Otago Childcare Centre

OCC Annual General Meeting

When: Tuesday 1st July, 7pm

Where: At OCC

OCC is a not-for-profit early childhood centre governed by a Board of Trustees. At our upcoming AGM, we’ll re-elect Board members and officers. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Perhaps you are Interested in joining the Board? If so, please have a chat with our Chairperson: [email protected]

Our tamariki put on their scientist hats on regularly in the Tui programme and in this example predicted what might happen when food colouring was added to shaving foam! One guess: the foam might “disappear” or “hide.” "That it would turn blue"

The teacher explained that the shaving foam was like a cloud sitting on top of water, and the food colouring represented rain. Tamariki watched eagerly as a few drops were added—then came the “wows,” “oohs,” and “aahs” as the colour slowly dripped through the foam into the water below.

We talked about how clouds get heavy and release water as rain. The tamariki loved it so much, we did it three times! and of course each had their own experiment to manage.

Our children continue to ask big questions, testing ideas, and think critically about what’s happening and why. At OCC, learning is hands-on, messy, curious, and fun—just the way it should be.

The Tui class had a fabulous trip to the Marine Centre. We left at 9:15, had morning tea on the bus, and enjoyed a perfect trip down the harbour on a still Dunedin day.

Upon arrival, we entered the Marine Centre and were warmly welcomed by two facilitators (Hannah & Teresa) who looked after us for the morning. The children were fascinated by an engaging explanation of the aquatic animals at the facility.

They had the opportunity to put their hands in the touch tanks and learn about a variety of sea creatures, including starfish, seahorses, sea tulips, sea cucumbers, crabs, and more. We also discovered how anemones catch their food and got to see an octopus that had only been at the facility for a week!

After our marine adventures, the children had a creative activity where they coloured objects and placed them on a giant sea floor picture. We look forward to displaying this in the centre.

We left the Marine Centre around 11:50 and headed to Portobello Park for lunch. The park was another highlight of the day, featuring an exciting pirate ship in the playground!
It was a big day for everyone but an enjoyable one. A big thanks to our teaching team who did a great job and to the team at the Marine Centre who ensured the visit was a great learning experience. The whole trip was fabulous.

Over the past week, the Tui class has been diving into a range of sea-themed learning experiences. A standout so far has been our exciting sea themed jelly dig!

Using spoons and bowls, we explored a special tray filled with blue jelly, our very own ‘seawater’, with hidden sea creatures and objects inside. We carefully dug through the jelly to discover what was hidden beneath the surface, and some of us couldn’t resist sneaking a little taste!
What a fun and engaging way to learn about the ocean! We’re excited to build on our discoveries with a visit to the Portobello Marine Centre next week. Mahi pai, Tui tamariki!

In the Pīwakawaka class, we offer a variety of messy play experiences for our tamariki to feel, smell, touch, taste, and explore!
From squishing gooey slime to molding soft clay, splashing in water, and experimenting with edible playdough, every activity engages their senses and sparks curiosity. Messy play not only brings joy but also helps develop fine motor skills, creativity, and sensory awareness. The laughter and excitement say it all, learning has never been this much fun in our Pīwakawaka class.

Exploring New Tracks: A Bushwalk Adventure

A key part to OCC's quality programme in the Tui class is that we explore the Town Belt each week and become more familiar with predator control, plants, trees and birds in our local neighborhood.

This week, we had a fantastic time discovering a new bushwalk track! As we explored, we talked about things that were different and the same compared to our usual track. The children were on the lookout for interesting discoveries, pointing out traps, birds, and even signs of predators.

Some of the exciting finds included new traps, orienteering triangles, a unique stone and concrete bench, and tiny pinecones! One of our biggest observations was how much smaller these pinecones were compared to the ones we usually find on our walks—what a great comparison!

To build confidence and curiosity, we’ll continue to explore a variety of tracks in the town belt near OCC. A big tino pai to our tamariki for walking such a good distance and showing care and respect for our natural environment. You listened carefully, navigated the track safely, and shared your wonderful ideas—ka pai!

We can’t wait for more bushwalk adventures ahead!

OCC celebrated Waitangi Day on Wednesday with a fun Teddy Bears’ Picnic! It was a beautiful day filled with games, laughter, and a wonderful afternoon shared with our children, their families, and the amazing OCC team. Another well-organized outing. Thank you to everyone who supported us.

恭喜发财 Gōng xǐ fā cái

Celebrating Chinese New Year – the Year of the Snake.

We are excited to share a few of the activities children have engaged in this week to celebrate the Lunar New Year. So far we have enjoyed making snakes, engaging in various arts and crafts and making our very own dumplings for lunch today.

Chinese New Year is a celebration of the arrival of spring and the beginning of a new year on the lunisolar calendar. It is the most important holiday in China, and it is also widely celebrated in South Korea, Vietnam, and countries with a significant overseas Chinese population.

Check on 'what's on in Dunedin' as the city has a range of fun activities.

https://www.dunedinnz.com/visit/dunedin-events/dunedin-chinese-cultural-festival #:~:text=Dunedin's%20Chinese%20New%20Year%20celebration,7pm%2D10pm%201%20Feb).

Elf on the Shelf Fun!

Elf on the Shelf is just one of the many Christmas activities we’re enjoying this festive season. Our cheeky elf, Ross, has been spreading holiday cheer and mischief. Today, Ross is feeling extra festive and is keen to get a "selfie with Elfie" We can’t wait to see where Ross pops up next and what fun surprises he has in store for us.