Spunky Monkeys ELC Bangor

🌟 Celebrating 5 Years with Spunky Monkeys! 🌟

At our recent Annual Spunky Monkeys Educators Conference, we celebrated team members reaching important service milestones.

This year, we recognised Gloria, Megan and Bridget for reaching an incredible 5 Years of Service with Spunky Monkeys! 🎉

In 5 years at Spunky Monkeys, you might have:

☕ Consumed enough coffee to keep a small café in business.
📚 Read The Very Hungry Caterpillar more times than Eric Carle ever imagined.
🖍️ Removed paint, glitter and playdough from places they should never have ended up.
👟 Walked enough laps of the playground to complete several marathons.
🍎 Prepared approximately 4,000 fruit platters.
🤧 Wiped more noses than you thought humanly possible.
💬 Answered “Why?” at least 50,000 times.
🦖 Become an expert in dinosaurs, princesses, construction vehicles and Bluey.
🎨 Admired thousands of masterpieces and confidently identified every scribble as a “beautiful drawing.”
🤗 Received enough hugs to last a lifetime.

And somewhere in between all of that…

💛 Gloria joined us as a dedicated casual educator who was always willing to jump in and help wherever needed. Today, she is a valued Assistant Educator in our Babies Cottage at Lemongrove, where her caring and supportive nature helps our youngest learners thrive.

💛 Megan started her journey as a trainee before taking time away to welcome her first baby. Since returning, she has supported both Penrith and Cranebrook before returning to Lemongrove, where she now leads our Babies Cottage team (when she’s not busy enjoying maternity leave!).

💛 Bridget also began with us as a trainee and has continued to grow throughout her career with Spunky Monkeys. Today, she leads our Orangutan Room at Lemongrove and is a valued mentor and leader within the team.

Not bad for five years! 🎉

Thank you, Gloria, Megan and Bridget, for your dedication, passion and commitment to our children, families and teams over the past five years. We are so proud to celebrate this milestone with you.

🐵💛

Today, the children worked together to create a special card and some baked treats for the first responders who support our local community.
This experience provided a wonderful opportunity to talk about the important roles that police officers, firefighters, paramedics, and other emergency service workers play in keeping our community safe. Through these conversations, we explored how first responders help people in times of need and why it is important to feel safe and confident seeking their support.
By learning about these community helpers, children are developing a greater understanding of belonging, respect, and the ways people work together to care for one another.
A heartfelt thank you to all of our first responders for your dedication, courage, and commitment to supporting our community. We appreciate all that you do!

Mabo Day at Spunky Monkeys Bangor
Today, our Gorilla children participated in a meaningful Walk on Country as part of our Mabo Day celebrations, fostering a deeper connection to the Dharawal Land on which we learn and play.
Throughout the experience, the children engaged their senses to explore the natural environment, feeling the wind on their faces, listening to the songs of local birdlife, and examining the textures of leaves through touch. Along the way, they observed a bee collecting pollen from flowers and watched leaves gently fall from the trees, sparking conversations about the changing seasons and the interconnectedness of nature.
Upon reaching an open grassland area, the children gathered natural materials, including sticks and branches, to construct traditional Aboriginal shelters known as humpies. Working collaboratively, they explored the ingenuity of First Nations Peoples and discussed how Aboriginal communities have sustainably lived on and cared for Country for thousands of years.
Experiences such as these support children in developing respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures, and perspectives while fostering a sense of belonging, curiosity, and connection to the land. Through hands-on exploration and meaningful dialogue, we continue to embed Indigenous perspectives within our everyday curriculum and honour the significance of Mabo Day.

Growing from Our Country
Today, the children engaged in a meaningful cooking experience as we harvested fresh coriander from our vegetable garden and a lime from our tree to incorporate into a cooking activity. Gathering together at our meeting place, the children used their senses to explore the coriander, discussing its smell, texture, and taste. This encouraged curiosity, language development, and a deeper connection to the natural environment.
Following this sensory exploration, the children gathered at the table to create their own guacamole using fresh avocados, coriander, and lime. Throughout the experience, the children actively participated in cutting, mixing, squeezing, and mashing the ingredients together, developing their fine motor skills and confidence in food preparation.
Once complete, the children enjoyed tasting their homemade guacamole alongside corn chips and fresh salsa

🌟 Celebrating 2 Years with Spunky Monkeys! 🌟

At our recent Annual Spunky Monkeys Educators Conference, we celebrated team members reaching important service milestones.

This year, we recognised Chloe M from our Penrith service for reaching her 2-Year Anniversary with Spunky Monkeys! 🎉

In 2 years at Spunky Monkeys, Chloe has:

Read approximately 7,482 stories.
Sung Baby Shark more times than she’d care to admit.
Used enough paint to redecorate a house.
Walked enough steps to make her fitness watch proud.
Given endless cuddles, encouragement and support.

And somewhere in between all of that…

Completed her traineeship.
Continued studying towards her Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care.
Become the leader of our Gorilla Room.
Built strong relationships with children, families and her fellow educators.

Not bad for just two years!

We are incredibly proud of everything Chloe has achieved since joining us as a trainee. Her growth, dedication and passion for Early Childhood Education have been wonderful to watch, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds.

Congratulations on your 2-Year Milestone, Chloe!

Our Preschool children spent the morning with the Kindergarten children at Bangor Primary School, enjoying a wonderful transition to school experience together.
Together, we read the story Wombat Stew before creating our very own “stews” using a variety of natural and creative materials. It was beautiful to see our children fostering confidence, enthusiasm and strong social connections as they engaged in conversations and collaborative play with their future school peers.
Experiences like these help strengthen children’s connection to our community while supporting a positive and confident transition to school. We are so proud of the way our children embraced this opportunity with such excitement and curiosity.

Happy Birthday, Baljit! 🎉💛

Today we’re celebrating a wonderful member of our Spunky Monkeys family — Baljit!

Since joining our team in December 2025, Baljit has become such a valued part of our Gorilla Room. Her caring and supportive nature shines through in everything she does, and she is always happy to jump in and give anything a go.

Baljit’s positivity, kindness, and constant smile bring so much joy to our children, families, and team each and every day. We are so grateful to have her as part of the Spunky Monkeys family.

Thank you, Baljit, for all that you do and for the warmth and happiness you bring to our service. ✨

Wishing you the happiest birthday and a year ahead filled with love, laughter, and special memories! 🎂

🌟 End of May & June Events 🌟
We are excited to share our upcoming events for the end of May and throughout June! There is so much fun, learning, and exploration ahead for our children and families.
If you would like to come along and see what we get up to at Spunky Monkeys Bangor, we would love to hear from you.
Please reach out to us at [email protected] for more information.

🌟 The Salvation Army 🌟
On Thursday morning, Emily and Justine were invited to attend The Salvation Army breakfast to connect with members of our community and learn more about how we can share our stories and support one another.
We are incredibly excited to see where this connection with The Salvation Army leads and look forward to building meaningful relationships within our community.