Gumnuts FDC

Life has been busy and full here at Gumnuts in 2026, and we wouldn’t have it any other way!

So far this year we’ve celebrated lots of birthdays — including my nephew’s very fun tradie-themed party, which the children absolutely loved. There’s nothing better than seeing little imaginations come to life with dress-ups, paints and plenty of laughs.

We’ve also been getting out and about on excursions, with visits to the museum, other FDC homes, and indoor play cafés. Exploring our community is such a wonderful way for children to learn, build confidence and experience the world around them. We’re always on the lookout for new places to discover together.

This year has also seen the introduction of new legislation around device use in early childhood settings. I want to say a big thank you to my daycare families and visitors who continue to support and respect these important changes. Your cooperation helps ensure we maintain a safe, focused and child-centred environment.

Most of all, we’ve simply been enjoying our time together — learning through play, sharing laughs, and watching the children grow in confidence and curiosity every day.

We’ve loved the fun we’ve had so far in 2026 and we can’t wait to see what the rest of the year brings! 💛

🩷🩷🩷 Love is in the air… and so is love-coloured paints, recycled crafts, and a little bit/A LOT of glitter ✨✨️✨️

💌This week our space has been buzzing with heart trees, laminated hearts made from recycled treasures, handmade roses, and a very cute Valentine’s photoshoot.

🥰More than crafts though, it’s been about connection — children collaborating, creating, problem-solving, and leading their own play with big imaginations and even bigger hearts.

🥳We’re proud to be a community that works together as a team: inclusive, honest, hard-working, and deeply education-focused — without losing the magic of play.

🍃Our days are design with the EYLF and NQS front of mind, but deliver it in ways that feel joyful, meaningful, and very much “child-led.”

🌸I’m proudly registered with the NQFDC scheme and am a double bachelor degree qualified school teacher. I am passionate about caring for and educating children from 5 months through to school-aged.

At the moment I have no current daycare vacancies, but you’re always welcome to follow along and join our little village from afar. If vacancies do pop up, I will contact my waitlist families, and if need, I will add a vacancies post.

🎆Week one 2026🎆
What a way to kick of 2026!

Gumnuts had a fun, busy week and was complete with a lowkey Friday - which everyone needed.

🩷 Baby siblings of current daycare children were welcomed into our family as well as a new addition to the crew. Everyone settled in reasonably well and were supported by current daycare children. So much empathy was shown, it was so lovely to see!

I look forward to the new group thriving in the environments... here's hoping these flower seeds thrive too! Our fairies need more colour in their garden!

✨ Happy New Year from Gumnuts Family Day Care ✨

Welcome to 2026! We’re so excited to be starting a fresh new year filled with learning, laughter, connection and plenty of new adventures.

Thank you to our wonderful families for being part of the Gumnuts community — it really does take a village! So thank you again!

Here’s to a happy, successful year ahead! 🥰

🌟 November & December at Gumnuts FDC – What a Wrap! 🎄

Throughout November, we watched friendships grow as we had more social outtings/ excursions and exciting visitors at our FDC.

December brought the festive magic ✨
Christmas crafts, playdates, excursions, singing, baking and imaginative play created rich opportunities for teamwork, kindness and joy.

An exciting moment was when the local fire department spared a morning to ensure our home was as safe as possible and allowed the children to use the waterhose and listen to the sirens!

Thank you to our families for your continued trust and support. It’s been a big end to the year — and we’re heading into the new one with strong foundations and even bigger potential 💚🌱

🎃🌿 Gumnuts Update: Two Weeks of Spooks, Sparkles & Sustainability! 🌿🎃

It’s been a boo-tifully busy fortnight for our little Gumnuts!

We’ve been exploring Halloween culture — the fun, the costumes, and of course, the creative chaos that comes with glitter.

♻️In true eco-friendly spirit, we turned recycled paper and cardboard into haunted confetti — the must-have accessory for a spooky dance party! Who says sustainability can’t sparkle?

🧪Our sensory play table got a frightfully fun makeover thanks to donated Halloween goodies — pumpkins, spiders, and gooey textures galore! The children dove right in (literally, in some cases). It’s amazing how a few spooky props can spark imagination, storytelling, and giggle fits. 👻

🩷 For something new and exciting, we ventured out for an outing to a local Family Day Care. The children absolutely loved connecting with new friends and loved their Halloween sensory table too! Definitely gave us the inspiration for our sensory table!

🏃‍♀️And because we love to burn off all that spooky energy, we also visited the local church’s indoor playground. Huge slides, laughter echoing everywhere, and some very, very long naps afterwards. Win-win!

These past two weeks have been full of creativity, connection, and community spirit — all while showing that recycled and repurposed play can be just as magical as store-bought.

☀️OCTOBER SO FAR AT GUMNUTS FDC☀️

This month we’ve been getting serious about two things:
1️⃣ Protecting our skin from the spicy sun
2️⃣ Saving the planet one banana peel at a time

🌞Our sun safety talks and new sunscreen mirrors have turned the kids into tiny SPF police.
Hats on? Check.
Sunscreen? Double check. Sunglasses? Optional but highly fashionable.

👒If you walk outside without a hat, expect to be reported to “Miss Deni’s Sun Safety Squad.” The children do such a wonderful job making sure their friends are safe when outdoors... even if that means chasing each other around the yard trying to keep hats on heads!
🪞The children have become very independent rubbing their own sunscreen in using our new station mirrors.

🍅We’ve also dived into composting and sustainability!
The children are absolutely buzzing about feeding the compost bin. Every apple core and crust of sandwich has become a VIP guest heading to the “Worm Café.” Children are proudly telling me how their scraps are going to help our garden grow big, strong veggies — and honestly, the commitment is adorable.

💚There’s nothing sweeter than watching little hands and big hearts care for the world they’re growing up in. We’re learning, laughing, and growing greener every day 💚

Farm week for our Gumnuts.
🥦 Sensory table 🥦
Mixed green veg, konjac rice and quinoa.

Child lead discussions:
🩷Looking after animals
👩‍🌾Farms we have visited
🐷Animals we see on farms
🎶Old McDonald