Margaret Ives Community Childrens Centre

Margaret Ives Community Childrens Centre Margaret Ives Community Childrens Centre is an accredited, community based, not-for-profit child care

Margaret Ives Fundraiser Quiz Night! Come and join us for a night of friendly competition and fun 🤩 *tickets must be pur...
29/04/2026

Margaret Ives Fundraiser Quiz Night! Come and join us for a night of friendly competition and fun 🤩

*tickets must be purchased prior to the evening*

Despite the hot weather there was lots happening on Monday…..lots of chatter about the Norwood pageant on the weekend, m...
25/11/2025

Despite the hot weather there was lots happening on Monday…..lots of chatter about the Norwood pageant on the weekend, making a moat in the sandpit by redirecting the watercourse, playing sound memory, bug hunts, feeling the vibrations from the speaker, having a birthday party in the boat for a monster baby, pushing and pulling to move the basketball ring, doll play, block construction and cubbies. We also observed people in the park with hi-vis vests on and a net. We wondered what they might be doing ‘catching butterflies’, ‘bees are there’, ‘saving a koala’, ‘it’s bats’, ‘maybe a possum’. The last guess was correct and someone helping the people in vests came to our fence and explained that they were trying to rescue a sick possum that they thought was also blind. She then gave us further information that possums who are down from the trees during the day are likely to be sick, so if we ever see any, we should call wildlife rescue. Unfortunately we didn’t get to find out if the blind possum was rescued.

In the Coral Room, our children have been busy growing, picking, and cooking with the spinach from our garden! They love...
19/11/2025

In the Coral Room, our children have been busy growing, picking, and cooking with the spinach from our garden! They loved harvesting the leaves, chatting about how plants grow, and then taking them straight to the kitchen where our cook, Crisy, helped them turn their fresh spinach into a delicious snack. So much learning in one experience, from caring for our garden to exploring new foods and being proud of what they created. ~ Coral room

Remembrance day in Coral room 2025Today all children had a minutes silence to commemorate sacrifices done by our soldier...
13/11/2025

Remembrance day in Coral room 2025

Today all children had a minutes silence to commemorate sacrifices done by our soldiers and their families. It was an unusual feeling, to sit together in silence, far away we heard the sound of “the last post” on the bugle. The Seadragon group remembered kind acts they or someone else had done. To remember and describe kind actions deepens our understanding of the joy of giving and helping others.

🌿 Day 3 – Final Day of Our Childspace Study Tour 🌿Today marked the third and final day of our incredible study tour at C...
10/11/2025

🌿 Day 3 – Final Day of Our Childspace Study Tour 🌿

Today marked the third and final day of our incredible study tour at Childspace.

We began the morning visiting our chosen centres to observe them in action, with children present. What a truly special experience it was to witness the respectful care, unhurried key moments, beautiful rituals, and adult-supported risky play unfolding within these inspiring environments.

Later, we had the opportunity to take part in reflective discussions and ask questions to a panel of teachers from each centre, an invaluable chance to deepen our learning and understanding.

We have learnt so much, felt so inspired, and are returning home motivated to lead positive change within our own practices and environments. We feel incredibly grateful and fortunate to have had such a meaningful and transformative experience.

A huge thank you to Toni and Robin Christie and the entire Childspace team for their generosity, wisdom, and warm hospitality.

We’d also like to express our heartfelt appreciation to our amazing team back at Margaret Ives for holding down the fort and keeping everything running smoothly while we were away.

Finally, thank you to our families and community for your ongoing support. We hope that everything we’ve learned will continue to shape the way we provide the very best environments and care for children now and into the future ❤️

Childspace Early Learning

🌿 Day 2 of our New Zealand Study Tour – Childspace 🌿Today we explored each of the five Childspace centres (without child...
08/11/2025

🌿 Day 2 of our New Zealand Study Tour – Childspace 🌿

Today we explored each of the five Childspace centres (without children present) to see and capture photos of the incredible learning environments they have created. On Monday, we’ll have the opportunity to return to the centre of our choice to see it all in action with children present, we can’t wait!

We were so inspired by how seamlessly te reo Māori is woven into their everyday practice. It has sparked rich conversations and ideas about how we can further embed Kaurna language into our own daily routines at Margaret Ives.

