Martinborough Kindergarten

26/08/2026

✨ Loose parts play in action ✨

Loose parts provide endless opportunities for tamariki to explore, create, problem-solve, and bring their ideas to life. With no set purpose, these materials encourage imagination, critical thinking, and creativity as children design, build, adapt, and reimagine their creations.

Today, our environment was filled with thoughtful construction, perseverance, and innovation as loose parts were transformed into an impressive castle. Experiences like these highlight the rich learning that occurs when tamariki are given the freedom to follow their ideas and lead their own play.

18/08/2026

Our tamariki had an amazing time taking part in Martin's Wood Workshop, where they created ball bounce boards. There was lots of listening, concentration, and following of Martin's instructions throughout the process.
The tamariki used a range of practical skills including measuring, sawing, and screw driving as they worked on this project. It was great to see their confidence grow as they learnt new skills and persevered through each step.
The best part? Testing them out and playing with the finished boards. The excitement on their faces as they watched the balls bounce back to them.
A big thank you to Martin for sharing his skills and supporting our tamariki to learn through hands-on experiences.

29/07/2026

❄️🧊 These frosty mornings have provided so many exciting learning opportunities for our tamariki! They have been enjoying exploring the frost and ice that has been covering the playground and discovering how it changes throughout the day. One morning, they were especially excited to find lots of sea creatures frozen in a trough of ice! There was plenty of fun as the tamariki worked together to break the ice and rescue the sea creatures, while exploring concepts of science, problem-solving, and sensory play. What a wonderful way to embrace the winter weather! 🐚🐠❄️💙

16/07/2026

🌱♻️ Our tamariki have been busy learning about sustainability by making paper bricks from our shredded paper waste. Through this hands-on experience, they explored recycling in action, worked together as a team, and discovered how everyday waste can be transformed into something useful. We loved seeing their enthusiasm, perseverance, and care for the environment as they took on the role of little kaitiaki, helping to make a positive difference for our planet. 🌏💚

01/07/2026

The weekend's weather in Martinborough created isolation for many local residents due to flooding rivers. As the tamariki return and reconnect, they are revisiting these shared experiences through sandpit exploration, reenacting flowing rivers and investigating how water moves through the landscape. This play provides opportunities for conversation, creativity, and making sense of events in their community.

09/06/2026

We currently have spaces available for children over 2 years at Martinborough Kindergarten so give us a call on (06) 3068085 or pop in and chat to one of our Kaiako.

16/03/2026

Another great toy maker workshop with Martin this week, where the children designed and made their own vehicles. We also had the chance to hang up our Atua that were created in previous workshops. These Atua are now proudly displayed in our environment to reflect the bicultural nature of our curriculum.

11/03/2026

Another great day on our nature programme to Considine Park, where tamariki got to spend time playing in Nature, climbing trees, finding cicada shells, and having fun with our friends.

10/03/2026

A big shout out to the wonderful crew at the Martinborough Men's Shed who fix our broken toys/chairs and give them a new lease on life. Not only did they fix a broken leg on our family corner chair, but they re-painted it and put in strengthening so it lasts another 10 years! Such an amazing organisation for our community. 🤩

15/02/2026