Howick KIDS Early Learning Centre

Kia Ora Whānau and friends..
Nature became our art inspiration today at Howick Kids 🍁🍂
Our tamariki used fallen leaves, papers and crayons to create beautiful artworks. They placed leaves underneath the paper and used crayons to gently rub over the top, revealing the beautiful patterns and textures hidden in each leaf. It was a lovely hands-on experience connecting creativity with the natural world..

Kia ora whanau and friends,
D stands for discovery!
Today at HK, the children enjoyed a fun and engaging learning experience exploring magnetic letters and magnetic bands. The children were excited to search for and identify the first letter of their name, while some confidently explored and recognized the letters in their full names. This activity encouraged early literacy skills, letter recognition, and name awareness in a playful and meaningful way.
As the children experimented with the magnetic materials, they also discovered a colourful science experience through exploration and hands-on learning. They showed curiosity, excitement, and problem-solving skills as they observed how the magnets worked and interacted with different objects. It was wonderful to see the children actively participating, learning through play, and building confidence while exploring letters and scientific concepts together.

Kia ora Whanau and friends,

🥦I stands for Identity!❤️
Every children is unique, and at Howick KIDS Early Learning Centre, we celebrate that! Today our tamariki enjoyed exploring painting with different brushes and tools, using a variety of movements to create colourful marks, patterns, and textures. They showed curiosity, creativity, and teamwork as they painted alongside their peers and discovered new ways to express themselves through art. When children who they are, they confidence and a strong sense of belonging.

🌐How do you celebrate your whānau's identity at home? Let us know below!👇

Kia Ora Whānau and friends,

S stands for Science,
Our tamariki have been exploring a volcano learning experience in the sandpit, mixing ingredients and watching with excitement as the eruption bubbled and flowed through the sand volcano. Their curiosity and wonder were amazing to see as they explored what happens when different ingredients are combined. Such a joy to see our young scientists engaged in meaningful play and discovery..

Pink Shirt Day
Dear Whānau,
Tomorrow, our centre will be celebrating Pink Shirt Day, an annual event in New Zealand that promotes kindness, inclusion, and standing together against bullying.
Pink Shirt Day encourages everyone to wear pink to show support for creating safe, respectful, and caring environments for all children and adults.
We invite all children and teachers to come dressed in pink clothing or accessories tomorrow as we join together to spread the message of kindness and friendship throughout our centre.
Thank you for your support. We look forward to a fun and meaningful day together!
Kind regards,
Howick Kids Team

Kia Ora Whanau and Friends,
S stands for success!
Big or small, every achievement matters! This afternoon, our older children enjoyed taking part in making playdough alongside the teachers. They showed great enthusiasm and teamwork as they helped measure the ingredients, pour them into the bowl, mix everything together, and knead the dough until it became soft and smooth. The children were excited to choose the colours they wanted for the playdough and eagerly watched as the colours blended into the mixture.
This hands-on experience supported the children’s early mathematical and scientific learning. While measuring and pouring ingredients, the children explored concepts such as quantity, volume, and counting. As they mixed and kneaded the dough, they observed how different ingredients changed texture and combined together to create something new.
They also discovered how adding colour transformed the dough, encouraging curiosity, prediction, and experimentation.
The activity also strengthened fine motor skills, communication, and cooperative play as the children shared ideas, took turns, and worked together to complete the process.
It was wonderful to see the children so engaged, confident, and proud of their contribution to creating a fun learning resource for everyone to enjoy.

Kia ora whanau and friends,
Today was a truly special and heartwarming occasion as the Howick Kids children proudly presented the beautiful gifts they had prepared for their mums throughout the week. The joy, excitement, and pride shining on the children’s faces made the celebration especially meaningful and memorable.
We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to all our wonderful mothers for your constant love, care, and ongoing support. Your encouragement and dedication mean so much to our tamariki and our learning community. We hope you cherish these thoughtful gifts, each one created with love, creativity, and joy by your children.

Wishing all our amazing mums a very Happy Mother’s Day filled with love, happiness, and special moments with your whānau.

Kia ora whanau and friends,
I stands for identity,
What a beautiful team bonding event we had today! The HK team came together for a lovely dinner outing where we warmly welcomed our two new staff members, Nethmi and Dufie. It was a wonderful evening filled with delicious food, meaningful conversations, laughter, and joy as all team members spent quality time together.
We also celebrated our beautiful Sina’s birthday with a special cake-cutting celebration, making the evening even more memorable. It was heartwarming to see everyone enjoying themselves and strengthening the wonderful bonds within our team. Moments like these truly remind us of the importance of connection, support, and togetherness in our workplace.

Kia Ora Whanau and Friends,
We love seeing our tamariki grow through learning and exploration.
As Mother’s Day is approaching, our tamariki have been very busy preparing special gifts for their mums. The children enjoyed decorating beautiful shapes through painting, cutting, and pasting to create flowers and heartfelt cards. They were excited and happy while making these thoughtful creations, proudly talking about how they would hand them over to their mums on this special occasion.