Gardenia Early Learning Roma Street

Our Bluebell Nursery children spent a beautiful sunny day exploring nature with their friends, surrounded by colourful flowers, sparkling water fountains and cute water dragons. Their laughter and excitement filled the air as they enjoyed the fresh breeze, playing together, and creating wonderful memories in the sunshine. 🌸☀️💦🌿

🌱🔬 Seeds of Science: Nurturing Knowledge for All! 🔬🌱
For National Science Week, we’re nurturing our little scientists’ natural curiosity through wondering, predicting, experimenting and discovering! 💭✨
Today, we explored the exciting world of chemical reactions as we made Dancing Corn using water, vinegar, corn kernels and bicarbonate soda. Before mixing our ingredients, the children used their senses to explore through touch and smell, sharing their ideas about what each ingredient might be and what they thought would happen when they were combined.
And the most popular prediction?
💥 “It’s going to explode!” 😂
With eyes wide and curiosity growing, we watched in wonder as our corn kernels began to bubble, rise and dance! 🌽🕺✨
Experiences like this help children make sense of the world around them by encouraging them to ask questions, share theories, test their ideas and learn from what they observe. Science isn’t just about finding the right answer—it’s about being curious, having a go and discovering something new! 🌏🔎💡
What a wonderful reminder that big scientific thinking can grow from little moments of wonder. 🌱💚

🌱 From little things, big things grow! 🌱

There is something truly special about watching children discover that the seeds they planted, cared for and watered are now becoming beans! 🫘💚

Our little community garden has become a place of curiosity, connection and learning. The children are seeing science in action — planting seeds, observing growth, asking questions, caring for living things and discovering what plants need to thrive.

Even the littlest of hands can make a big difference in our garden. From tiny fingers placing seeds in the soil, to little hands watering, tending and checking for new growth, every child has a part to play. 🌿

Our garden also provides beautiful opportunities to connect with Country, learning to care for and respect the land, plants and living things around us. Through gardening, we can begin to nurture an understanding of Aboriginal connections to Country — that Country is not simply a place, but is deeply connected to people, culture, community and caring for the land.

And what a wonderful reminder for us all… from little things, big things grow. 🌱

Our little community garden may be small, but the learning, connection, care and sense of belonging growing within it are anything but. 💚

🌱🫘

🎂 Celebrating Special Birthdays Together! 🧁

Birthday celebrations are more than just marking another year—they are meaningful rituals that help children feel valued, connected and that they belong within our early learning community. These special moments create a sense of familiarity, joy and togetherness that children can look forward to and remember.

As we made our cupcakes, the children were learning through this ritual and meaningful experiences. Educators introduced the word “recipe” and talked with the children about the ingredients we needed and the steps we needed to follow. Together, we explored sequencing, followed instructions, counted, compared quantities and measured ingredients.

Through one simple birthday ritual, the children were building early literacy, numeracy and STEM skills, while also celebrating friendship, connection and belonging.

Happy Birthday friends 🎉💗We love celebrating special day

In our Lillypilly room we brought two of our favourite experiences together at one table — clay and watercolours. 🎨🌿

One friend looked at the table and asked, “Why is there paint here?” And from that simple question came curiosity, experimentation and discovery as the children explored what might happen when these two materials met.

Like nature, where water changes earth, colours blend, textures transform and unexpected things emerge, the children were given the freedom to wonder, investigate and follow their own ideas.

A small change to a familiar experience created so much wonder — reminding us that children learn through curiosity, sensory exploration, experimentation and connection with the natural world.

Sometimes, all we need to do is change one little thing and give children the space to discover what happens next. 🌱💧🎨

A little magic moment in time captured between two friends. ❤️

Feet together, hands together, simply enjoying being side by side. No words needed—just curiosity, connection, belonging and friendship.

Sometimes children remind us how beautifully simple it is to just be together. ✨

🌸🔬 Exploring Science Through Nature in the Eucalyptus Room 🌿💧

This morning, the children in our Eucalyptus Room became scientists as they explored a fascinating flower experiment! We placed flowers into different coloured water, but before we began, we put on our thinking caps and hypothesised about what might happen.

The children shared some wonderfully creative ideas, including, “It will explode because of the water,” “It will grow,” and “It will change colours!” 🌈

As the hours passed, we carefully observed our flowers and noticed something interesting — the blue flower had developed lines of colour running through its petals. This sparked even more curiosity and led us to investigate veins and how they transport water and nutrients through our bodies, as well as how a flower uses its stem and tiny vessels to move water towards its petals. 🌱

Through this hands-on experience, the children were developing important scientific skills including hypothesising, observing, questioning, predicting, and making connections between themselves and the natural world.

We wonder what other changes we will discover when we return after the Ekka holiday! 🌸💙

A friendly reminder that we’ll be closed on Wednesday for the Ekka public holiday 🎡

We hope you enjoy the extra day with your loved ones, and we can’t wait to hear all about your adventures when we’re back on Thursday ❤️.

Our Eucalyptus children embraced their inner artists today as they ventured into our garden with sketchbooks in hand. 🌿🎨

Taking time to slow down and really observe, they carefully drew the plants, flowers and treasures they could see around them.

Experiences like these encourage creativity, observation skills and an appreciation for the beauty of nature. 🌼🍃

From curious observation to creative expression! 🪱✨

Our little Lillypilly learner explored the worm farm by watching the worms, helping to feed them, and even holding them. She discovered tiny worm eggs and chatted with her educator about the worm life cycle, asking questions and making connections along the way.

Back inside, she extended her learning by drawing what she had observed, including the worms and their eggs. This is a wonderful example of the learning cycle in action—observe, explore, discuss, reflect, and create.

Everyday experiences like these encouraging curiosity, critical thinking, communication, and a deep connection with the natural world. Nature provides endless opportunities for children to investigate, wonder, and build their understanding through real, hands-on experiences.

Everyday moments in nature inspire lifelong learning. 💚🌿