Peekaboo Childcare Centre - Forrest Hill

☕❄️ Hot Chocolate on a Chilly Day! ❄️☕

What better way to warm up on a cold winter’s day than with a delicious cup of hot chocolate! 🤎 Our toddlers had so much fun making their own warm treats, practising their independence as they poured, stirred and enjoyed every delicious sip. 🥰

It was a cosy little experience filled with smiles, messy moments and lots of “mmm!” 😋

Sometimes the simplest experiences make the sweetest memories. ☕✨

🎉💛 HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHANGJO! 💛🎉

생일 축하해요, 창조! 🎂🇰🇷

Today we’re celebrating our incredible Chef Changjo! 👨‍🍳🎉

Changjo, we are so lucky to have you as part of our Peekaboo whānau. Thank you for all the care, creativity and love you put into every meal you prepare for our tamariki. From delicious lunches to morning teas and everything in between, you make sure our little people are well-fed, happy and ready for a big day of learning and play! 🥰🍎🥦

Your hard work never goes unnoticed, and we appreciate everything you do for our centre and our team. 💛

We hope your birthday is filled with plenty of laughter, good food, happiness and, of course… someone else doing the cooking for YOU today! 😂👨‍🍳

🥳🎂 생일 축하해요, 창조! 🎂🥳

From all of us at Peekaboo Forrest Hill, we hope you have the most wonderful birthday! 💛✨

🌋🧪 From One Volcano to an Explosive Adventure! 🧪🌋

It all started with a simple idea in our sandpit…

Working together, our tamariki carefully built a giant volcano before bringing it to life with the classic combination of baking soda and vinegar. They shared ideas, took turns adding ingredients, made predictions, and watched in amazement as their creation bubbled and erupted!

The excitement didn't stop there. The children's curiosity grew, with lots of questions about how to make an even bigger eruption. So, we extended their learning beyond the centre and headed to the park to put the famous Mentos and Coke volcano to the test! 🌋💥

The countdown began… the Mentos dropped… and the eruption was bigger than anyone expected! There were squeals of excitement, lots of laughter, and plenty of conversations about why the two experiments reacted differently.

These hands-on science experiences are about so much more than the "wow" factor. They encourage children to:
✨ Ask questions and make predictions
✨ Explore cause and effect
✨ Think like young scientists
✨ Build confidence through experimentation
✨ Learn that it's okay to test ideas, take risks, and discover new things

By following the children's interests and extending their ideas, we're helping our tamariki develop a lifelong love of learning while showing them that science is exciting, engaging, and all around us.

Who knows where their curiosity will take us next? 🔬💚

📖🐻 Growing a Lifelong Love of Reading in Our Toddler Room 🐻📖

As children grow, so does their love of stories! In our Toddler Room, we continue to nurture early literacy by making books a meaningful and exciting part of every day.

You'll often find our tamariki choosing their favourite stories, eagerly gathering for group reading, retelling familiar tales, joining in with repeated phrases, and using books to inspire their own imaginative play. These experiences help build language, communication, memory, confidence, and a genuine love of reading.

Here, our toddlers are exploring one of their favourite stories, The Very Cranky Bear. 🐻💙 As they listened, talked about the characters, predicted what might happen next, and revisited the story together, they were developing important early literacy skills while having so much fun.

By following children's interests and revisiting well-loved books, we're helping them build comprehension, expand their vocabulary, and discover that reading is something to be enjoyed and shared.

Every story, every page, and every cuddle with a book is another step towards creating confident, curious learners with a lifelong love of literacy. 📚✨

📚✨ Nurturing a Love of Literacy from the Very Beginning ✨📚

Did you know that a love of reading starts long before children can read the words themselves?

From the moment babies cuddle up with a book, listen to a story, point to pictures, or hear familiar words and rhymes, they are building the foundations for language, communication, imagination, and a lifelong love of learning.

Here in our Nursery, books are part of our everyday routine. Whether we're sharing stories together, singing nursery rhymes, exploring interactive books, or enjoying quiet cuddle-and-read moments, we're creating positive experiences that help children develop early literacy skills in a warm, nurturing environment.

These special moments do so much more than teach new words—they strengthen relationships, spark curiosity, encourage conversation, and help children see books as something joyful and comforting.

We are passionate about fostering confident, curious learners from the very beginning, one story at a time. 💛📖

🕷️ A Tiny Spider, Months of Big Learning 🕸️

What started as the discovery of a tiny spider in our Preschool room turned into an incredible learning journey that lasted for several months.

Rather than simply observing it for a moment, our tamariki decided to become its carers. Together, they carefully created a safe habitat, making sure it had everything it needed. The children regularly fed their little eight-legged friend, watched how it moved, noticed the webs it spun, and eagerly shared their observations and questions with one another.

Over the weeks, the spider became a much-loved member of our classroom, inspiring endless curiosity, conversations, and opportunities for learning.

When the time came, the children recognised that the spider belonged in its natural environment. With gentle hands and caring hearts, they released it back into nature, knowing it was ready to continue its journey where it truly belonged.

This experience was about so much more than caring for a spider. It gave our children the opportunity to:
🕷️ Develop empathy and respect for all living things
🌿 Learn about habitats, life cycles, and the needs of animals
🔍 Observe, investigate, and think like young scientists
💬 Ask questions, make predictions, and share discoveries
🤝 Work together with patience, responsibility, and kindness
❤️ Understand that loving something sometimes means letting it go

At Peekaboo Forrest Hill, we believe the richest learning often grows from the children's own interests. This tiny spider inspired months of meaningful exploration, nurtured a deep respect for nature, and reminded us all that even the smallest creatures can teach the biggest lessons.

🍕 Pizza-Making Fun at Peekaboo! 🧀

Our tamariki had a fantastic time becoming little chefs as they made their own delicious cheese pizzas!

Each child carefully spread the pizza sauce over their base before sprinkling on plenty of cheese, taking pride in creating their very own pizza ready to be cooked. There were lots of smiles, conversations, and excitement as everyone eagerly waited to enjoy the tasty results of their hard work.

Simple cooking experiences like this provide so many valuable learning opportunities. They help children to:
🍕 Build confidence and independence
🧀 Strengthen fine motor skills through spreading and sprinkling
🥄 Follow simple instructions and sequences
🗣️ Develop language through conversations about the cooking process
🤝 Practise patience, turn-taking, and teamwork
😊 Experience the pride that comes from making something themselves

Sharing food they have prepared together helps children develop a sense of belonging and achievement while creating wonderful memories with their friends.

At Peekaboo Forrest Hill, we love providing hands-on experiences that build practical life skills while making learning fun—and there's nothing quite like enjoying a warm, cheesy pizza that you've made yourself!