Seatoun Kindergarten

We built a bug garden! Tamariki gathered logs, rocks, pāua shells and leaves from around the kindergarten and turned one of our garden bed boxes into a special garden just for bugs - somewhere we could re-home any bugs we found in nature and somewhere that would encourage bugs to come and live happily “I think they’ll love it here!”

We wanted to share some of the mahi we've been working on over the past few weeks.

Many of our tamariki have been interested in bugs and insects. Not only do we make our dedicated bug garden outside to hopefully attract more to our environment. We've also been reading lots of cool bug books to learn more about them.

Inside, we've been doing lots of art. We did some observational drawings of a grasshopper and some dead weta that we found. We've been working towards a big wall display inspired by Eric Carle. First we practised out cutting and gluing and drawing with smaller pages. Then we did lots and lots and lots of painting large bits of paper with rollers.

Today we cut the dried painted paper and stuck it up on the wall. It looks pretty awesome. We've been brainstorming what we need to add to it, thinking of things that we expect to find in the garden. Over the next few weeks we may add: birds, grasshoppers, butterflies, rabbits, bees, flowers, lizards, ants, grass, beetles, swings, fairies... the list goes on!

It's been really lovely to see everyone involved in some capacity - from the youngest to the oldest. I'm quite excited about what we've achieved, and looking forward to seeing how it will continue to evolve. Be sure to come in and see our amazing mahi as it continues to take shape! - Kaiako Joseph and the team

We have a lovely loom that was recently newly strung for us - this morning we had great fun exploring it and the various materials we could weave.

“Introducing tamariki to weaving is a fun and creative activity and a valuable learning experience. It promotes fine motor skills, creativity, patience, and problem-solving abilities, all while providing a sense of accomplishment and self-expression.”

Our ‘light table’ provides a unique platform for hands-on exploration and discovery as tamariki work alone and together to explore and experiment. By combining light, color, and texture, it creates an immersive sensory experience that captivates tamariki attention and encourages open-ended play. Here we added translucent blocks and magnets but the possibilities for materails to use with it are limitless…

The reopening of Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui Central Library is one for the books – and everything else

Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui Central Library officially reopens its doors to the public from 10am on Saturday 14 March, marking a huge milestone for Wellington.

At its heart sits Te Huarewa Toi, the library’s new exhibition space, which will open with a project shaped directly by the people of Te Whanganui‑a‑Tara.

Rau Whārangi – Leaves of Pōneke, the opening exhibition, is being developed by artist and science communicator Dr Gabby O’Connor. Her practice centres on collaboration, learning, and community authorship.

So far, about 500 Wellingtonians have created artwork that will fill the gallery, and around 1000 will have contributed by the time the exhibition opens. Rau Whārangi explores what the landscape around Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui may have looked like in the past.

To understand that history, O’Connor worked with mana whenua taiao experts, alongside ecologists, scientists, and Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush kaimahi, to identify plants that once grew near the library site.

A woman taking a photo of peoples artwork
Artist Gabby O'Connor photographing art pieces created by the community.
Leaf samples were collected and photographed, forming the basis of a series of community workshops held across Wellington. At these workshops, O’Connor introduced participants to the plants and their stories before inviting them to create art using images of leaves on illuminated lightboxes.

The sessions were designed to be inclusive and adaptable, welcoming everyone from three‑year‑olds to grandparents, from students with low vision to those with limited mobility. One young participant described the process as “very satisfying” – a sentiment O’Connor shares.

The most recent workshop, held at Kilbirnie Library, brought together families, students, and curious locals, each contributing their own patterns, creatures, and imaginative designs. Every artwork was photographed and will appear in the final exhibition.

“The project is about imagining how things were, to understand how things have changed,” O’Connor says. “I think the more you know, the easier it is to care as well.”

Kids making art using plants and light boxes
Participants creating their art through plants.
When Rau Whārangi opens in March, visitors to Te Huarewa Toi will see a large collage stretching across two gallery walls, made entirely of imagery created during the workshops.

For more info, visit tematapihi.govt.nz

SEAWEEK - Today 10-3! Join the Victoria University Coastal Ecology Lab (VUCEL) for their annual public Open Day!
This is an opportunity to come and see the lab, learn about marine research at Te Herenga Waka, and have a sausage sizzle. Family-friendly event with fun for everyone.

Yesterday we were very lucky to have Lorraine Boennic Waste Educator | Kaiako Para Kore from Waste Operations at the Wellington City Council visit us and talk, and sing, with us about recycling. We learnt how to recognise and sort our paper, tins and plastics and Lorraine is going to come back with some advice on worm farms to help us get our worm farm up and running. All part of our focus this year on improving our connection with the environment.

He Whānau Manaaki Kindergartens continue to grow 🌱
Nau mai haere mai Taranaki Kindergartens to our whānau 🩵

💚 Today we proudly welcomed 24 Taranaki kindergartens into our whānau. This special day marks the formal coming together of Kindergarten Taranaki and Whānau Manaaki.

~ We are honored to have Taranaki kaiako, kaimahi, tamariki and whānau join us. Each kindergarten brings its own history, community connections and local identity - and that richness strengthens us all.

👩🏽‍❤️‍👨🏽 Together, we share a commitment to high-quality, accessible early learning that puts tamariki and whānau at the heart of everything we do.

👉 You can find out more about our Taranaki kindergartens on the Whānau Manaaki website! https://wmkindergartens.org.nz/find-a-kindergarten

We started off SEAWEEK 2026 this week reading “I am Tangaroa” by Ron Bacon and Manu Smith and ended the day with a Hide and Seek Tray Game of sea themed items. We also talked about how stormy the sea must have been in Seatoun and Wellington today on this blustery day and shared our experiences of coming to kindergarten in the rain this morning - exciting!

https://seaweek.org.nz/seaweek-2026-2/

Last week we were ALL about building cubby houses with our soft shapes & other bits & bobs - hours of creativity, teamwork & fun!

“Cubbies engage children on so many levels,” says Tim Gill, an international consultant on children’s play from the UK, and author of rethinkingchildhood.com. “They provide a great springboard for stories, role-play and social interaction, and they offer practical challenges, encouraging children to think about what they can do with the things around them. There are many obvious benefits to building cubbies, including being physically active, problem-solving and working with others. But the more profound benefits are to do with fostering children’s sense of themselves as people who are effective in their everyday actions, and whose actions make a difference. Educators call this ‘self-efficacy’, and it links with resilience, self-confidence and other crucial life skills and dispositions.”
www.naturebaby.co.nz

URGENT! Due to severe weather conditions Seatoun Kindergarten and all WMK in the North Island will be closed today. Stay safe whanau