News
29 November 2024
The Blessing of Learning Adventures Henderson: A Family’s Journey
Our journey with Learning Adventures Henderson has been a true blessing for our entire family. In 2018, our whānau made the big move to West Auckland, and shortly after, our children, Quinn and Tairua, started daycare there. From the very beginning, we felt welcomed into a community that radiated whānaungatanga. The teachers were not just caregivers—they loved our kids as if they were their own. The connection between the staff and our children was so genuine, and it was clear that Learning Adventures was a place that truly cared about nurturing each child's unique growth. What stood out to us was the extra attention given to after-evening activities, with initiatives designed to nurture our children's skills and interests. These thoughtful programs played a key role in their development, and we saw the impact firsthand. As our family grew, so did our connection with Learning Adventures. When our youngest, Kauri, came along, we watched as our children moved through the rooms—each one growing and developing through well-planned activities and supported by loving staff. It was a beautiful experience to witness them learning about the world and discovering their own personalities and interests in such a caring environment. In 2021, Learning Adventures Henderson took a creative step to rename the rooms, asking us, the parents, to submit suggestions and vote on names. For our family, trees have always held a special significance. Trees are not only vital for our survival—they absorb carbon dioxide and provide us with clean air to breathe. They offer shelter, housing, and medicines to help us fight disease. They are symbols of life and growth. Our family has a tradition of planting our children’s placentas under trees in places of meaning to us. Quinn’s placenta is buried beneath a Puriri tree in Hamilton, where he was born. Tairua’s placenta rests beneath a Pohutakawa tree in Tairua, the place her name comes from. Kauri’s placenta lies beneath a mighty Kauri tree in Northland, where many of the country’s largest Kauri trees grow. When I saw the opportunity to suggest names for the daycare rooms, I thought of these three iconic New Zealand native trees. I felt they would represent the stages of growth and learning our children go through in each room. Puriri Tree (Baby Room) I am from the Bay of Islands, and for Māori, the Puriri tree is considered a symbol of joy at being alive. The saying "Ka kata ngā pūriri ō taiamai" reflects this joy—a happiness that is embodied in the curiosity and wonder of babies as they explore the world around them. They find delight in the simplest things, making it the perfect symbol for the baby room. Pohutakawa Tree (Toddler Room) The Pohutakawa tree is an iconic symbol of New Zealand. Its vibrant crimson blossoms not only mark the arrival of summer but also symbolize spirituality, strength, and tenacity—all qualities that our toddlers embody as they navigate this exciting stage of their lives. This tree’s meaning resonated deeply with us, and I knew it would be a perfect fit for the toddler room. Kauri Tree (Big Kids Room) Lastly, the mighty Kauri tree, a true taonga to Aotearoa, represents the growth and strength of our big kids. The Kauri tree reaches for the sunlight, growing tall and strong when surrounded by other Kauri trees. It has a self-pruning mechanism, shedding its unwanted branches to conserve energy for growth. Just like the Kauri, our tamariki in the Kauri room strive for knowledge and growth, learning valuable lessons as they let go of bad habits before moving on to school. The Kauri tree perfectly symbolizes their journey. I was so honored when my tree suggestions were chosen to represent each room at Learning Adventures Henderson. It felt like a small contribution to a community that had already given so much to our whānau. After two years away in the USA, we returned to Learning Adventures in 2023 to enroll our children once again. Despite the new faces and artwork on the walls, the names of the rooms—Puriri, Pohutakawa, and Kauri—remain, a beautiful reminder of the love and aroha that flows through the daycare. These names have become a part of our family’s story and a symbol of the wonderful Learning Adventures community we are so lucky to belong to. Now, our youngest, Stanford, is the only one left at Learning Adventures, as the older kids have moved on through the rooms and onto their next adventures. But don't worry, Stanford's tree is just as special. His tree is a Tōtara, planted at Tirimoana School, representing our connection to the land. The Tōtara tree holds deep significance for Māori culture—it roots us, anchors us, and connects us to our identity and place in the world. West Auckland is our home, our safe haven, and where we belong. To Learning Adventures Henderson, thank you for being such an integral part of our whānau and community. You have loved our children as if they were your own, and we will forever be grateful for the care, nurture, and aroha you’ve shared with us. You have given our children the tools to grow, explore, and thrive, and we are honored to be part of your beautiful journey. Arohanui, Nadia, Zachary, Quinn, Tairua, Kauri & Stanford Katene
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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!
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25 November 2024
November News (1)
We are delighted to take part in the Salvation Army Christmas Food and Gift Drive.
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25 November 2024
Professional Growth and Excellence
At Lollipops Albany, We Prioritize Professional Growth and Excellence...
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20 November 2024
November news
We cant quite believe it. Summer has arrived and Christmas is on the horizon...
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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!
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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
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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...
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30 October 2024
Stan, Stan the scarecrow man
Read all about our latest project at Active Explorers Ashburton!
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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!
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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!
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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.
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