Loose Part Play
You may have heard the term loose parts (or open ended resources) used within your child’s Early Learning Centre but what exactly is it and how are they beneficial in your child’s learning journey?
News
September 2024
August 2024
Supporting your Child's Early Literacy
There are many ways that whānau can positively impact their child’s early literacy development by creating opportunities during day to day interactions. Here are just three of the ways you can help support your child on their literacy learning journey.
July 2024
Maths in Action
Everyday in lots of different ways, opportunities present themselves for our children to engage in mathematical concepts.
June 2024
The Magic of Playdough
No doubt over the years we’ve all had a wee dabble playing with play dough- whether it be the commercial play-doh brand that was first marketing as a play product in the 1950’s or the homemade version that has been whipped up in kitchens all around the world. There are many reasons why playdough is so popular and the skills developed through playing with this medium go far deeper than just imagination and creativity!
The many learning benefits of blowing bubbles!
There’s no denying the delight that bubbles can bring for children and adults alike! As an adult it comes naturally to us to be able to blow bubbles, but have you ever thought about the different skills it takes?
April 2023
Childcare Assistance Update
Effective 1 April 2023, more people will be eligible for subsidy and the hourly subsidy rates will increase.
January 2023
Happy Chinese New Year!
The children have enjoyed lots of artwork from colouring in pictures, cutting out flowers to making lanterns and tasting dumplings!
Welcome back!
We have had a great start back to the year with children getting involved in lots of different artwork. Check it out!
January Joy
Welcome back little Kiwis! From getting wet to building sand castles and even just having a good run around
November 2021
Diwali at Lollipops Millennium
The children were delighted to celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights! Check out this video!
October 2021
February 2021
New van & Summer fun at Lollipops Blighs Road
We have had an exciting month here at Lollipops Blighs road with the arrival of our new van! Plus we have been making the most of the amazing summer weather by exploring water play and getting out in the garden.
February fun outdoors at Lollipops Patten Street
Dinosaurs, community pantry and gardening.. Its been a busy month at Lollipops Patten Street, take a look at the photos to see what we have been up to.
Growing Kiwi Gardeners
We are very lucky here at Lollipops to have Anita join us from Growing Kiwi Gardeners each fortnight. The tamariki look forward to her visiting and sharing in her knowledge and wonder of how we can care for Papatuanuku.
August 2020
Plunket and Lollipops Patten Street
We have recently partnered with the local Plunket to provide support to our community.
November 2019
Art-loving Toddlers
Aspiring artists from Lollipops Browns Bay got to showcase their talents at a special Kiwi Room art exhibition.
Halloween and All Things Green
Halloween celebrations at Lollipops Papamoa were in full swing last Thursday, giving children and staff the perfect excuse to channel their inner witches and ghouls...
Halloween Fun at Lollipops Britomart
Ghosts and ghouls, fairies and pumpkins, and yes, even tigers turned up to celebrate Halloween at Lollipops Britomart yesterday.
Freyberg Park Treasure
A trip to Freyberg Park unearthed a treasure trove of loose parts for children from Lollipops Browns Bay’s Fantails Room.
October 2019
Diwali - The Festival of Light
The light of Diwali shone brighter than ever at Lollipops Newton Road last week as kaiako, tamariki and whanau embraced the much-loved Indian festival with singing, dancing, food and artwork.
PumpHouse Puppet Show
An interactive puppet show at Takapuna’s PumpHouse Theatre proved to be a big hit with preschoolers from Lollipops Coatesville.
Multigenerational Magic
Every Friday, a group of preschoolers from Lollipops Tauranga catch the bus to Bob Owens Retirement Village to join the residents in their daily fitness session.
Lollipops Britomart Celebrates Diwali
Celebrating different cultures is a great way to build compassion and understanding, and at Lollipops Britomart embracing cultural diversity is an integral facet of centre life.
Lollipops Oteha Valley - Where the Action is!
Our children thrive on physical activity and the teachers love to encourage them.
Diwali Celebrations
Lollipops Auckland Central was awash with colour as staff, children and families celebrated Diwali, the much-loved festival of lights.
September 2019
Healthy Heart Whanau Award for Lollipops St Lukes
Lollipops St Lukes celebrated the next stage in their Healthy Heart journey, with a special ceremony to receive their Healthy Heart Whanau Award.
