Co Kids Lincoln Road

Kia ora Co Kids whānau,

We took time to remember and reflect on Anzac Day with our tamariki.

Through meaningful and creative experiences, the children made beautiful wreaths, poppies, and medals, and painted thoughtful pictures of a bugle. We listened to Anzac Ted, Anzac Dog, and The Last Post, helping us gently explore the meaning of this important day.

We also shared the poem Red Poppy, sparking conversations about remembrance and why we wear poppies. One special moment was when a child shared about his Great great uncle who fell in battle, explaining that this is why he wore his poppy sticker. It was a powerful reminder of how even our youngest learners can begin to understand the importance of honouring those who served.

Lest we forget❤️

Happy Mother’s Day to all our wonderful mums! 💐

This morning, we were so delighted to host our special Mother’s Day breakfast. It was lovely to see so many mums take time out of their busy schedules to join us and share this special time with their child.

The smiles, conversations, and precious moments shared together made the morning truly meaningful. Thank you to all the mums and whānau who came along and helped make the event so special. We loved celebrating you and all the love, care, and support you give every day. 💖

Mothers hold such a special place in our hearts. Your kindness, strength, patience, and unconditional love help shape and nurture your children each and every day. We appreciate all that you do and feel privileged to be part of your children’s learning journey alongside you.

Wishing all our amazing mums a beautiful, relaxing, and love-filled Mother’s Day weekend! 🌸

As part of our Transition to School programme, a small group of tamariki had the wonderful opportunity to visit Henderson North School. We were warmly welcomed by the Deputy Principal and began our visit with a wave to the friendly students in the library.

The children were excited to explore the school grounds, noticing the big swimming pool and playground before heading into the classroom. Inside, we met Whaea Mandy and even saw a familiar friend who had just started their school journey!

The classroom was full of engaging resources, and the children quickly immersed themselves in play. The kitchen area was a favourite, where they enjoyed pretending to prepare and cook food. There were also opportunities for drawing and writing on the whiteboard, sparking creativity and confidence.

A special highlight was when one of our children bravely stood up in front of the class to learn a new karakia, supported by the VIP. Ka mau te wehi!

We then shared morning tea together and explored the playground, gaining a real sense of what school life is like.

What an amazing and meaningful experience for our tamariki as they prepare for their next big step. It won’t be long before they begin their school journey!

A heartfelt thank you to Henderson North School for your warm welcome and for taking the time to show us around.

Earlier in the month, we celebrated the festival of Holi - the festival of colour!
Each room celebrated this occasion with plenty of colour and special activities as they danced throughout the day and had fun! Just have a look at all the fun we had!

Kia ora Co Kids whānau,

In the lead up to Waitangi Day, the national day of New Zealand 🇳🇿 our tamariki explored the significance of this important part of Aotearoa’s heritage.

After reading William’s Waitangi Day, we talked about the meaning of a treaty and the principles of Partnership, Protection and Participation. Together, we created our own class treaty based on the values of kindness, fairness, and kotahitanga-unity. We signed it with a thumbprint — a special reminder that we all belong. 🤝

Through creative experiences, tamariki made koru and pikopiko artwork, created the Tino Rangatiratanga flag, painted a collaborative waka after learning the Māori people travelled to Waitangi in a 🛶waka (canoe) and coloured feathers for our kākahu cloak. We learnt new kupu through waiata and reflected on the whakataukī:

“He waka eke noa – We are all in this together.”

What an incredible week of learning, creativity, and connection as we embraced Waitangi Week and celebrated the rich culture and heritage of Aotearoa.

Ngā mihi nui
Co Kids Team

Kia Ora Co Kids whānau,

Over the past few months in the toddlers ruma, our tamariki have been busy getting our garden up and running! It has been so special watching their excitement as they explore the soil, plant vegetables, fruit trees and flowers, and care for them throughout the different seasons.

The tamariki have been actively involved in every step of the process from planting seeds and seedlings, watering the garden each day, noticing changes as things grow, and even harvesting the vegetables when they are ready. There is always a real sense of pride when they carry their freshly picked produce to our centre chef to be used in our lunches.

Through this hands-on experience, tamariki are learning about where their food comes from and what it takes to grow it. They are developing an understanding of being self-sufficient that with care, patience, and teamwork, we can grow our own kai. They are also experiencing the beautiful “garden to table” journey, seeing how something they planted can end up on their plate to nourish their bodies.

Gardening together supports responsibility, patience, and care for our environment. It also strengthens their connection to Papatūānuku as they learn to respect and nurture the whenua around them.

We feel so proud seeing our tamariki take ownership of the garden and show such care and responsibility.

Kia ora Co Kids whānau,

As part of our Transition to School programme, we took a small group of older Preschoolers on a spontaneous trip to Miriam Corban Retirement Village. We aimed to connect with our local community and show acts of kindness through gifting Christmas cards and baking. We met the lovely residents and courageously performed our Christmas concert for them. They thanked us and said they really enjoyed our performance, which brought a smile to their faces. Afterwards, we had conversations with the residents, shook hands, gave high fives and shared joy and laughter.

One of the residents kindly showed us around the retirement village. We got to visit their library and they had so many books; sit in the comfy chairs in the movie room, admire the beautiful artwork, and check out their game room.

Thank you for welcoming and having us at Miriam Corban. We enjoyed the experience and we are excited to return next year.

Ngā mihi nui

Piha Team

✨ Whānau Christmas Party 2025 ✨
What a wonderful way to wrap up the year! Thank you to all our whānau who joined us to celebrate at our recent Christmas party. It was so special spending time together, sharing laughs, and creating memories with our tamariki. We had a wonderful time with Santa making an appearance, along with a shared kai and a performance from the ever popular Popcorn the Clown! Thank you to those that shared kai with us all - it was delicious and we are so grateful! Attached are just a few of some of the pictures taken at the event :)

We are incredibly grateful for your continued collaboration, trust, and support. Working alongside you is what helps our tamariki feel confident, connected, and ready to thrive as we head into 2026.

From all of us at Co Kids, we wish you and your whānau a safe, relaxing, and happy holiday season. We can’t wait to see you all again in the new year 💛🎄

Kia ora Co Kids whānau ,

In Piha rūma, our tamariki have been doing something exciting as part of our Transition to School programme. Whaea Ashley set up an amazing science experiment for our letter of the week, V. Firstly, they discussed words beginning with the letter, with volcanoes at the top of the list. They practised writing using the Casey Caterpillar chant: 'short stick, short stick'. Next, they started making the letter V with playdough and created their own volcanoes, moulding and shaping the dough, talking about the crater.

Whaea Ashley suggested they make one great big volcano and there was lots of excitement as they had prior experiences with making volcanoes in the sandpit. They worked cooperatively taking turns to mould the playdough into shape. They discussed the ingredients first and there were mixed reactions when they smelled the vinegar. They each had a turn with the turkey baster to squeeze the vinegar on top of the baking soda and red dye as they watched the magic happen as it started to bubble. There was a discussion about lava and eruption. Wow, such a rich sensory learning experience just with playdough and a bit of imagination for all to enjoy.

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