Little Waikato Scholars Prep School

Inside today, we have been enjoying time to celebrate each other, connect, and make new friends. 💛
Our Tuakana are always ready and willing to be involved with our Teina, showing kindness, care, and a wonderful sense of togetherness.
Meanwhile, Iggy the Highland calf headed off to the farm this weekend for his own little adventure! 🐮🌿 He had a wonderful time exploring and even met some new furry friends along the way.
So many opportunities for connection, friendship, and learning — for both our Tamariki and our four-legged friends! 🥰

These photos need no explanation. Why?
Because they capture children learning through play. 🌿
Our Kaiako have thoughtfully set the scene, creating an environment full of possibilities. From there, the Tamariki take the lead — exploring, creating, experimenting, problem-solving, and extending their own ideas.
This is the beauty of independent play: the environment provides the invitation, and the Tamariki decide where their learning will take them.

🐮✨ Meet Iggy the Highland Cow! ✨🐮
Iggy has been off on some very special adventures with our Tamariki! 🌿📖
Our Tamariki are creating their very own storybook, featuring themselves and their fluffy friend Iggy as they explore the world and make wonderful memories together.
Here’s a little sneak peek at the first few days of Iggy’s adventures out in our community… 💛
We can’t wait to see where Iggy and our Tamariki’s imaginations take them next! 🐮🌈📚

Today the atmosphere at daycare was full of excitement and curiosity!
We learned about Cook Islands numbers and enjoyed moving our bodies during Cook Islands music with Crystal, doing aerobics together outside.
There was lots of excitement when we discovered that Jack Frost had visited overnight and left ice on the slide. We explored the ice, talked about how it felt, and observed what happened as it began to melt.
We also worked together to draw arrows on the concrete, creating one-way paths for everyone to follow. This encouraged teamwork, turn-taking, and following directions while making our own fun games.
The sandpit was another busy place today, with lots of digging, exploring, and discovering both in and around the sandpit. The children worked together, used their imaginations, and enjoyed investigating the outdoor environment.
It was a wonderful day filled with cultural learning, movement, exploration, creativity, and plenty of opportunities to learn through play.

We have just begun our journey with Iggy the Highland Cow. Each night , Iggy will head off on a special adventure with one of our tamariki, visiting their home and becoming part of their family for a short time.

We encourage tamariki to share Iggy’s adventures in his own book that goes with him. These experiences help build confidence, strengthen the connection between home and our learning environment, and celebrate each child's unique family and culture.

We can't wait to see all the wonderful adventures Iggy has with our tamariki!

August is a busy month!
We have lots of exciting events and activities happening throughout August:

Iggy the Highland Cow's Adventures
1)Iggy the Highland Cow will be heading off on adventures with our centre families! Each day, Iggy will go home with a different child to enjoy some special adventures before returning to share their experiences with everyone.

2)Book Week (15th–21st August)
We're looking forward to celebrating Book Week with lots of fun literacy activities. More information about the planned activities will be placed in your child's information pocket.

3)Cancer Society Fundraiser
Throughout August, we will be raising funds for the Cancer Society. To finish the month, we'll be holding a Wheels Day on Friday, 28th August, where children are invited to bring along their favourite wheels (bike, scooter, trike, or similar) for a fun day of riding and fundraising.

What a beautiful day! ☀️ With the sun shining, we made the most of our time outdoors and had an amazing day together.
The children challenged themselves, explored new ideas, and worked together to solve problems when things didn't go to plan the first time. Their perseverance, creativity, and determination were wonderful to see.

We also welcomed a new friend to our centre and celebrated a special birthday, making the day even more memorable. 🎉

Every day, we continue to empower one another, build confidence, and create a supportive environment where everyone feels valued and encouraged to learn and grow. 💛