News
27 November 2024
Urban Explorers Sessions!
We’ve done it. We have started our Urban Explorers programme. We have now had three Urban Explorers sessions. Tamariki and Kaiako are having a wonderful time being amongst nature, noticing the various plant life, meeting locals (and their pets) and learning about different natural phenomena. We’ve found a birds’ egg that the children made a structure out of fallen tree twigs to protect it! We have collected harakeke for a sun screen for our vege garden at preschool along with having the space to run and explore and immerse themselves with nature. As these sessions progress we hope to observe the change of seasons, take sports equipment for movement sessions and much more!
Read more
25 November 2024
November News (1)
We are delighted to take part in the Salvation Army Christmas Food and Gift Drive.
Read more
25 November 2024
Professional Growth and Excellence
At Lollipops Albany, We Prioritize Professional Growth and Excellence...
Read more
20 November 2024
November news
We cant quite believe it. Summer has arrived and Christmas is on the horizon...
Read more
15 November 2024
October Updates
Celebrating Diwali Together! 🎉 This month, our tamariki and kaiako came together to celebrate Diwali, the ‘Festival of Lights.’ The excitement was palpable as everyone dressed up in bright, colorful attire, ready to share in the joy of the occasion. Our talented kaiako, Lacs and Parul, led a captivating performance that brought the whole community together. The tamariki were delighted, joining in with dances and laughter, creating a vibrant, memorable celebration. It was a heartwarming experience that truly illuminated our day! 🎶 Musical Explorations in Preschool! 🎶 Our tamariki's love for music is flourishing! This week, we embraced their growing interest by inviting Joan and her family to share their musical talents with us. The children were fascinated as they listened to the electric guitar and violin, sparking curiosity and excitement. It was a wonderful opportunity to introduce new instruments and sounds into our world, and we can’t thank Joan and her family enough for enriching our tamariki’s musical journey! Celebrating Our Graduates 🎓 Today, we celebrated the graduation of three remarkable tamariki. While it’s always bittersweet to say goodbye, we are incredibly proud of their growth, achievements, and the joy they’ve brought to our community. To make the occasion extra special, a bubbly fairy made a surprise appearance, adding a magical touch to the celebrations. We wish our graduates all the best as they embark on their next adventure—may it be filled with curiosity, success, and endless joy! Honoring Fijian Language Week 🇫🇯 This week, we’ve been celebrating Fijian Language Week, immersing our tamariki in the rich culture and traditions of Fiji. Miriam’s grandmother, Catherine, graciously joined us for a special mat time, sharing fascinating insights into Fiji’s heritage. The tamariki learned about the beautiful islands of Fiji and sat on a traditional Fijian mat, symbolizing the warmth and simplicity of Fijian homes. A heartfelt thank you to Catherine for helping our tamariki connect with and appreciate this vibrant culture. 🎉📚 World Teacher’s Day Celebration! 🌍🍎 On World Teacher’s Day, we celebrated the incredible kaiako who nurture, guide, and inspire our tamariki. Their unwavering dedication, patience, and love shape young minds and create a learning environment full of joy and growth. We are so grateful to all our teachers for the profound impact they have on our tamariki and our community. Thank you for all the love, care, and wisdom you bring to every day! 📸 Photo Day Magic ✨ Today marked the start of our annual Photo Day, and it was nothing short of magical! Our talented photographer, James, captured the biggest smiles and the most special moments, creating memories that will last a lifetime. We can’t wait to see the beautiful photos and treasure these snapshots of joy and learning. A huge thank you to everyone for making Active Explorers Ellerslie such a wonderful place to grow, explore, and create lasting memories. Thank you, whānau, for being an integral part of our Active Explorers Ellerslie community. Your support and involvement make every day here extra special!
Read more
07 November 2024
October Highlights: Learning, Play, and Celebrations
Kia Ora! It’s been a busy month at the centre with lots of exciting activities and experiences for the children. We’ve recently received a large shipment of new toys, bikes, and furniture, all of which the children have been thoroughly enjoying. They’ve been using the magnetic tiles to build different shapes and have shown great interest in exploring the insect specimens that came with the new resources. In addition, our family corner has been stocked with a variety of food items, and the children have loved cooking and sharing meals together! The children also had a fun outing to the local grocery store, where they explored the different foods available and purchased the ingredients needed to make a fruit salad. They carefully chose the fruits and counted how many were required, then returned to the centre to prepare and enjoy the delicious salad they created together. Another highlight was the “Walking Water” science experiment, which left the children in awe as they observed the process. The excitement didn’t stop there—we also baked muffins for afternoon tea, and the children had a great time both making and eating them! We had two wonderful celebrations this month: Halloween and Diwali. For Halloween, the children dressed up in costumes, and the over-2s enjoyed a fun piñata activity, where they had to bash the piñata to release the treats inside. The excitement continued with our Diwali celebration, where the children made and painted diyas and even prepared some sweets to mark the occasion. Be sure to check out the photos! As for the babies, they’ve been enjoying listening to live guitar music played by one of our student teachers. Dancing to the various songs has been a great source of joy for them. The babies also took part in the celebrations, with some watching and others joining in the dancing during Diwali. It’s been a wonderful way to start the new month! Connections to Te Whāriki (ECE Curriculum) Learning Outcomes: Children are provided with an environment where: • Making connections between people, places, and things in their world | te waihanga hononga • Keeping themselves healthy and caring for themselves | te oranga nui • Playing, imagining, inventing, and experimenting | te whakaaro me te tūhurahura i te pūtaiao
Read more
06 November 2024
When Goodbyes are Tough
As a parent or caregiver there is possibly nothing that pulls at the heart strings more than tricky goodbyes when dropping your child off to early learning, especially when they are just settling in and the environment is new and unfamiliar to you both...
