Activities

Activities

Activities for tamariki (children)

Activities for kaiako (teachers)

Strategies

Strategies

Kaiako we spoke with in relation to this Menemene Mai’ oral health toolkit, wanted strategies to use in their settings. Below are some ‘Top Pick’ Strategies.

Encourage ‘Eating well’

  • Role-model tooth-friendly kai food choices
  • Encourage eating tooth-friendly kai (including fresh, nutritious fruit and vegetables)

Encourage ‘Drinking well’

  • Role-model tooth-friendly drink choices
  • Encourage tooth-friendly drink choices (water and plain milk)
  • Encourage tamariki (children) to drink water after meals
  • Ensure water and milk are the ONLY drinks provided for tamariki
  • Ensure water is available and accessible indoors and outdoors to tamariki at all times
  • Promote and support breastfeeding
  • When pēpē are bottle feeding, staff hold pēpē and remove bottle if pēpē falls asleep
  • Don’t associate your early childhood education setting with programmes or sponsors that promote foods/drinks high in fat, sugar, and/or salt

Encourage ‘Cleaning well’

Use key messages

We emphasise the following key messages in our mahi (work):    

  • Baby teeth matter — they help me smile, chew and talk
  • Brush teeth twice a day — morning and night — with fluoride toothpaste
  • Brush teeth together with whānau
  • Spit don’t rinse after brushing
  • Choose water and plain milk to drink
  • Choose healthy kai
  • Have a dental check-up each year

Use an holistic framework

Frame oral health work within a Te Whare Tapa Whā model and/or Fonofale model, so discussed in an holistic context of whole body health, protecting our body dignity, connection between whole self, body and spirit- impact on wellbeing of good (and poor) oral health.

  • Acknowledge cultural diversity of the community in oral health and nutrition messages and activities
  • Use ‘Menemene Mai’ and other resources for their professional development in promoting oral health for tamariki and their whānau
  • Create tamariki and whānau displays from the activities in ‘Menemene Mai’
  • Develop an ‘Oral Health Guidelines’/Policy and use in staff induction
  • Get to know the Community Dental Service (external link)
    • Support families, (particularly those arriving from overseas or from out of town, or if their contact details have changed), to contact the Community Dental Service to check tamariki are enrolled, or to update their contact details.
    • Appreciate families (especially from diverse communities) may not know what to ask when they phone CDS/HDS.
    • Information on the Community Dental Service is included in new entrant enrolment packs.
    • Encourage families to take their child for their first dental visit at age 2, and then once a year.
    • Encourage parents of children with visible decay on their teeth (white, brown or black spots) to contact the Community Dental Service and make an appointment.

Snippet posters

Snippet posters

Teeth tools kit

Teeth tools kit

Teeth Tools is the first component of Menemene Mai, an early childhood oral health toolkit for kaiako (teachers) in Waitaha Canterbury.

It is a physical set of teaching tools and resources that can be loaned to you from Community and Public Health.

To borrow Teeth Tools (for free) contact laura.brown@tewhatuora.govt.nz

The second component of Menemene Mai are the online resources found on this page.

For any queries about Teeth Tools: 

Teeth Tools contents

1. ‘Mana Ngau Kemu’: (A Snakes and Ladders Game in Te Reo Māori)

  • game mat
  • instruction sheet
  • 1 large dice/die
  • 2 large tooth counters

2. Books

  • Happy Tooth by Te Wahaora Roopu (Northland Oral Health Promoters Group)
  • Oranga Niho by Te Wahaora Roopu (Northland Oral Health Promoters Group)
  • The Tooth Book by Theo LeSieg
  • How to Brush your teeth with Snappy Croc by Jane Clarke
  • Tooth by Tooth- Comparing Fangs, Tusks, and Chompers by Sara Levine
  • Nga Kai Hauora – Healthy Foods by Amanda Jackson
  • Foods with Moods – A First Book of Feelings by Saxton Freymann and Joost Elfers

3. Large Tooth Model and Toothbrush

  • 1 large model of teeth
  • 1 large toothbrush

4. ‘Brush Your Teeth’ package:

  • 6 mouth boards (A3) and 1 song sheet (A3)
  • 2 whiteboard pens
  • 6 small toothbrushes

5. ‘Healthy Teeth, Happy Smile’: (felt package)

  • 11 felt pieces

Note: You will need to sign a borrower’s form saying you agree to take care of this kit. Tamariki need to be supervised when using these teeth tools.


Information about purchasing your own 'teeth tools'

1. Large Tooth Model and Toothbrush

Contact: Modern Teaching Aids, Auckland
Imera: sales@teaching.co.nz 
Waea pūkoro: 0800 80 80 44 
Price: $56.45 + GST + shipping

2. ‘Brush Your Teeth’ pack

Contact: ‘Teacher Talk’, Plimmerton
Imera: info@teachertalk.org.nz
Waea pūkoro: 04 232 7858
Price: $16.95 + shipping

3. Felt Teeth Package – Laser Cut

Website: Felt teeth package - Etsy (external link)
Price: $44.46 + shipping

4. Story Books

Story books can be purchased from a supplier or could be borrowed from Christchurch City Libraries (external link).

