The Y Ellerslie Early Learning Centre

Fire Truck Visit
Last Friday we had an exciting opportunity to watch a fire truck carrying out training drills in the car park. The firefighters demonstrated how they use the hose to spray water and showed us how they refill the truck's water supply. The children were fascinated as they watched the action unfold. Afterwards, the firefighters kindly gave the children stickers and invited us to have a look inside the fire truck, making it a memorable and engaging experience for everyone.

30 Hours FREE for 3+ Year Olds!

Enrol your child during our promotional period and receive 30 hours per week for 3 months!

At the Y Early Learning Centre Ellerslie, we offer a nurturing environment where tamariki can learn, play, and thrive. Located in the beautiful grounds of Michaels Avenue Reserve, providing opportunities to connect with nature and explore the local environment and community.

Why Families Choose Us
✅ Strong community connections, including Gold Fit visits with elderly
✅ Engaging play-based learning
✅ Caring, qualified educators
✅ Supporting confidence, independence, and wellbeing

Contact Us
The Y Early Learning Centre Ellerslie
Ph 09 525 4753
Email "[email protected]

Limited spaces available – enquire today to secure your child's place!

Terms and conditions apply.

🌊 Watercare Visit – Becoming Water-Saving Heroes

Today, our tamariki enjoyed a visit from Sarah at Watercare, who taught us how to be water-saving heroes. The children learned simple ways to save water, such as using one flush instead of two and turning off the tap while brushing their teeth.

The tamariki were engaged, asked thoughtful questions, and shared ideas about how they can help save water at home and at the centre.

This learning links to Mana Atua (Wellbeing), Mana Whenua (Belonging), and Mana Aotūroa (Exploration) as children develop an understanding of caring for natural resources and protecting Papatūānuku.

We are proud of our tamariki for embracing their role as water-saving heroes. 💧🌱

Our tamariki had an exciting Bike Day at the centre today. Children brought along their bikes, balance bikes, and scooters, and spent the morning riding around our marked track. They practised coordination, spatial awareness, and taking turns as they navigated corners, stopped at pretend “traffic lights,” and cheered each other on. It was a joyful, energetic morning that supported confidence, physical development, and lots of big smiles.

If you’d like, I can make a shorter version, add learning links, or include road‑safety wording.

Our children had a wonderful time today jumping off one of the playground boxes onto the soft matting. They took turns climbing up, bending their knees, and launching themselves into the air with huge smiles. The soft landing gave them the confidence to try again and again, building their gross‑motor skills, body awareness, and a sense of bravery in play as they cheered each other on. It was energetic, joyful, and full of proud moments.

Samoan Language Week Celebration 🇼🇸
This week, our children enjoyed celebrating Samoan Language Week through a variety of meaningful learning experiences. We explored the Samoan alphabet, learning about the unique sounds and letters used in the Samoan language. The children also expressed their creativity by creating beautiful drawings of the hibiscus flower, a flower often associated with the Pacific Islands, and the Samoan flag.
Through these activities, the children developed their cultural awareness, language and literacy skills, creativity, and fine motor skills. Celebrating Samoan Language Week provided a wonderful opportunity for our tamariki to learn about and appreciate the rich culture, language, and traditions of Samoa. We are so proud of their enthusiasm and the beautiful artwork they created throughout the week! 🌺🇼🇸✨

Our tamariki had a wonderful time creating a special terrarium for our insects. They carefully added layers of soil, planted greenery, and decorated the habitat with pebbles to make it a safe and inviting environment for our tiny creatures to explore and live in.

This hands-on activity encouraged curiosity about nature and living things while supporting children’s learning through sensory play, creativity, and teamwork. As they worked together, the children developed fine motor skills, communication skills, problem-solving, and an understanding of caring for the environment and living creatures.

It was lovely to see the children so engaged, using their imaginations and sharing ideas while creating their insect habitat together.

Mother’s Day Brunch – Goldfit Class
Today, the children in the Goldfit class took part in a special Mother’s Day brunch to celebrate the wonderful ladies in their lives.
The children also shared drawings they had proudly created and gifted these to the ladies as a small token of their love and appreciation. It was a lovely morning filled with smiles, creativity, and special moments.
Happy Mother’s Day to all our mums and special caregivers!

I See the Baby Crayfish!

Last week Thursday, We were very excited to welcome Sarah back for another water session. This time, Sarah brought something even more exciting — something alive, the water invertebrates, which immediately sparked the children’s curiosity and excitement.

The session began with a group mat time, where Sarah talked with the children about river life and water ecosystems. She introduced the idea of microorganisms—tiny living things we can’t see without special tools—as well as the small bugs and insects that live in rivers and streams. The children eagerly shared their own thoughts about what might be living in the water, leading to rich discussions and lots of wondering.

Next, the children became little explorers. Taking turns, they used magnifying glasses to closely observe real river water samples. Some children were deeply focused, carefully watching for tiny movements, while others connected what they could see with what they had just learned. There was great excitement when a child spotted a baby crayfish, proudly announcing, “I see the baby crayfish!”

Sarah supported the children’s learning by asking open-ended questions such as “What do you notice?” and “What do you think is moving?”, encouraging careful observation and deeper thinking.

Through this hands-on experience, the children developed early science skills like observing closely, asking questions, and noticing details in the natural world. They also learned that rivers are full of living things—such as mayfly, snails, damselfly, shrimp...even those that are not always easy to see. Alongside this, children practiced important social skills, including taking turns, sharing equipment, and talking about their discoveries with friends.

It was a fun, engaging, and memorable session that sparked curiosity about nature and helped building understanding of the importance of caring for our water ways. A big thank you to Sarah-we loved having you with us！

🌟 **Life at YMCA Ellerslie Early Learning Centre** 🌟

At YMCA Ellerslie Early Learning Centre, every day is filled with fun, laughter, and meaningful learning experiences for our tamariki. Through a wide range of engaging activities, our children are supported to grow and thrive in all areas of development.

We love creating opportunities that build **fine motor skills** through art, puzzles, and hands-on play, while our outdoor adventures and active play help strengthen **gross motor skills** and confidence. Just as importantly, our nurturing environment encourages positive **social interactions**, helping children build friendships, learn empathy, and develop a strong sense of belonging.

It’s all about learning through play, exploring the world, and having fun along the way 💛

Come and see what makes our centre so special!