Sandy Toes

07/08/2026

As the weather starts getting warmer, messy play has been a favourite around here over the past few weeks!

Last week, balloon and fly swat painting quickly turned into face and body painting. This week, our Lux Flakes slime adventure started with covering dinosaurs in slime before washing and drying them, evolving into making potions with slime, sand, and grass... ending with lots of giggles as the children skidded across the grass! 🦖

And of course, after all that messy fun, everyone enjoyed a nice warm bath outside in the beautiful winter sunshine.

It's amazing to see how one simple invitation to play can grow into creativity, imagination, problem-solving, and sensory exploration when children are given the time to become deeply engaged in their own ideas. Home-based childcare provides the time, space, and flexibility for children's play to unfold naturally—because that's where some of the richest learning happens. 💛

23/06/2026

Have you ever considered becoming a Home-Based Childcare Educator?

I currently work Monday to Thursday, 8:30am–4:00pm, and absolutely love the flexibility it gives me to work around my own family while doing something I'm passionate about.

My days are spent creating meaningful learning experiences, heading out on adventures to our beautiful local beaches and playgrounds, and watching children learn, grow, and thrive in a nurturing home environment.

As the only home-based childcare educator currently operating in the Bream Bay area, I am fully enrolled and have an extensive waitlist stretching well into next year. This clearly shows the demand for quality home-based childcare in our community and the need for more educators in the area.

If you've ever thought about working with children from your own home and making a real difference in the lives of local families, now could be the perfect time to explore the opportunity.

As a qualified Early Childhood Education teacher, I am more than happy to support and guide anyone interested in starting this journey. I'd love to share my experience and help you explore whether home-based childcare could be the right fit for you, or you can contact Ann (Ahika's Owner and Visiting Teacher) on 021 833 736 for more information.

Feel free to get in touch for a chat or to learn more.

Vanessa
021 225 5639

Send a message to learn more

25/12/2025

🎄Merry Christmas and have a safe holiday with laughter, friends, family and making memories 💖

17/12/2025

Are you thinking about childcare for next year?

A calm, home-away-from-home for your little one 🏡
A relaxed, engaging environment where children can learn and explore in their own time
Just minutes from our beautiful beaches 🌊

Limited childcare spaces available — feel free to message me for a chat.

Vanessa
021 225 5639

27/11/2025

We had an amazing experience today down at the marina entrance! Not only had our plans changed but we ventured down and discovered this beautiful wheke! 🐙
This is something I absolutely love about homebased childcare! The freedom of going out and exploring our stunning environment in a small group and also having the opportunity to just sit and watch with no rush to be anywhere 💖 Best of both worlds for our tamariki.
Nature at its best right here on our doorstep! 😍

18/11/2025

Kinetic Sand Alternatives....
With all the publicity of kinetic sand, I thought I'd show you how easy it is to make an alternative! There's so many moon sand or kinetic sand recipes on Pinterest with ingredients that you will have in your pantry.
What's your favourite recipes?
This is what we use here at Sandy Toes.

15/11/2025

Foster Hope need our help to be able to celebrate Christmas with some precious tamariki. If anyone wants to donate, contact me to drop off and I will deliver to Whangarei collection point 🌲🎁
Vanessa 💝

We need your help!

Working our way through our long list of Christmas gifts, we would love a little help from our amazing community.

It is always a bit tricky to put together a beautiful gift on a small budget however we strive to make sure all our gifts go out with lots of love, care and thoughtfulness for a child in care that will receive it.

We are needing ideas and gifts for girls aged 4 to 7 years.
For some reason, this is the age group we are really short on this year, and we would be so grateful for your suggestions or donations.

😍

31/10/2025

Meet Nuby, the cat that acts like my own personal safety inspector. She checks all the opportunities that are set for the day, rolls around and gets tangled in the blankets and awaits our first friend. During the day while tamariki play, she may pop through to say hi and ask for a quick pat, sunbathe in a quiet space, or people/dog watch from behind the fence. She loves exploring the environment but also loves her lounge back at the end of the week! 🐈‍⬛❤️

19/10/2025

Here at Sandy Toes we've revamped our little outdoor kitchen. Over the week there's been coloured water, baking soda, vinegar, coloured rice, sparkles, herbs, mortar and pestle, and lots of soups, potions and experimenting going on!
This week the boys spotted some mud beside us and of course, in went the cars. Luckily there were scrubbing brushes for washing the cars! This quickly led to car painting on a huge piece of paper on the board.
That's the wonderful thing about homebased care; the movement of the day is all in the hearts of the tamariki!

13/10/2025

We had so much fun and laughter with Fly Swat Painting last week! As well as getting splattered with paint there is lots of learning opportunities here!

🏃‍♂️ Gross Motor Skill Development
Large arm movements used to swat paint help develop coordination and muscle strength in the shoulders, arms, and core.
Reaching, swinging, and balancing during the activity enhance body awareness, stability, and motor planning (deciding how to move to achieve a goal).
✳️ Great for kids who need active, whole-body learning.

✋ Hand-Eye Coordination
Aiming the swatter at a target spot on the paper builds visual tracking and coordination between what the eyes see and how the hand moves.
Helps children refine accuracy, which supports early writing and sports skills.

🧠 Sensory Processing
Engages the tactile (touch) system through paint textures.
The proprioceptive system (body awareness through muscle input) is activated during swatting and pressing.
For some children, the big movements can be calming and help regulate energy levels.
✳️ Sensory-rich play like this can be especially helpful for children with sensory processing differences.

🧘 Emotional Expression and Regulation
The act of swatting can be a safe, fun way to release energy or frustration.
Creates a playful, non-judgmental space for expression — no “right or wrong” way to do it.

🤝 Social Skills (when done in a group)
Taking turns, sharing materials, and collaborating on a large piece of art can support:
Communication
Cooperation
Conflict resolution