Ilam Montessori Preschool - Ilam Road

🎄✨ Christmas Magic Is in the Air! ✨🎄
Since we put up our Christmas tree last week, the children have been buzzing with excitement for our upcoming Christmas party!

They had so much fun decorating the tree — choosing their favourite ornaments, reaching up high, giggling together, and adding their own little touches of Christmas sparkle. 🌟🎁

We love seeing their joy and creativity shine at this special time of year. ❤️💚
More Christmas fun to come! 🎅🎉

When unicorn stencils turn into a full-on color science party – Leya just taught us that blue + yellow = green, and all the colors = the biggest, paint-covered grins. 🦄🎨

Nothing tastes quite like a frosty popsicle on a bright Christchurch day. Pure, sticky, sun-warmed joy – and the biggest little smiles to match. 🍦☀️

Science Fun on Wednesday in Our Classroom! 🎈

This week, our tamariki dived into a super exciting science experiment—blowing balloons with vinegar and baking soda! 🧪

Watch as the magic happens: when vinegar meets baking soda, they fizz, bubble, and release gas that inflates the balloons little by little! The kids were totally fascinated by the bubbly reaction and couldn’t wait to feel how firm the balloons got as they filled up.

Learning through play is the best way, and seeing their curious faces light up makes every experiment worthwhile! ✨

🌱 Watching Avocado Magic Unfold with Our Little Explorers! 🌿🥑🥑🥑🥑

At Ilam Montessori Preschholool, we follow curiosity wherever it leads—especially when it starts with a tiny avocado seed and a whole lot of kid-sized wonder! We believe every child’s interest is a door to discovery, and our job is to hold it open with patience, space, and plenty of nature to explore.

🍑🍎🍊🍓Our edible garden is where these moments come alive: tracking strawberries as they ripen, marveling at fallen leaves turning into soil, and cheering on buds as they bloom into flowers (and eventually, snacks!). Today, we’re celebrating these avocado seedlings—grown from a simple "what if?" and nurtured by little hands, curious eyes, and endless "why’s."

We cherish every second of their exploration: the way they lean in to check for new growth, the excitement of spotting a tiny root, and the pride in watching something they cared for thrive. Nature is our greatest classroom, and their curiosity is the best teacher.

Here’s to growing, learning, and celebrating the magic of discovery—one seed, one question, one joyful moment at a time! 🌱✨

📚 Cosy Reading Moments at Preschool 💛

Our tamariki enjoy beautiful reading time everyday, both indoors and outdoors. Some snuggled into the bean bags under the sunshine, Or some gathered together inside to share stories with their friends.

We love watching them choose their own books, turn pages carefully, and get completely absorbed in the world of stories. These moments help build confidence, language skills, imagination — and most importantly, a love for reading.

Ka pai, little readers! Keep exploring, keep wondering, and keep enjoying your books. 📖✨

🐞 Our Little Explorers Are Fascinated by Bugs!

Lately, our tamariki have shown a big interest in bugs! They’ve been busy searching around our playground, carefully watching where each tiny creature goes and wondering what they look like up close.
Questions like “Do they have wings?”, “How many legs?”, and “Where are they going?” filled our day with curiosity and excitement.

Today, Reece brought a bug from home in a clear container, and it became the highlight of our morning! Our children gathered around, observing the bug gently and sharing their ideas. They even added a little bit of water—just in case the bug was thirsty—showing such beautiful empathy and care.

It’s amazing to see our tamariki developing respect for living things while exploring the world around them.🐜🦗🦟🐞🐝🪰🕸️

🌻Building Independence

People often ask how we help our tamariki develop independence.
Our answer at Ilam Montessori is simple — give them space, trust their abilities, be patient, and offer opportunities.

Moments like packing their own bag and getting ready for day may seem small, but they build confidence, pride, and a strong sense of responsibility. 🌻

Happy Friday! 🌻🌻🌻
Our tamariki enjoyed a wonderful creative art experience today — painting with plastic bags! This open-ended activity encouraged their exploration, creativity, and sensory discovery. It was heartwarming to see how proud they were as they shared their unique artwork with us. 🎨🤩🤩

🎨 Creativity in Atawhai 🌈
Our tamariki learnt the colours in Te Reo Māori and created their own waka to play in the water! 🚣‍♀️💦
What a wonderful way to combine creativity, language learning, and hands-on exploration — all while having lots of fun! 💕
Thank you, Teacher Tash and Teacher Jonathan!

🔠 Literacy in Atawhai 📚
Our tamariki are exploring the letter Rr this week! 🐇🚗🌹
Through fun activities like tracing, matching, and finding objects that start with “R,” our little learners are strengthening their early literacy skills while having lots of fun along the way! 💕✏️✏️