Read more
30 October 2024
Stan, Stan the scarecrow man
Read all about our latest project at Active Explorers Ashburton!
Read more
29 October 2024
Springtime Gardening
Welcome to spring and a wonderful time to plant, see our flowers bloom and to harvest our vegetables! Recently whanau will have seen that we have been picking our spinach out from our own garden in our learning environment. We take several bowlfuls to our Centre Cook and she add these to our scones and pizzas. Some of our older children enjoyed watching through the kitchen window as our cook placed the spinach into the cooking, and some of our children didn't seem to notice they were eating healthy veges in their food. Shhhh don't tell them! A couple of weeks ago, we took our children outside the front of our centre, in small groups from all learning spaces. This is where we enjoyed planting sunflowers. The seedlings are now growing up out of the ground, along our outside entrance pathway. We welcome our children, families and community to help water these and talk about them to the children. Between the exciting planting and harvesting, the children have also been helping to regularly water the plants around the playground. They are the greatest little helpers!
Read more
29 October 2024
Highlights from our October Holiday Programme
At our centre, we believe in blending fun with learning, and our recent Holiday Programme was a perfect reflection of that philosophy. From Book Day to PJ and Pamper Day, our tamariki (children) enjoyed a range of activities that fostered creativity, teamwork, and a love for learning. Here’s a glimpse into some of the exciting days we had planned! Book Day We kicked off our celebrations with Book Day, where we delved into the imaginative and informative world of pukapuka (books). The tamariki had a wonderful day sharing their favorite stories with one another, igniting a passion for reading. This early love for books not only sparks curiosity but also lays the foundation for lifelong literacy skills. It was heartwarming to see the children engaged and excited about the stories they shared! Pizza Day Next up was Pizza Day, a delicious adventure where our tamariki made their own individual pizzas. The activity required patience, listening skills, and creativity. As they rolled out the dough and chose their toppings, the excitement in the room was palpable. The pizzas turned out fantastic—delicious enough to make any chef proud! A special shoutout to Bowie, who brought extra fun to the day by donning a pizza hat and shirt. What a great way to enjoy cooking together! Crazy Day Our Crazy Day was filled with laughter and silliness as our friends showcased their wild side with crazy hairdos and silly faces. The highlight was a crazy face competition, where Huxley took home the title! The tamariki also enjoyed making wacky faces using magnet boards and celebrating the day with face painting. It was a joyful reminder of how creativity can bring us all together. Water/Beach Day On Water/Beach Day, we explored the wonders of oceans and water. The tamariki played with mini beaches set up on our table-top and, despite the chilly weather, engaged in a short but thrilling water fight! Tommy and Quinn were particularly competitive, bringing excitement to the day. It was a fantastic way to learn about the ocean while having fun with friends. PJ and Pamper Day Finally, we wrapped up our week with PJ and Pamper Day. Our tamariki started the day with delicious pancakes, fueling them for a day of relaxation and fun. We practiced manaakitanga (hospitality) as each friend took turns in the barber’s chair for a pampering session that cost “one million dollars!” We also enjoyed a calming foot spa, yoga, and mindful breathing exercises. It was a perfect way to unwind and promote well-being among our tamariki. These events not only brought joy and laughter but also reinforced important skills and values such as teamwork, creativity, and kindness. We are proud of our tamariki for their participation and enthusiasm. We look forward to more fun-filled learning experiences in the future!
Read more
18 October 2024
Learning about Oral Health
This month is an exciting month at Active Explorers St Lukes where we prepare for the team at Oral Health to share their exciting annual presentation. We keep close to the Auckland University of Technology where this programme is run by the students. The children at the centre play a pivotal role in this presentation designed by the students as their contribution to what is offered determines the success of this programme. For the past 5 years we have incorporated this connection into our programme at the centre and it compliments well with our Healthy Heart Award (Gold) Status.
Read more
17 October 2024
Nursery Afternoon High Tea
It was an honour to welcome our whanau and parents to our delightful nursery afternoon High Tea. We are excited about making this a regular term event, where we can gather whanau, parent aspirations, connect our whanau with the wider community and create valuable networking opportunities. Our welcoming, warm atmosphere and environment was complimented by a selection of delicate tasteful savouries and the allure of delicious assortment of sweet treats. We truly appreciate everyone’s attendance and contribution to the success of our afternoon High Tea. We look forward to many more wonderful afternoon High Tea gatherings together.
Read more