nanxi wei - "carrots" • Sara Cervera - "Apples"