Kel’s Kapers Family Day Care

Just because the children have gone home doesn’t mean the work stops. This afternoon I’m catching up on observations and reflecting on our Mini Beast week.

Before I do, I had to share this little guy. 🦂

One of my five-year-old friends has a real passion for STEM and construction. After exploring images and books about scorpions, spiders and other mini beasts this week, he used Mobilo to create this incredible scorpion.

He also built a spider.

Sadly, the spider is no longer with us.

What followed was an epic, fully narrated battle between the two creations, complete with dramatic plot twists and scientific reasoning about who might win.

The final result?

The scorpion was victorious thanks to its stinger.

Moments like these remind me that learning doesn’t always look like worksheets or planned activities. Sometimes it looks like a child making connections between their interests, our program and their own imagination.

And honestly, those are my favourite moments.
🦂❤️

ChildLedLearning Jimboomba EarlyChildhoodEducation

Just because the children have gone home doesn’t mean the work stops. This afternoon I’m catching up on observations and reflecting on our Mini Beast day.

Before I do, I had to share this little guy. 🦂

One of my five-year-old friends has a real passion for STEM and construction. After exploring images and books about scorpions, spiders and other mini beasts this week, he used Mobilo to create this incredible scorpion.

He also built a spider.

Sadly, the spider is no longer with us.

What followed was an epic, fully narrated battle between the two creations, complete with dramatic plot twists and scientific reasoning about who might win.

The final result?

The scorpion was victorious thanks to its stinger.

Moments like these remind me that learning doesn’t always look like worksheets or planned activities. Sometimes it looks like a child making connections between their interests, our program and their own imagination.

And honestly, those are my favourite moments.
🦂❤️

It’s 6pm and I’ve just finished my favourite day of the week… playgroup day. ❤️

Today we spent the morning at Miss Nicky’s beautiful outdoor learning environment. The climbing equipment, muddy puddles and wide-open spaces were certainly popular, but the real magic wasn’t the equipment.

It was watching the children connect.

Seeing children run to greet their friends, check in on one another, invite each other into play, and build genuine friendships is something really special.

One of the biggest misconceptions about Family Day Care is that children don’t have enough opportunities to socialise. The reality is that with a strong network of like-minded educators and regular community experiences, children can enjoy the best of both worlds – small group care and meaningful social connections.

I’m so grateful for the village we’ve built with our wonderful playgroup families and educators. ✨

Jimboomba ECEAustralia ChildhoodUnplugged TheVillage CommunityConnections NaturePlay FamilyDayCareAustralia BelongingBeingBecoming PlaygroupDays ConnectionBeforeCurriculum

Yesterday’s spontaneous magnetic tile zoos inspired today’s OSHC crew! Miss 6 and Miss 2 made their own little animal worlds, they didn’t dive deep for long, but the creativity is spreading! I’ll leave it out for my Friday crew, and we’ll see how one spark of play can carry across the week. This is the beauty of open-ended play… it grows, evolves, and invites every child in.

Have you ever paused to wonder what children might discover, create, and learn when they are given the freedom to explore with open-ended materials and no predetermined outcome?

Today, a simple basket of magnetic tiles and some animal figurines became farms, zoos, animal corrals and imaginative worlds.

One child created an “Australia Zoo” with separate enclosures based on how dangerous the animals were. Another designed a farm for her animal friends. Another built a cat-shaped ark, complete with animals safely tucked inside.

No instructions.
No templates.
No adult-designed outcome.

Just children drawing on their own experiences, knowledge, creativity and problem-solving skills to bring their ideas to life.

These are the moments that remind us why play matters.

This is the magic of play. 🖤

Wide open spaces. Room to move, create, explore and belong. 🌿

At Kel’s Kapers, our outdoor environment has been thoughtfully designed to support children’s curiosity, imagination and connection with the natural world.

From small world play and construction areas to gardening, loose parts, messy play and quiet spaces, there is room for every child to find their place.

We’re also fortunate to regularly connect with our wonderful Family Day Care community through playgroup adventures with This Little Mind, Adventurous Me, Little Cubs Club and Young Explorers.

Big spaces. Big adventures. Childhood as it should be. 💚

Wednesday at playgroup we joined in with National Simultaneous Storytime, an Australia-wide initiative celebrating the joy of books, storytelling and early literacy 📚

This year’s chosen story, Luna Roo the Kangaroo Baller by Adam Jackson and Adrian Lloyd, brought children together through rhythm, imagination, language and shared connection.

At Kel’s Kapers, literacy is embedded gently throughout our days. It lives within books revisited by choice, stories shared on picnic rugs, conversations sparked through play, and heart-led opportunities to connect through reading 🤎