Daffodil day 2025!

 Daffodil Day symbolizes hope for the 1 in 3 New Zealanders affected by cancer.  Today we all dressed in yellow and brought in a gold coin to raise funds.

We turned kindy yellow!!   Yellow playdough, water, paint and daffodils.........

Thank you to all our tamariki for your support, this money raised will go to the Cancer society.

Our Amazing New Monkey Bars

Wow, what an incredible surprise awaited the children when they arrived at Uxbridge this morning!
The Payne family had been hard at work over the weekend, creating an amazing new set of monkey bars for our tamariki. The excitement was contagious, with children eagerly lining up to have their first turn at this exciting new physical challenge. This continued throughout the day, with everyone determined to make their way across, bettering their previous attempts. What fantastic resilience and perseverance shown by all! 

These monkey bars will provide endless opportunities for our tamariki to grow and thrive, strengthening both fine and gross motor skills, building confidence, and even supporting early literacy through the physical coordination required for handwriting.    

We know this will be a much-loved and long-lasting addition to our outdoor environment, treasured by the children who attend our centre now and by many more in the years to come. We cannot wait to watch each child’s journey as they explore, practise, and master this exciting new skill!

Bark NZ come to vist

Bark NZ Visit

How exciting! Today we had a special visit from our friends at Bark NZ, who came to teach us all about being safe around dogs. Heather and Sarah brought along their beloved dogs, Lucas and Kenzey, to show our tamariki the correct way to approach a dog. We learned that it’s important to always ask the owner first, and then pat a dog in the safest places..   

“Under the chin, on the chest, on the shoulder… that’s the best!”

Heather also played a fun game of 'Simon Says' with us, and even Lucas and Kenzey joined in! She shared a story about the different temperaments of dogs we may encounter in our community, reminding us that “dogs will not growl, and will not bite, if you learn to treat them right.”

After our important safety lesson, the children were invited to gently pat Lucas and Kenzey if they wished. Some tamariki were very excited to give them a stroke, while others preferred to give the toy dog “Peanut” a big cuddle instead. We then took Lucas and Kenzey on a walk around our outdoor playground, playing games with them and even introducing them to our chickens, which Kenzey found very intriguing!

It was such a valuable morning of learning about dogs and dog safety. We are so proud of our tamariki for showing kindness, respect, and confidence during this special visit.🐶

The "I can Challenge"

With our focus on how things move and challenging our bodies, we set up an “I Can Challenge” form for tamariki. The challenge includes crawling through a tunnel, completing the ninja course, hanging on the trapeze bar and holding their weight, doing a flip, hanging upside down, balancing on the beam, and swinging on the Tarzan swing.

Through these fun and active experiences, tamariki strengthen their bodies, build balance, coordination, and confidence, and learn how to keep themselves safe while taking risks. They gain pride in their achievements, celebrate successes with others, and develop resilience as they keep trying even when things are tricky. The challenge encourages tamariki to talk about what they can do, describe their actions, and reflect on their progress, supporting communication and confidence. By exploring different movements in a safe environment, children also learn about problem-solving, perseverance, and how their bodies move in space — all while having fun together.