Our combined passion for learning and the outdoors became the vision to create a unique space for providing quality, authentic learning that develops confident and competent children.
Michelle Flay & Kerryn Brown
Owners
We believe children learn best in small groups with responsive teachers. We have two centres on site, our Preschool centre (3 1/2 yrs - 5yrs) and our Babies and Toddlers centre ( Infants to 2yr olds).
Within our centre we have three rooms:
We have fondly named our rooms after the native birds that frequent the trees around our preschool. Each of our rooms have four teachers with a high teacher to child ratio so that we can foster meaningful learning and care moments with each child. Ratios are: under 1yr olds 1:3, under 2yr olds 1:4, 2 - 3yr olds 1;6, 3-5yr olds 1:8.
We have morning mat time and daily music and movement sessions with storytelling, songs and puppets that help develop math, literacy, coordination right and left brain development, rhythm and beat.
We like to ensure our children have opportunities to play with their siblings and get to know all the teachers. Our children will have regular opportunities to visit between the two centres where we encourage care and respect for our younger children and opportunities to build friendships and relationships centre wide.
All our children have individual portfolios which document their time at our Preschool. We encourage parents to take this home and share with their child and other family members; they are a valuable record of their learning. We also love to see Parents’ comments handwritten in these.
All our children have a Storypark profile which we use to document their learning journey. This enables parents to have an active role in their children’s everyday learning at our centre.
Storypark is an online programme that parents can choose to access through a phone app, or through their computer.
Our centre’s curriculum is based on the New Zealand Early Childhood Curriculum, called Te Whāriki. Our teaching strategies are self-directed play, ako and intentional teaching. These principles form the basis of a holistic programme that allows for spontaneous play and teacher-initiated group time.
Our teachers work alongside the children, guiding and helping them to become competent and confident learners, healthy in mind, body and spirit.
Our older children are prepared for their schooling journey with extended mat time, focused on math and literacy. We also provide activities that encourage problem solving, social competence and develop self-help skills. We foster independence and self-confidence to give children the skills needed to help them succeed at school.
We have a strong focus on literacy and math development which we weave throughout our day. Children learn through authentic, hands-on experiences with teachers that challenge and extend them.
Our children are encouraged from an early age to show respect and care for their wider environment, as ‘global citizens’ with a commitment to sustainable practises such as recycling, re-using and re-purposing.
Our children learn sustainable practices through caring and nurturing of our preschool animals and vegetable garden. They enjoy daily feeding of our preschool pets by picking food from our vegetable garden and recycling our food scraps. They also help to keep our pets’ homes clean.
Our environment has a range of indoor and outdoor indoor resources, to encourage active imaginations and play. Children are free to create huts and tee-pees, make mud pie masterpieces and have tea parties in the garden, just like you used to do as a child.
Each week we run a forest school programme for a group of our eldest 4yr old children. Our teachers have undertaken training in developing forest school programmes and have explored the many learning outcomes for children. This promotes children engaging with nature as they climb trees, make huts and bridges, look for fresh-water fish and eels, stomp through leaves and search for insects and leaves. Research shows that it is critical for young children to spend significant unstructured time in natural settings to promote intellectual, social and creative growth.
Our centre is home to a number of friendly animals including chickens, goats and lambs. Our children love to feed the animals, collect eggs and help to clean out the animals’ homes. There is ample opportunity to lead, pat and brush our larger animals during the day.
