What a fun evening we had as we put on our pyjamas and got ready to boogie. Our whānau brought some fish n chips where we sat down and enjoyed a meal together. After that it was time to party! The disco lights came on, music was turned up and out came the glow sticks. Our tamariki engaged in some line dancing to “Cotton Eye Joe,” “Witch Doctor,” and more! It’s great to see these older songs still about! We love our whānau evenings here at Play to Learn...

Father’s Day in New Zealand is a special day to recognise and celebrate the role fathers play in our life. Whether it’s your Dad, step-Dad, foster Dad, or just a special father figure who has helped you along the way, Father’s Day NZ is your chance to say ‘Thank You’. As part of our father’s day celebrations, we held an evening where the children could invite their dad, grandad, poppa, uncle and friend to Play to Learn for a Fish and Chip...

Recently, there has been a lot of pretend play involving superheroes at Play to Learn and so we decided to have a superhero dress up day at the centre! Our little ones couldn’t stop talking about this and began sharing their ideas of which superhero they wanted to come dressed as. When the day finally arrived it was amazing to see all the effort our whanau and tamariki had gone to – it was like Play to Learn had become a centre of learning for the world’s...

It was Crazy Hair Day at Play to Learn, and we had an absolute blast! We love having fun, so this day was perfect for us. The hairstyles were wild and creative, with lots of colours, hair ties, and even some spiders! You could tell everyone put a lot of thought into their zany styles. ‘Fun days’ like these help everyone feel like they belong, as all the tamariki get to join in on the fun together. It’s a great way for tamariki, kaiako, and whaanau to bond over...

Who is your favourite book character. Today the centre was humming with the different characters on display. Listening to the children talking to their friends about their favourite books and who they were dressed up in demonstrated that literacy is alive and well at Play to Learn  

What a great evening to celebrate the wonderful mum’s in our lives. There was lots of chatter and laughter throughout the evening. We saw the creative side of our mums. We had options of canvas painting and diamond art. The final products were absolutely beautiful . Was a great night to relax, chat and have lots of fun

Kōrero Mai, Kōrero Atu, Mauri Tū, Mauri Ora Speak Up, Stand Together, Stop Bullying! Pink Shirt Day is about working together to stop bullying by celebrating diversity and promoting kindness and inclusiveness. It’s about creating a community where all people feel safe, valued and respected, regardless of gender identity, age, ability, religion or cultural background. We love to be able to support these amazing days that promote and celebrate causes close to our hearts ta...

The weather was rainy and cold outside but the inside we were warm and cozy in our PJ’s. Wrapped up in our blankets, pillows supporting our heads, we set in for a movie with our vegie chips in our pop corn cups. Will need to organise another day like this especially as the winter months are approaching.  

What a delightful morning we had, celebrating the cherished relationships in our lives! We warmly invited our grandparents and special friends to join us for a morning filled with joy and connection. We shared delicious kai and engaged in various enjoyable activities alongside their...

Our tamariki had a ‘wheely’ good time at Play to Learn’s annual ‘Wheels Day’ event. Our tamariki brought in their bikes and scooters, along with their helmets, and had a great time outside in the parking lot. Our adorable tamariki cheerfully switched and shared their wheels with their buddies, demonstrating wonderful manaakitanga and whakawhanaungatanga. Tino pai to mahi, tamariki!!  

We are a multicultural centre and we participate in various different cultural activities. We had our centre Kirihimete party and our tamariki and whaanua had a lovely time together. I wish all of you a Meri Kirihimete and a prosperous 2023!...

Here at Play to Learn our tamariki enjoyed getting out and about for some ‘wheely’ great fun for our annual ‘Wheels Day’ event. Our tamariki brought in their bikes and scooters together with their helmets and had lots of fun outside in the carpark. Our wonderful tamariki happily swapped and shared their wheels with their friends showing wonderful manaakitanga and whakawhanaungatanga. Tino pai to mahi, tamariki ma!!

Here at Play to Learn we are a diverse centre and we celebrate the various cultural days of significance. We celebrated St Patrick’s Day and our tamariki participated in the various learning experiences. They did St Patrick’s collage pasting, doing painting where they made four-leaf clover, green chalk painting, making green pikelets, sensory play with the babies using green sparkling foam, and hunting for leprechauns. We were dressed in green as we celebrated this...

Sometimes we have Kiwiana Day to celebrate Waitangi Day. To help the children learn about the Treaty of Waitangi we purchased Sharon Holt’s  book “Te Wairun o Waitangi”. Our Kiwiana Day involved a number of “kiwi related activities” these included dressing up in your favourite New Zealand inspired outfit, fish and chips for lunch, jandal throwing and pass the kete. We also created our Treaty which we will call our Care Code as it is about how...

As a child I have fond memories of making mud pies in the back yard with my siblings and cooking them in the play house we had in the back yard, I remember playing in mud as a joyous time and getting outside as often as we could. This year I was excited about Mud Day, because it fell on a weekend we decided to celebrate a few days early. We had a great time with the mud, celebrating using clay and even learning about the other properties of mud as a face mask and eating mud pie...