Madshaw Adventures Family Daycare

Tomorrow is Waitangi Day, we have Hipi the Sheep and P*e Wee the Kiwi ready to help us explore some aspects of New Zealand culture... We may even make lolly cake! 🤤

2026 is our fourth year of providing care for homeschooling families! 🌏🤩

This year we are collecting repurposed junk for imaginative play in nature that doesn't add to landfill.
Marketplace is a loved resource here for minimising our environmental impact and maximising our fun adventures with our family daycare friends.

Happy book week!!
Just a butterfly from the fairy kingdom sitting on her magic wishing chair 🦋🪑🪽

Today I was fortunate enough to attend the Dream, Lead, Play Conference hosted by Big Hearted Education. The expert speakers were brilliant, very engaging and informative. It was nice spending the day with peers elevating our skills and personal businesses. Family Day Care is so special in the community with the ability to provide safe and supportive play spaces tailored to individual children's developmental stages and interest areas.

Every year Family Day Care Australia hosts Excellence in Family Day Care Awards. I have been nominated twice this year and feel so grateful for the lovely families and colleagues I get to work (play) with! Thank you 🥰

Favourite resources for mixed age groups part 2

Magnet tiles!

These are hands down the most used resource at MAFDC. At least one child plays with them everyday and often they keep the entire group engaged for hours.

The educational benefits of magnet tiles include: fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, spatial reasoning, creativity, problem solving, easily adaptable designs, cause and effect relationships, collaboration, communication, shape, colour, patterns, attention span, perseverance...

Magnet tiles support children to explore multiple play schemas such as; connecting, positioning, enveloping and trajectory.

Children can use pictures as inspiration, learn and build off their peers ideas and use their imaginations. Other small parts and toys are often added to enhance children's play such as; cars, planes and figurines.

Favourite resources for mixed age groups part 1.

Perler beads!

These have been a favourite resource for 2 and a 1/2 years now at MAFDC and the obsession is not disappearing any time soon.

The educational benefits of perler beads include: fine motor skills, pincer grasp, copying patterns, counting, colour recognition, imagination, persistence, expanding attention span, hand-eye coordination...

Children can use pictures as inspiration, copy patterns or make custom designs from their imagination. Perler beads are a cheap way to make toys of current interests such as, Minecraft, Pikmin, Pokemon, Christmas decorations. Children are always so proud to show off their hard work and enjoy taking their new "toy" home.

Last week we read The Kindness Club by Kate Bullen-Casanova and Dave Petzold. It is a beautiful story that we will be adding to our permanent library as it reminded the children and I of Madshaw Adventures Family Daycare!

"There's so much we can do here. Best of all - we're free to choose!"
"We paint in all the colours and make monsters with playdough. When you're done with that big puzzle, may I please have a go?"
"Let's see what's for lunch today... Pasta! Yay! It's time to eat! We'll wash our hands up at the sink. Come with me, let's find a seat."

Madshaw Adventures Family Daycare was founded in 2023 to support homeschooling families. In the last 2 and a half years we have provided quality care for many homeschoolers, families considering homeschooling as well as families following the traditional school route. We have had a large range of children from ages 3 to 11, boys and girls, only children and siblings.

And what a great time my two boys and I are having meeting, learning from and playing with each and every one of the children who attend our family daycare!

Every family who joins us becomes a part of our family. We strive to cater to everyone's individual needs and make our home feel like a second home for our daycare friends.

Our days are slow-paced and fun, following each child's lead. Life skills are learnt through our daily routines of hygiene, table manners and food preparation. Inside/outside play occurs throughout the day following the needs of children and the weather.

Toys and resources are easily accessible with large spaces for children to play independently, in pairs or as a whole group (max group of 7 children a day). Children are encouraged to request activities and if we don't have it already we soon source it if we can.

We have a few spaces left this year for some new families to join in the fun at our lovely new property in Mount Nathan (8 mins from the motorway). Madshaw Adventures Family Daycare is registered with Kids at Home and CCS is available which makes us a very affordable option for many families. Please reach out with any questions or if you would like to book a tour!