Grasshoppers Early Learning Centre Ohaupo

04/09/2026

We’ve had some very special visitors at Grasshoppers thanks to Living Eggs New Zealand.

Our tamariki have loved watching the incredible journey from egg, to hatching, to tiny chick! There was so much excitement as the eggs cracked and our little chicks emerged.

The tamariki have also had many opportunities to gently handle the chicks, learning about caring for living things, using gentle hands and showing manaakitanga.

Such a special hands-on learning experience filled with wonder, curiosity and lots of fluffy cuddles!

We are excited to be keeping the four female chicks, and the journey will continue as we watch them grow and hopefully start producing eggs for us!

28/08/2026

28/08/2026

Celebrating Our Kaiako🩷

Recently we celebrated some very special long-service milestones at Grasshoppers!

A huge thank you to our dedicated kaiako for your years of commitment, care and passion. Your knowledge, experience and love for our tamariki make such a difference to our centre and our wider whānau.

We are so grateful for everything you bring to Grasshoppers. He mihi nui ki a koutou!

28/08/2026

Grandparents Day 2026!

What a beautiful morning we had celebrating Grandparents Day at Grasshoppers!

A huge thank you to all of the grandparents, whānau, and special people who joined us today. The turnout was amazing, and it was so special to see our tamariki sharing their learning, their play, their smiles and their space with the people who are so important in their lives.

Days like today are such a beautiful reflection of whanaungatanga, building and celebrating the relationships that surround and support our tamariki, and kotahitanga, coming together as one community.

We feel incredibly lucky to have such a warm, supportive and connected Grasshoppers community. Watching our tamariki light up as they welcomed their special people into the centre was simply precious.

Thank you for being part of our Grasshoppers whānau. We love our community!

He waka eke noa — We are all in this together.

14/08/2026

A big thank you to Paul for visiting Grasshoppers and sharing some special story time with our tamariki! Paul is the proud Grandad of Hudson, Carter, Ayla and Levi, and it was lovely to see the tamariki enjoying his stories and building connections.

Sharing books together helps foster a love of reading while strengthening whanaungatanga and our connections with whānau and our wider community.

If you or someone in your whānau would like to come and read with our tamariki, please let a kaiako know, we would love to have you!

13/08/2026

We’re looking to grow our casual reliever pool! If you’re passionate, caring, love working with tamariki, and would like to join our wonderful team on a casual basis, we’d love to hear from you!

08/08/2026

In our under two's space, art is all about the experience. Rather than focusing on creating a finished masterpiece, our pēpi are free to explore colours, textures, and materials in their own unique way.

Through art, tamariki build confidence, creativity, and fine motor skills while expressing themselves through play and discovery. We celebrate the learning, curiosity, and joy that happens along the way, because the process is where the magic truly happens.

07/08/2026

We were incredibly fortunate to welcome Kerrin, the Education Facilitator from Te Awamutu Museum, to our centre recently. What a privilege it was to have him share his knowledge and passion with our tamariki!

Using a playful puppet to break the ice, Kerrin quickly captured everyone's attention, creating a fun and engaging learning experience. Together, we explored the significance of Matariki, learning about the traditional tools used to prepare the soil for planting and how our ancestors looked to the maramataka (the Māori lunar calendar) to guide planting and growing.

Experiences like these bring learning to life, helping our tamariki make meaningful connections with the history, stories, and traditions of Aotearoa. They also strengthen our local curriculum, fostering a sense of belonging and appreciation for the knowledge held within our own community.

A huge thank you to Kerrin and the team at Te Awamutu Museum for sharing your time and expertise with us. We are so grateful for these valuable community partnerships that enrich the learning journeys of our tamariki.

27/07/2026

✨Whaia ngā Whetū – Follow the Stars ✨

Inspired by our Matariki celebrations, our tamariki in Rūma Ahi have set their sights on the stars!

Our new group planning topic, Whaia ngā Whetū (Follow the Stars), has been completely sparked by the curiosity and wonder of our tamariki. What began with conversations about Matariki has evolved into an exciting inquiry about planets, stars, rockets, astronauts, the moon, and everything beyond our world.

As always, we are following the lead of our tamariki, listening to their questions, ideas, and theories as they guide the direction of our learning. Through hands-on exploration, creative experiences, stories, construction, art, and scientific thinking, we are discovering just how incredible our universe is!

21/07/2026

Meet Megan! Our new Water room team leader 🩷