Celebrating Cultural Diversity
Embracing different cultures is a way of life at Lollipops St Lukes, and this week the centre celebrated Chinese Language Week.
Uncovering the Mysteries of the Sea
“At the moment our children love pretending to be sharks, whales and other creatures of the sea, so to extend their interest, and link it to some real-world learning, we took them on an excursion to Kelly Tarlton’s Sea Life Aquarium,” says Lollipops Newton Road centre manager Bharti Gautam.
Transition to School Workshop
The team at Lollipops Newton Road hosted a transition to school workshop to help prepare parents for the next phase of their children’s learning journeys.
Learning to Care for the World Around Us
This week Lollipops Papamoa is celebrating Conservation Week, encouraging tamariki to appreciate and respect the world around them.
Everyone' s a Hero at Lollipops Pukekohe
Tamariki and kaiako at Lollipops Pukekohe embraced their inner superhero on August 28, with a special superhero dressup day.
Sharing the Love on Father's Day
Lollipops Pukekohe welcomed some extra special VIPs to the centre on August 30...all our amazing dads!
Lollipops Papamoa Celebrates Maori Language Week
Maori Language Week is a great opportunity for kaiako and tamariki to deepen their understanding of Aotearoa’s bicultural heritage.
Celebrating Real Life Superheroes
It's not often batman and superman make a guest appearance at Lollipops Britomart, but thanks to a superhero themed Father's Day party, caped crusaders were out in force earlier this week.
August 2019
Fathers Day at Lollipops Newton Road
Dads played a starring role at our fun-filled Father's Day celebrations - an epic evening packed full of games, activities and lots and lots of laughter!
Visiting our Local Heroes
Children learn a lot by getting out into the local community, and today a visit to the Albany Fire Station gave Lollipops Albany's Chicks Room plenty to reflect on.
Singing in the Rain
The children in Lollipops Albany's Toddler Room are loving the freedom of being able to go outside - rain or shine - with their new umbrellas.
Farmyard Fun
The children at Lollipops Waiuku were treated to a day of farmyard fun, thanks to a visit from Old MacDonald’s Mobile Farmyard.
Cupcakes Save Lives
This week at Lollipops North Harbour the children have been learning about helping those in need - in this case, the 41,000 abused and neglected animals that end up at the SPCA each year.
July 2019
Room on the Broom Comes to Life
Room on the Broom is one of the children's most loved books at Lollipops Albany, and today the story magically came to life for the centre's Tui Room children.
Zumba Fever
Thanks to a much-anticipated Zumba pyjama party, children got the chance to come to school in their pjs and spend the morning stretching, jumping and dancing to the latest Zumba tracks.
Matariki Hangi Family Evening
Lollipops Albany hosted a hangi for families on Friday evening to celebrate Maori New Year, Matariki.
Outdoor Adventures in the Heart of the City
Winter may be here, but a group of Grey Lynn preschoolers are enjoying more outdoor learning opportunities than ever before, thanks to the just-completed renovation of Lollipops Grey Lynn.
Shared Kai Welcomes in Maori New Year
Last week the Rising 5 junior and senior teams at Lollipops Napier Port learnt a lot about soup - and even more about Matariki.
Matariki at Lollipops Oteha Valley
The heart and essence of Maoridom was celebrated at Lollipops Oteha Valley on Friday evening, as whanau joined staff and tamariki to celebrate Matariki.
June 2019
Songwriter and Author Visits Lollipops Albany
This week the children at Lollipops Albany were treated to some VIP entertainment, thanks to a visit from Chris Sanders, AKA the ‘111 Ambulance Song Guy’.
Child Protection Top Priority
As part of their ongoing commitment to child welfare, the team at Lollipops Greenlane recently attended child protection training facilitated by Eric Hollis, MTeach (ECE) MA FGS.
Tauranga children doing their bit for Matariki
Today, children from Lollipops Papamoa joined the local community to plant kowhai trees in Arataki’s Pacific park, to celebrate the rising of Matariki.
Swimming Lessons Build Skills
When you’re living by one of the country’s best beaches, it’s pretty important to know how to swim – and the children at Lollipops Papamoa are off to a great start thanks to their weekly swim classes at Bartlett Swim School.
