The Hive Early Learning Centres Torquay

There has been lots of exploring happening in our Nursery this week. The babies enjoyed ice painting, feeling the cold ice in their hands, watching the colors move across the paper and noticing how the ice changed as it melted.
Puzzles gave them the chance to practice thinking, problem solving and working out where each piece belonged. Our babies also spent time building their hand and eye coordination, concentration and fine motor skills using threading and stacking toys.

There was plenty of movement as wobbly legs took hesitant first steps and many a conversation was had as our littlest learners discovered their voices

These simple experiences give our babies so many opportunities to explore how things feel, move and fit together, while learning through curiosity and play.

Today the children explored shape recognition through a colourful wooden shape puzzle.

As they carefully lifted each piece, the children discovered the name of the shape hidden underneath. Educators named each shape and encouraged the children to repeat the words back, supporting their developing vocabulary and helping them make connections between the shape they could see and its name.

The children then worked to match each piece back into the correct space, encouraging thinking, problem-solving and persistence. Using the small handles also supported fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination and control as they grasped, lifted and positioned each piece.

This simple hands-on experience supported early mathematical concepts while also encouraging language development, confidence and active participation in learning.

EYLF Learning Links:
Outcome 4 – Children are confident and involved learners as they investigate, problem-solve and experiment with matching shapes.
Outcome 5 – Children are effective communicators as they listen to and repeat new shape names and use language to describe what they are exploring.

Moving, Matching & Problem Solving

Today the children explored a fun body-matching experience using movable figure pieces and visual prompt cards. They carefully adjusted each part of the figure to recreate the different positions shown on the cards, using their observation skills and persistence to work out where each arm and leg needed to go.

This experience encouraged the children to slow down, look closely and think critically as they compared shapes, positions and directions. It also supported their fine motor development, hand-eye coordination and spatial awareness as they manipulated each piece to achieve the desired pose.

We also saw lots of problem-solving, concentration and resilience as the children kept trying, made adjustments and celebrated when their figure matched the card.

EYLF Links:
Outcome 4 – Children are confident and involved learners: children used problem-solving, trial and error, and persistence to complete the challenge.
Outcome 3 – Children have a strong sense of wellbeing: children developed coordination, body awareness and confidence through hands-on exploration.
Outcome 5 – Children are effective communicators: children interpreted visual information and used it to guide their actions and thinking.

Creating with Colour & Pattern!
Today the children explored colourful mosaic tiles, carefully placing each piece onto the grid to create their own patterns and designs. As they worked together, they experimented with different colours, shapes and arrangements, making decisions about where each piece should go and changing their ideas as their creations developed.

This hands-on experience supported fine motor strength and hand–eye coordination, while also encouraging early mathematical thinking through patterning, spatial awareness, colour recognition and problem-solving. It was also lovely to see the children sharing the materials, exchanging ideas and contributing alongside one another.

EYLF Links:
Outcome 4 – Children are confident and involved learners: experimenting, problem-solving and persisting with ideas.
Outcome 5 – Children are effective communicators: using visual patterns and designs to express their thinking and ideas.

Fee Freeze is here for a limited time! ❄️🧡

For a limited time, fees at The Hive will remain unchanged, giving families greater certainty when planning childcare.

From nurturing educators and play-based learning to engaging environments that support children’s confidence, curiosity and development, the focus stays where it matters most, providing meaningful early learning experiences every day.

Enquire now for Fee Freeze details and current enrolment availability:
📞 Call 1300 000 843
📧 Email [email protected]

We have put together our commitment to child safety at The Hive Torquay. It sets out what we expect from every educator, every day, and what children and families should always be able to expect from us.
Children should feel safe to speak up and know they can tell their grown ups about everything that happens at childcare. Families should feel comfortable asking questions or raising concerns. Our team must actively supervise, follow our policies and procedures, understand their responsibilities and continue to review and minimize risks.
Our commitment also includes creating a culturally safe environment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families and maintaining zero tolerance for racism and discrimination.
We will keep having these conversations with our children, families and team while always looking closely at our own practices.

It's that time of year again, Henny Penny Hatchlings are back! 🐣
We have once again welcomed the Henny Penny Hatchlings program to The Hive, and some of our little chicks have already made their way out of their shells!
Over the coming days, the children have been watching the remaining eggs closely waiting for the chicks to hatch and help care for them as they grow stronger. This experience gives the children a chance to see the life cycle happening right in front of them while learning about patience, gentle hands and what living things need to grow and stay healthy.
We can’t wait to see how many more little chicks join us! 🐥

What’s your favorite number?
This week the children have been invited to explore all things numbers through a range of fun experiences involving counting, matching, comparing amounts and learning what comes before and after.
Early numeracy is not just about being able to count. It also includes noticing patterns, understanding quantity, sorting, measuring and beginning to recognize how numbers are used in everyday life. Keeping these experiences fun and hands on helps children become familiar with numbers in a way that makes sense to them.
Numbers are all around us, and there are so many fun ways to explore them.