Unfortunately, all other items included in ‘Teeth Tools’ are no longer available for purchase. 

Note: These prices are accurate as of September 2023.

Posters, brochures and resources

Posters, brochures and resources

Toothbrushing programme

Toothbrushing programme

This programme focused on encouraging tamariki to engage in learning about oral health and brushing their own teeth is being started within the Waitaha region. This has been created to work alongside the Menemene Mai kits. This programme was developed by Te Whatu Ora Waitaha health promoters Laura Brown and Nicola Fraher.

We would like to acknowledge the South Canterbury WAVE team (external link) for allowing us to adapt their resources.

For more information on this programme, please email laura.brown@tewhatuora.govt.nz

Related websites

Related websites

About Menemene mai

About Menemene mai

Whakatauākī

‘Te kaha ō te mangō, kō ōna niho’ – The strength of the shark is its teeth

The use of this whakatauākī, is to indicate what the teeth are and how they contribute to the well-being of an individual. Used in this context the teeth contribute to the strength of the shark, as the strength of the shark is its teeth.

Under Te Whare Tapa Whā, the four cornerstones of Māori health, oral health comes under Te Taha Tinana, however, the other three Taha are also encompassed within Te Taha Tinana. Te Taha Tinana becomes the vessel for which health is epitomised, and the teeth are a healthy reflection of the individual.

by Ruru Hona, Pou Whirinaki, Canterbury District Health Board

What is Menemene Mai?

Menemene Mai has been created for and with kaiako of early childhood education settings in Waitaha Canterbury. Menemene Mai supports kaiako promote oral health so that children (with their whānau) are increasingly capable of:

  • caring for their teeth
  • keeping themselves safe from oral tooth decay.

This purpose aligns with the role of kaiako in Te Whāriki Strand 1, and in Te Whāriki a te Kōhanga Reo.

Menemene Mai has two main components:

  1. This online guide
  2. A ‘Teeth Tools’ component – a tool box that may be borrowed through Community and Public Health. Information is provided on how kaiako may purchase the tools for themselves.

Why Menemene Mai?

Menemene Mai is a collaborative response by Community and Public Health (CPH) and Community Dental Service (CDS) to:

  • the challenge of tooth decay in tamariki under 5 years in Canterbury 
  • a gap in oral health education and resourcing identified by ECE staff in Waitaha Canterbury
  • survey findings from ECE staff regarding the design of a proposed oral health toolkit
  • a need for oral health resources that are culturally responsive.

Why oral health is important in Waitaha Canterbury

Good oral health supports not only physical health, but also psychological and social wellbeing. The models of health below illustrate this holistic approach.

Establishing good oral health habits in the home early, benefits children over their whole lifetime. Developing good oral health practices in early childhood will increase the likehood that they will be maintained into school age and continue in the home environment.

Sadly, some oral health statistics don’t make happy reading. 37% children (59% Maori, 68% Pacific) aged 5 in Canterbury DHB region have dental cavities. They have an average of 1.7 (3.0 for Maori, 3.8 for Pacific) decayed, missing or filled teeth. [1] https://www.health.govt.nz/publications/age-5-and-year-8-oral-health-data (external link) 

How to use Menemene Mai

Menemene Mai is designed to support your inquiry processes as kaiako, providing some ‘top picks’ as starters for the particular focus you, your tamariki and whānau want to take.

The ‘top picks’ include:

  • Activities (for tamariki and kaiako)
  • Messages (for tamariki, kaiako and whānau)
  • Strategies for kaiako
  • Resources:Teeth Tools and Brochures and Posters - these may be borrowed, purchased, ordered, downloaded, and helpful websites for reference

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements from The Canterbury District Health Board (Community Dental Services & Community and Public Health) June 2019

We would like to thank tamariki, whānau and kaiako at Early Childhood Education settings in Waitaha Canterbury for their energy, patience, and guidance in developing Menemene Mai, in particular Aratupu Preschool & Nursery, Kidditech Early Learning Centre, Kidsfirst Kindergartens Edmonds Smith Street, Hagley Community Pre-school, New Beginnings Preschool, Tino e Tasi Preschool and Rangi Ruru Pre-School.  

Particular thanks to tamariki, whānau and kaiako from Te Kōhanga Reo o Te Whānau Tahi, Tino e Tasi Preschool, Aratupu Preschool & Nursery, and BestStart Montessori MonaVale who generously gave their support and permission for these photos to be used in Menemene Mai. We think you’ll agree they are stunning advocates for smiling and taking good care of our teeth!

Kia ora also to Awarua Whānau Services, Toi Te Ora Bay of Plenty District Health Board, Nelson Marlborough District Health Board, Te Wahaora Roopu (Northland Oral Health Promoters Group), and South Canterbury District Health Board for sharing their oral health education materials.

Sharing the Menemene Mai Toolkit

The Menemene Mai Toolkit was designed for and with kaiako in Waitaha/Canterbury New Zealand. Kaiako in other places are welcome to download the activities and use the site, but please do not copy or reproduce the Menemene Mail toolkit content without permission.

Email: Community Dental Service and Community and Public Health.