Maia's Matariki Message
Maia in our Pohutukawa Room wrote a poem about Matariki (with a little help from mum) and it had a little sustainability message within it.
Open Day Showcases Revamped Centre
Local families got a taste of life at Lollipops Grey Lynn last weekend, thanks to a fun-filled Open Day showcasing the centre’s just completed renovation.
Down to the Woods
Hard ones, soft ones, shaggy ones, holy ones. Bears of all shapes, sizes and colours descended upon Lollipops Kumeu today for the much anticipated Teddy Bears' Picnic.
World Environment Day Inspires Beeswax Wraps
Sustainability and looking after our environment is a big deal for the children at Lollipops Green Bay, and on June 5 - World Environment Day - they played their part in reducing plastic waste by learning to make their own honey beeswax wraps.
Rainy Day Fun
The boys at lollipops Albany made the most of the rainy day and instead of being bored while being stuck inside, our imaginations went wild.
May 2019
Lollipops Britomart Celebrates Samoan Language Week
Talofa Lava! The children at Lollipops Britomart have been busy embracing the beauty of Samoan culture for Samoan Language Week!
Healthy Heart Gold Award for Lollipops Blighs Road
We are extremely proud and excited to announce that we have just received our latest Pa Harakeke - Gold Healthy Heart Award.
March 2019
Lollipops Swanson Disco Night
Lollipops Swanson recently hosted a disco to welcome all of the new tamariki and their whanau into the centre.
Lollipops Petone create an amazing mud kitchen
With help from our dedicated parents, we put together this amazing mud kitchen for the kids to use!
Fundraising for Christchurch
The Kaiako at Lollipops Britomart organised a special donation service to help raise money for the families affected in Christchurch.
Pukekohe Pancakes Take the Cake
The children at Lollipops Pukekohe got to join in on the fun of National Pancake Day, using a wide variety of fruit to create some true masterpieces.
Community Play at Britomart
Lollipops Britomart slip, slop, slapped and took an excursion to the community park.
Lollipops Newton celebrated Japan Day
In preparation for Japan Day, we made some Japanese fans and learnt a new art form called marble painting.
December 2018
Christmas donations from Lollipops Newton for our community
Families at Lollipops Newton Rd generously donated gifts for women and children in need in our community to make their Christmas very special.
Lollipops Grey Lynn Children's Xmas party
Despite the weather we all celebrated our magic of Christmas themed party together in style at Lollipops Grey Lynn. Maize the magician was a hit, followed by performances from all of the children and finally a visit from Santa!
November 2018
Diyas and Dancing at Diwali
Diwali, the festival of lights, was celebrated with great ceremony and show at Lollipops Millennium.
What's Cooking at Lollipops Pegasus?
Weekly baking and cooking classes are proving to be a big hit with the kids at Lollipops Pegasus.
Happy Halloween!
Lollipops Newton Road has been abuzz with excitement over the past few weeks, with Halloween celebrations in full swing.
Halloween Antics
Halloween was celebrated in true spooky style at Lollipops Grey Lynn this year
October 2018
In a Galaxy, Far, Far Away
Lollipops Grey Lynn’s Preschool room children have just been learning about the solar system, and to celebrate all they’ve learnt, last week they took a trip to Auckland’s Stardome.
The Wonky Donkey Heads to Birkenhead
The story of the Wonky Donkey has captured the hearts of children (and adults) across the globe – and this week youngsters at Lollipops Birkenhead were treated to a visit from the author himself. Craig Smith.
September 2018
Bake a Wish at Lollipops Airport
The Lollipops Airport Bake A Wish ‘Bake Sale’ has taken off and the team have already raised over $450 for the Make A Wish Foundation.
A Super Father's Day Celebration at Lollipops Rolleston
Lollipops Rolleston held a Father's Day Family Evening with the fun “My Dad is my Super Hero” theme.
August 2018
Father’s Day at Lollipops Newton Rd
“One day is not enough to honour how special of a father you truly are because you are amazing every day of the year. Thank you for all that you do. I love you!”
SPCA Cupcake Day at Lollipops North Harbour
The children at Lollipops North Harbour made cupcakes to sell to raise money for the SPCA.
