Shine Family DayCare

05/09/2026

What a fabulous day!

A huge thank you to everyone who came along to the Child Protection Event today and stopped by to see us! It was so lovely meeting you all and watching the children get creative. 🎨

And just look at one of the amazing creations made at our play tent today! 🧱

We loved seeing all the wonderful ideas, imagination and creativity that came to life throughout the day.

Protecting Children is Everybody’s Business. 💛

05/09/2026

We’re here at the Child Protection Event at Springbrook Park, and we can’t wait to see you!

Come down, say hi, have a play and enjoy all the wonderful things happening today. 🌈

Protecting Children is Everybody’s Business. 💛

03/09/2026

Heatwave Vibes ☀️

02/09/2026

When we think about the planning cycle and extending children’s learning, we often think it has to be something big, elaborate or deeply intentional.

But sometimes, extension is much simpler than that.

The children have been growing herbs for Father’s Day and really enjoyed picking the herbs from the stems and using the mortar and pestle to grind them.

So today, without saying a word, I simply added the mortar and pestle and a few rosemary twigs to our mud kitchen.

The children did the rest.

What started as a few simple resources naturally turned into potion making, mixing, measuring, experimenting and lots of imaginative play. They spent hours engaged in uninterrupted, child-led play.

And really, this is what it’s all about.

Sometimes extending learning isn’t about creating another big activity. It’s about noticing what the children are interested in, making a small change to the environment, and then stepping back and allowing them to take it wherever they want to go.

Simple resources. A little thought. And the children do the rest.

02/09/2026

Come spend the morning with us at Shine Family Day Care! 💛

Today we headed along to playgroup with some of our fellow Family Day Care educators and their little ones — a morning filled with play, connection, friendships, laughter and plenty of exploring. 🥰

One of the beautiful things about Family Day Care is that while our services may be small, our community is anything but. We get to connect with other educators, share experiences, support one another and give our children opportunities to learn and play alongside others. 🌱

Being an early childhood educator is busy, messy, sometimes loud 😂 and incredibly rewarding. We get to be there for the little moments that become big milestones, the discoveries, the cuddles and the “look what I can do!” moments.

So here’s a little peek at our morning as FDC educators. 💕

Happy Early Childhood Educators Day to all the educators who show up every day with patience, passion and a whole lot of love. 🫶🏼

01/09/2026

Hello Spring 🌸

Spring has arrived, bringing warmer days, beautiful blooms and so much new growth. ☀️

21/08/2026

There is something about this that speaks so deeply to my philosophy of early childhood education. 🤍

Children aren’t meant to be rushed.

In a world that can feel so busy, I believe children deserve time.

Time to explore.
Time to wonder.
Time to ask the same question five times.
Time to stop and watch a snail cross the path. 🐌
Time to tell us a very long story about something that might seem small to an adult, but is incredibly important to them.

For me, slowing down isn’t about doing less. It’s about being more present.

It’s listening deeply to what children are saying — and sometimes, just as importantly, what they are trying to communicate without words.

It’s noticing their interests, following their curiosity, sitting beside them, and allowing their ideas to shape our day.

These early years are not simply a waiting room for school. They are childhood. And they are precious.

At Shine Family Day Care, I want children to feel that they have time to be exactly where they are — without constantly being hurried towards the next thing.

Because childhood doesn’t need to be rushed.

There is so much learning in simply being present.

They'll only be little once.

Let's not rush them. 🤍

20/08/2026

And the firefighter fun continued long after we got home! 🚒

Our bikes became fire engines, the yard became the scene of an emergency, and the children had fires to put out everywhere! 🔥