A huge highlight of the day was visiting the Dopamine Forest! This gave us a sneak peek into Wildspace, where a group of ten children from each centre travel by bus each week to spend a day learning and playing in nature. Naturally, we had to test out the play equipment ourselves while we were there!

We wrapped up the day with a fun and engaging ukulele lesson with Robin, we are excited to keep practising our new skills alongside the children when we return. 🎶

Another inspiring day filled with learning, laughter, and connection.

Childspace Early Learning

Have you seen our suspended ladder? The Bottlebrush children have really impressed us with their growing strength, balan...
08/11/2025

Have you seen our suspended ladder? The Bottlebrush children have really impressed us with their growing strength, balance, and determination as they explore this challenging piece of equipment. Climbing a ladder that moves while they are on it takes incredible concentration, coordination, and courage. The children are learning to engage their whole bodies, using their core muscles for stability, their arms and legs for coordinated movement, and their minds for problem-solving and planning their next steps. Each climb strengthens their confidence and persistence as they test their abilities, adjust their movements, and experience the thrill of achieving something that once felt tricky. We love watching the children take safe risks, cheer one another on, and proudly share their success, whether that be making it to the top, or swinging out far and wide from the bottom.

🌿 Study Tour Day 1 – Childspace 🌿 Yesterday was the first day of our study tour at Childspace, and it was nothing short ...
07/11/2025

🌿 Study Tour Day 1 – Childspace 🌿

Yesterday was the first day of our study tour at Childspace, and it was nothing short of amazing! We are already feeling so inspired.

We were welcomed by Robin Christie playing guitar, followed by an extraordinary introduction from the team. Toni Christie then shared her heartfelt approach to leading with heart and soul, giving us tools for delivering and receiving feedback, navigating conflict, communicating effectively, and practising self-care.

Next, the wonderful Bobbi-Jo took us on her journey from wandering to Wildspace, sharing her passion for nature, creativity, and resilience.

Robin’s presentation encouraged deep reflection around risk, resilience, loose parts play, and sustainability.

We wrapped up the day with a calming, meditative Zentangle drawing session — the perfect way to pause, reflect, and create.

✨ Key takeaways from the first day:
• Teaching empathy in early childhood is far more important than learning to read and write.
• A reminder of what a privilege it is to do this meaningful work.
• Adult supported risky play is best practice and vital for development. Failure is absolutely necessary for children to build resilience.
• Your child is amazing, and we are providing the laboratory to prove that to you.

We had so much fun yesterday and learnt so much, we can’t wait for today!

Childspace Early Learning

🌏✈️ Exciting News from Margaret Ives!Our Centre Director, Jo, and six of our amazing educators, Danielle, Rochelle, Holl...
07/11/2025

🌏✈️ Exciting News from Margaret Ives!

Our Centre Director, Jo, and six of our amazing educators, Danielle, Rochelle, Holly, Sarah May, Madi, and Renae, have embarked on a professional study trip to Childspace Early Learning in Wellington, New Zealand!

This incredible opportunity reflects our ongoing commitment to high-quality, play-based early childhood education and our belief that great teaching begins with great learning.

The Childspace 2025 Study Tour allows our team to see innovative, research-based approaches in action, from nature-based learning and respectful caregiving to creative, well-designed environments that inspire exploration and connection.

By learning directly from Robin and Toni Christie, founders of Childspace and leaders in early childhood education, our educators will return with:
🌿 Fresh ideas to enhance our learning environments
💡 New inspiration to strengthen our programs
🤝 Deeper team connections and shared vision

We’re so proud to invest in meaningful professional growth for our educators and teachers, because when they’re inspired, children thrive.

Stay tuned for updates as our team explores, learns, and brings back new ideas to enrich our Margaret Ives community! 💚

In the Bottlebrush Room, we have enjoyed a wonderful variety of Halloween inspired experiences last week including dress...
02/11/2025

In the Bottlebrush Room, we have enjoyed a wonderful variety of Halloween inspired experiences last week including dress ups, slime, gloop, potion making, cutting spook-etti, dancing to a spooky play list and so much more.

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Norwood, SA

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+61883627614

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