Our Rooms
Little Wonders Oanaka has three separate rooms, enabling us to deliver safe, nurturing and age appropriate learning experiences for all our children.
Kanuka Room
Our warm and welcoming infant room offers a 'curriculum of care' where routines and rituals from home are followed closely. A free movement philosophy is practiced and each individual child's movement journey is respected as their body discovers what it is capable of. Our inside environment offers a protected space for our youngest tamariki, sleep room and access to a shared nappy room, while our own outdoor area is designed for children to become experts in their play through developing, testing and challenging themselves and their working theories.
Daily Routine
7:30 am: Centre opens/welcome children
9:00 am: Free play learning experiences inside and outside/sleep routines and nappy changing as individual children require
10:00 am: Morning kai (we encourage interaction through songs and exploration of new and familiar foods)
10:30 am: Free play learning experiences inside and outside/sleep routines and nappy changing as individual children require
11:30 am: The majority of us enjoy a shared lunch time
12:30 pm: Ka kite to our morning children/ afternoon children welcomed/ free play learning experiences inside and outside/sleep routines and nappy changing as individual children require
1:00 pm: Afternoon children welcomed/ free play learning experiences inside and outside/sleep routines and nappy changing as individual children require
2:15 pm: Afternoon kai (we encourage interaction through songs and exploration of new and familiar foods)
4:00 pm: Late snack (provided by parents)
5:30 pm: Centre closes
Our Kanuka Room philosophy is based on following routines from home and knowing our children’s cues, therefore these routines happen at any time of the day. Teachers provide an environment full of resources tailored to the children’s developing strengths and interests, and they support children in making their own learning choices.
Kowhai Room
The environment in our toddler room is based on free play and we provide an environment where children are able to explore their interests. We value children's independence and encourage children be confident and to freely explore and see themselves as capable beings. We value strong relationships with whanau and do our best to follow their routines in the centre. We value sustainability and use natural resources and provide loose parts for the children to create with. The Kowhai Room features a nappy room, a sleep room, and a large outdoor space which children share with Kahikatea Room.
Daily Routine
7:30 am: Centre opens/welcome children and help them settle through a variety of planned and spontaneous experiences
8:30 am: Outside play is available
9:00 am: Free play learning experiences inside and outside/sleep routines and nappy changing as individual children require
10:00 am: We sit in our ‘café’ for morning kai, using the opportunity to encourage healthy eating and have a peaceful chat with children
10:30 am: Free play with a variety of planned and spontaneous learning experiences/sleep routines and nappy changing as each individual child requires
11:30 am: Lunch – children develop self-help skills by clearing, scraping and washing their own dishes
12:30 pm: Ka kite to our morning children/ afternoon children welcomed/ free play learning experiences inside and outside/sleep routines and nappy changing as individual children require
1:00 pm: Afternoon session children arrive
2:30 pm: Afternoon kai
3:00 pm: Children begin to leave for the day/staff talk to parents about their child’s day
4:30 pm: Late snack (brought from home)
5:30 pm: Centre closes
Kahikatea Room
Our Kahikatea room caters for children aged 3 to 6 years of age. We strongly value independence in our classroom, encouraging children to develop self-help skills and solve their own problems. Relationships are a huge part of the Kahikatea room and teachers provide many opportunities for small and large group play and learning. Teachers and children value kindness and use language to support this. Children in the Kahikatea room are leaders and teachers provide opportunities to contribute to the life of the room and take the lead. Kahikateas grow in confidence every day and teachers value each child and what they bring into the room. Kahikateas know that they can share with their teachers and friends which supports their growing confidence.
Daily Routine
7:30 am: Classroom opens with one teacher, children are welcomed and settled
8:30 am: Outside environment opens, second teacher arrives
9:00 am: Free play and planned learning experiences inside and outside
10:00 am: Rolling kai time – two children are the ‘chefs’ who serve the food; after kai children wash their plates and cups and return to play
11:45 am: Mat time (stories, waiata, dancing, sharing news, celebrations, yoga and more)
12:00 pm: Lunch – this is an important social occasion for the children; afterwards children wash their plates, bowls, cutlery and cups and then return to play
2:00 pm: Rolling kai time - two children are the ‘chefs’ who serve the food; after kai children wash their plates and cups and return to play
3:00 pm: Children begin to leave for the day/staff talk to parents about their child’s day
4:00 pm: The Kahikatea Room closes, and we join the Kowhai children to play in the Kowhai Room or outside
4:30 pm: Late snack (brought from home)
5:30 pm: Centre closes
