Precious Years Learning Centre

06/09/2026

Happy Father’s Day to all the special men in our Precious Years whānau!

On Friday, we loved welcoming our dads, grandads, and special men for a hot cooked Father’s Day breakfast. Our children had also been busy creating cards and little treasures to take home ~ small gifts made with very big aroha.

It was a lovely morning of manaakitanga, whanaungatanga, awhi and connection, as we came together to celebrate the special men who are such an important part of our tamariki’s lives.

Thank you for sharing these special moments with us. We hope your Father’s Day is filled with aroha, laughter, whānau and plenty of precious memories.

Ngā mihi nui ki ngā Pāpā.
Happy Father’s Day! ❤️

21/08/2026

Our Glow-in-the-Dark Disco was EPIC!

Glow-in-the-dark jewellery and tattoos, twinkling lights, bubbles were flying, yummy snacks, the music was playing and our tamariki were absolutely bringing it on the dance floor!

And the parents? They didn’t escape either! They were right in there singing, dancing and having just as much fun!

So many smiles, so much laughter ~ definitely a night to remember.

19/08/2026

From Carpark to Skatepark 🛴

Bikes zoomed. Scooters whizzed. Helmets bobbed along. Little legs pedalled furiously and there were smiles absolutely everywhere.

05/07/2026

Matariki 2026 focuses on the theme Matariki Herenga Waka – For Everyone, which highlights unity, inclusion, and the gathering of diverse communities across Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) and Aotearoa.

The values of Matariki are embedded in the traditional practices of Matariki and must remain a part of our Matariki celebrations.

Aroha
Love and respect for one another

Whakamaumaharatanga
Remembrance

Kotahitanga
Unity

Tohatoha
Sharing

Mana Taiao
Environmental awareness

Hākari
Feasting

Wānanga
Discussion

Noho tahi
Coming together

Atawhaitanga
Kindness

Whakanui
Celebration

Tuakiritanga
Identity

08/06/2026

Scooter & Bike Day 🚲🛴

What a fantastic day on wheels. With plenty of space to explore, tamariki enjoyed riding alongside their friends, sharing smiles, skill and lots of laughter as they scooted and pedalled around the track.

From careful riders to speedy racers, everyone enjoyed the freedom of moving and exploring, while practising safe riding habits and wearing their helmets.

A day of fresh air, friendship, and fun!

08/06/2026

07/06/2026

A snapshot of a typical day.

Shared interests bring tamariki together as they explore ideas, test theories, share resources, and build on one another’s thinking. Through ramps, vehicles, construction, and movement, children are investigating the mathematical ideas at the heart of Kōwhiti Whakapae, exploring position, distance, height, speed, direction, and spatial relationships in ways that are meaningful to them.

As they work alongside one another, children experience the Contribution strand of Te Whāriki, learning that their ideas, strengths, and perspectives are valued within the group, each contributing in their own way.

25/05/2026

At Precious Years, we deeply value the importance of uninterrupted play and the rich learning that unfolds when tamariki are trusted to lead their own ideas, interests, and discoveries.

Through everyday moments of self-directed play, children are testing theories, solving problems, negotiating with friends, revisiting familiar experiences, taking risks, and building confidence in their own capabilities.

Play is the work of childhood. It is where tamariki practice life. Sometimes this looks loud and adventurous, and other times it appears quiet and deeply focused.

As kaiako, our role is not to rush children toward an outcome, but to create environments where agency is nurtured, curiosity is protected, and learning can unfold naturally through exploration, repetition, imagination, and connection.

We often notice tamariki returning to the same ideas again and again. This revisiting is important. Through repetition, children strengthen working theories, refine skills, deepen understanding, and gain mastery over their world.

Exploration sits at the heart of our curriculum and reflects our belief that joyful, meaningful play provides the strongest foundation for lifelong learning.

20/05/2026

20th May ~ World Bee Day

🐝 Bees can’t see the colour RED

🐝 Bees have 5 eyes, 4 wings and 6 legs

🐝 In a bees entire lifetime they produce only a twelfth of a teaspoon of honey. Respect the mahi!

🐝 Honey bees are super-important pollinators for flowers, fruits and vegetables. This means that they help other plants grow!

🐝 Bees have 170 odorant receptors, which means they have one serious sense of smell!

🐝 To share information about the best food sources, they perform their ‘waggle dance’. When the worker returns to the hive, it moves in a figure-of-eight and waggles its body to indicate the direction of the food source.

🐝 Honey bees live in hives (or colonies). The hive is divided into three types:
Queen: One queen runs the whole hive. Her job is to lay the eggs that will spawn the hive’s next generation of bees. The queen also produces chemicals that guide the behaviour of the other bees.
Workers: these are all female and their roles are to forage for food (pollen and nectar from flowers), build and protect the hive, clean and circulate air by beating their wings. Workers are the only bees most people ever see flying around outside the hive.
Drones: These are the male bees. They do not work. Their purpose is to mate with the new queen. Several hundred live in each hive during the spring and summer. But come winter, when the hive goes into survival mode, the drones are kicked out!

🐝 If the queen bee dies, workers will create a new queen by selecting a young larva (the newly hatched baby insects) and feeding it a special food called “royal jelly“. This enables the larva to develop into a fertile queen.

30/04/2026

Jane and Bruce, our wonderful centre owners, wishing you both a truly special day as you celebrate your 55th wedding anniversary. What an incredible milestone ~ one that reflects a lifetime of love, commitment, and shared memories.

We hope your day is filled with joy, laughter, and a chance to pause and celebrate all that you have built together. Enjoy every moment of your well-deserved day off.