Men hammer out play area

Men's Shed manager Dave Harper talks tools with Ben Dewhirst, 4, and Carter Montgomery, 3, during a visit to The Men's Shed. Photo: NATASHA MITCHELL

Otumoetai Playcentre families saw woodworkers in action when they visited The Men's Shed on Tuesday to thank them for their new carpentry cupboards.

Men's Shed volunteers built two cupboards, one for tools and one for resources, as part of a recent revamp of the Playcentre's carpentry play area. They also made a resource trolley. In return, the non-profit centre donated $500 to The Men's Shed.

Otumoetai Playcentre member Natasha Mitchell says the new cupboards have transformed carpentry and construction play at the centre.

"Children love getting to use real tools at Playcentre. With the new cupboards it's now much easier for them to find the right tool, and things like nails, screws, string and tape are right beside them, ready to use. We reckon we've got the best preschool carpentry set-up in Tauranga now, thanks to the help of The Men's Shed team," she says.

"It's also great for the children to meet the people who built the cupboards and see how adults use tools to make things."

Otumoetai Playcentre families visited The Men's Shed on Tuesday to thank them for their new carpentry cupboards. Photo: SUPPLIED

This week is Playcentre Awareness Week.

Carpentry is just one of 16 areas of play available at each Playcentre session.

Playcentres are parent-led early childhood centres which offer high quality education for children in small, mixed-age groups. Parents/whanau stay at the centre with their children to support their learning in a free-play environment, catering for children from 0-6 years. Playcentre also offers free parenting and early childhood education for adult members.

"It's also a great place for parents to meet people and make friends."

The SPACE programme (Supporting Parents Alongside Children's Education) caters for parents with newborns and is also available at Playcentres.

CAN YOU HELP?

If your business would like to donate carpentry resources to Otumoetai Playcentre, such as untreated pine or other soft timbers, nails or screws, please phone the centre 9-11.30am on 07 576 1178 or email Natasha Mitchell: tash-mitchell@hotmail.com

- For more information, visit www.playcentre.org.nz , see Otumoetai Playcentre's display at Tauranga City Library's children's section this week, or check out Otumoetai Playcentre's Facebook page.