Islington Early Childhood centre

🦋 Our Butterfly Journey🦋

Over the last month, our tamariki have been immersed in a fascinating learning journey exploring the life cycle of the butterfly.

It all began when we introduced a swan plant to our learning environment. The children were immediately captivated as they observed tiny caterpillars feeding and growing. Day by day, they eagerly checked on their progress, noticing changes and sharing their theories about what might happen next.

One of the most exciting parts of our journey was watching the caterpillars form their cocoons (chrysalises). The tamariki showed incredible patience and curiosity as they carefully observed this transformation. Their excitement was contagious each morning as they rushed in to see if anything had changed. The greatest reward came when we discovered beautiful butterflies emerging from their cocoons, providing a real-life experience of growth, change, and new beginnings.

To extend this learning, we visited the Butterfly House last week. The children absolutely loved exploring the vibrant environment, observing butterflies of all shapes, sizes, and colours flying freely around them. A highlight of our visit was watching butterflies being released, creating a magical experience that filled our tamariki with awe and wonder.

Throughout this project, the children demonstrated many of the learning outcomes within Te Whāriki. Their natural curiosity and exploration reflected the strand of Exploration | Mana Aotūroa, as they investigated the life cycle of butterflies and developed working theories about the world around them. Through shared discussions, observations, and storytelling, they strengthened their communication skills within Communication | Mana Reo. The excitement of learning together also fostered a strong sense of belonging and connection through Belonging | Mana Whenua, as children collaborated, shared discoveries, and celebrated each stage of the butterflies' journey together.

This experience has been a beautiful reminder of the power of hands-on learning and the wonder that can be found in the natural world. We are so proud of the curiosity, patience, and enthusiasm our tamariki have shown throughout this special journey. 💛🌿🦋

Yesterday, some of our tamariki shared a wonderful idea – they really wanted to make a cake! Together, we made a plan to bring this to life today. With the King’s Birthday coming up this weekend, we thought… why not turn it into a special high tea?
The children absolutely loved being involved in every step of the process, from mixing and baking to decorating their delicious cake. As our planning continued, we wondered what else belongs at a high tea… of course, little sandwiches! So we added some fairy bread to our menu and enjoyed it alongside our Milo.
To finish our day, we gathered for a celebratory high tea. The tamariki embraced their imaginations, pretending to be kings and queens, carefully pointing their fingers as they sipped from their teacups. It was such a joyful and creative way to end the day.
This experience links beautifully to Te Whāriki, supporting children’s sense of belonging (Mana Whenua) as they worked together and shared in a group celebration, and contribution (Mana Tangata) as they each played a role in preparing our high tea. It also fostered communication (Mana Reo) through conversations, planning, and imaginative play, as well as exploration (Mana Aotūroa) through hands-on cooking and creativity.

Our Rōpū Tuakana set off on another adventure to Chingford Park this week - getting back to nature as they leapt into fallen autumn leaves, hugged trees, and discovered hidden 'treasures', challenging themselves on higher equipment, working with friends to solve problems, and celebrating their successes.

Engaging in adventures such as this promotes confidence in their bodies. They are learning about risk assessment and perseverance as they test boundaries safely and try new challenges.

This links to Te Te Whāriki through Mana Atua (Wellbeing) and Mana Aotūroa Exploration

💗 Pink Shirt Day Celebration 💗

Yesterday we celebrated Pink Shirt Day (a little later than planned!) so that as many of our tamariki as possible could be involved.

We talked about the meaning behind the day, focusing on anti-bullying and ways to show kindness — like using kind words, including others in play, and caring for our friends. It was wonderful to see tamariki putting these ideas into action.

We had lots of fun with pink slime, baking cupcakes, and exploring static electricity with balloons — creating “crazy hair” and sticking them to the roof!

This experience links to Te Whāriki through Wellbeing (Mana Atua), Contribution (Mana Tangata), Communication (Mana Reo), and Exploration (Mana Aotūroa).

A special day full of kindness and learning 💕

💐 Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful mums, grandmothers and mother figures out there 💐

Today we celebrate the magic you bring to your children every single day. We hope each and every one of you have a fabulous day filled with love, laughter and fun. Thank you for all that you do! We love and appreciate you all ❤️

Love from your Islington kaiako # #

🌿 Happy Monday, Islington whānau 🌿

A fresh week brings new adventures, new friendships, and plenty of wonderfully messy, magical moments ✨

At Islington, we nurture each child’s confidence, empowering them to feel valued, capable, and free to grow into who they are meant to be. Leaving a little sparkle wherever they go.

Come in for a chat and see what makes our community so special 🤩

Here’s to a week filled with curiosity, laughter, and just a touch of glitter everywhere ✨😉

🐣✨ EASTER GIVEAWAY TIME! ✨🐣

With times being a little tough, we wanted to give back with a special Easter Egg Hamper giveaway 💛

To enter:
👍 Like this post
💬 Comment below
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👯‍♀️ Tag as many friends as you like
➕ Make sure you’re following us

One lucky winner will take home the Easter basket! 🐰🍫

Entries close Sunday 29th March at 10am, with the winner drawn shortly after.

Get liking, tagging, sharing and following — good luck everyone! 🌟

🌿🌹 On Thursday, Rōpū Tuakana explored the Dunedin Botanical Gardens 🌹🌿

It was all about slowing down and embracing the beauty around us 🌼 while connecting to Papatūānuku 🌏

We took the time to stop and smell the roses, challenge our bodies, and follow the children’s curiosity wherever it led us. By going at the child’s pace, we created space for meaningful conversations, discovery, and wonder.

🎉 20 Hours FREE ECE for 2 Year Olds! 🎉

You heard that right… 20 hours FREE for children aged 2–5 years!

Even better, we are open during the school holidays too, making it easier for families who need care all year round.

✨ Come in and see why we are so special here at Islington. We’d love to welcome you and your whānau! ✨