HIPPY (Home Interaction Programme for parents and Youngsters) parents have held their first fortnightly group meeting of the year. The meetings are held in the Parakai School hall every second Tuesday from 9.00am to 11.30am. Parents have the opportunity of making new friends, learning new crafts, attending cooking demonstrations and hearing guest speakers from community groups who support children and families. HIPPY parents also roleplay the HIPPY workbooks together, allowing them the opportunity of sharing ideas and supporting each other.
At the first meeting Helen Smith taught parents how to weave flax putiputi and how to create effective leaves using a pasta making machine. This was so well-received that Helen promised to come back and show the group how to make the flowers into a posy. Parents also had a chance to try their hand at rock painting and added this activity to ideas to try at home with their children. After a lovely home-baked morning tea the guest speaker Dean Martin from the Open Wananga o Aotearoa spoke to the parents about their free in-home learning courses, with many parents taking the opportunity of signing up for them. Past HIPPY tutor Wendy Purnell was there to care for the children and keep them busy while their parents attended the workshops.
For more information about the HIPPY programme in our community phone coordinator Bernie Malizia on 420 7434 or 021 0220 6017.