BNZ Closed for Good at Lollipops
The financial literacy skills of children across the country were given a big boost yesterday, and pre-schoolers at 12 Lollipops centres (36 of Evolve’s early childhood education centres) were some of the lucky recipients.
July 2018
Lollipops Millennium hosts a pajama party!
We had cuddly snuggles in the blanket, read stories, watched movies and the older children even had popcorn while the younger ones enjoyed a cake that they had baked for the day.
Lollipops Millennium visits Butterfly Creek
The Kiwi Room children from Lollipops Millennium recently went on a trip to Butterfly Creek.
Hands on Creatures came to Green Bay Lollipops
One little bug went out to play, On a spider’s web one day. He had ever so much fun, He called for another bug to come.
June 2018
Lollipops Waiuku supports #JammiesinJune
Lollipops Waiuku showed it's support to #Jammiesinjune by hosting a PJ day for the children.
Lollipops Newton Goes Straw Free!
Children at Lollipops Newton have been actively involved in learning about how to take care of the Planet Earth and our environment.
Cultural Day at Lollipops Newton
Everyone came dressed up in their cultural/ethnic wear and brought a plate of the traditional food to share with other families.
May 2018
Pancakes at Lollipops Ellerslie
Earlier this week the preschool children at Lollipops Ellerslie made pikelets and pancakes for afternoon tea.
St John Ambulance visits Lollipops Millennium
St. John Ambulance visited the children at Lollipops Millennium!
Lollipops Hazeldean visits Hagley Park
The Preschoolers from Lollipops Hazeldean in Christchurch embraced the wet and the cold for a visit to Hagley Park.
Te Reo Singalong at Lollipops Millennium
The highlight of this week was the long-awaited "Singalong Te Reo Show" conducted by Sharon and Alan Halt.
Family Takeaway Evening at Lollipops Blighs Road
Lollipops Blighs Road had a great turn out for Family Takeaway Evening with lots families joining, and some entertainment from Melanie Poppins!
Lollipops collects food donations for the Auckland Ronald McDonald House
The past couple of weeks Lollipops has been doing a food collection for the Auckland Ronald McDonald House.
April 2018
Exploring the Solar System at Lollipops Parnell
The Pukeko Room at Lollipops Parnell has been learning abouts space, planets and the solar system.
March 2018
Easter at Lollipops Newton Road
We all went out on a mini excursion to the local businesses in our community handing out the Easter Goody bags we made with love.
Happy Holi from Lollipops Pukekohe
In the first week of March, Lollipops Pukekohe celebrated the "Holi" Indian colour festival.
Traditional Cook Island Performance at Lollipops Airport
Recently the Lollipops Airport centre had the privilege of being entertained by a traditional Cook Island performance. One of the preschoolers, 4-year old Khloe performed with her grandfather, nanna, uncle and dad on the Cook Island drums.
Heart Day at Lollipops Ruapehu Drive
Lollipops Ruapehu Drive in Palmerston North held their Heart Day on the 14th of February. Heart Day is celebrated on the same day as Valentine's Day to raise awareness for the New Zealand Heart Foundation.
Lollipops Blighs Road & the Maui Dolphin
After writing a letter to the Prime Minister about the plight of the Maui dolphin (which is on the edge of extinction) Lollipops Blighs Road received a letter back, and held an art auction.
A trip to the zoo with Lollipops Newton
The aim is to provide the children with an experience outside the center and gain awareness by looking closely at the real animals - what they eat, how they look, and their habitat. Most of all, this trip was exciting, informative, and fun - and that is one of the values we cherish as we grow and learn!
February 2018
Healthy Heart and Chinese New Year at Lollipops Newton Road
It's been a busy week at Lollipops Newton Road, with two big celebrations, Healthy Heart Day and Chinese New Year!
January 2018
Christmas at Lollipops Newton
Santa arrived from the North Pole and surprised us all with the wonderful presents… HO HO HO!! Children and their families welcomed Santa to Lollipops Newton. We were lucky to also have fairy visiting, and a bouncy castle which made the day even better.
October 2017
Pet Safari and Diwali at Lollipops Newton Road
Last week was very exciting at Lollipops Newton Road as they had a visit from a pet zoo and also celebrated Diwali.