Our blog

Car seats save lives, find out how to be safe

19 April 2012

Car seats save lives and increase the chance of surviving a crash by over 70 per cent. Toddlers in rear facing seats until 2 years old helps to keep them safe from injury. What most people don’t know is that the higher your child sits the safer the fit.

Healthy Eating

17 April 2012

Are we becoming a food obsessed nation? Or have we forgotten how to eat well? With 1 on 3 children overweight and 2 of 3 not eating enough vegetables how do you have healthy kids?

My Journey at ABC

28 March 2012

The Field family wrote an amazing poem to thank the teachers at ABC Napier for their care of their first born child, who had just left for school

Stretching the brain with Exercise and Play

21 March 2012

At around two and a half years things may change again. Some people will call it the terrible twos stage. Very important things begin happening at two years.

Why portfolios are important, a mum writes

09 March 2012

To The Staff at Kids to Five, I am writing to thank you for the excellent portfolio provided to my daughter as part of her education at Kids to Five childcare. My children and I spent time together looking through it. My daughter's portfolio provides us with a rich and clear idea of her time there. It is obvious to me that a lot of time, effort and care has gone into it. It has a focus on growing, exploring and learning at her own pace through encouragement from her teachers. I would like to thank the staff at kids to five for this amazing insight into my daughter’s life at kindy.

Learning science principles at childcare

28 February 2012

Today at Toddlers the children requested we bring out the frisbees. I got out 8 and one by one I threw them to show the children. Cruz, Rossen and Reretua ran after them and brought them back to me. I said "you can have a turn!" Cruz said "I can't do it" so I showed him and described what I was doing at every step. "Hold it at the side and flick your wrist". Reretua was also watching closely and repeated "hold it flat like this" she said to her friends. "That's it!" I said, "now flick it and it will sail through the air".

Grandparents Matter

06 December 2011

Christmas is the time when we know in our bones that family is more than parents and children - it’s all about the people we grew up with, parents, brothers and sisters, cousins, aunts and uncles, and above all, grandparents.

Childcare or In home care

23 November 2011

In a quality childcare you will find properly trained professionals who chose this career because they love children ( not just to make some money on the side while they bring up their own children). Research has also shown that children in a quality childcare can do as well as if they had been brought up at home with their parent.

Using Music to learn more

22 November 2011

I was driving my two year old grandson and he was a bit grizzly. I started to sing a song and very quickly his mood changed and he began to clap. When I stopped he cried out, “more Nana,” he didn’t mind the repetition either!

The Seedling Project

18 October 2011

Brendan arrived at his Kindy one morning holding a little black tray. Inside the black tray, there are small black seeds resting in a bed of soil. His mum told the teachers that Brendan was eating an apple and when got into the middle of it, he noticed little black seeds. Curious about the seeds, Brenda asked his mum if the seeds can be grown into an apple tree. Mum and Brendan then planted the seeds and watched the plant grow. Brendan worked hard over the past weeks, caring and watering the plant with mums help. This is where the whole seedling project begins.

Stay Connected - A Story for Dads

29 July 2011

A reminder to all those parents who are absent or separated from their children on how important they still are in their child's life. No matter how young your child is there are lots of ways you can still stay connected

What Every Child Needs

06 July 2011

It is important to know what every child needs, it may sound obvious but some parents don't realise that children need food and drink, rest and amusing on a regular basis. Here are some tips to help you understand what every child needs.

Helping Children Cope with Trauma

18 October 2010

Please find below some tips for helping children cope with trauma, a number of parents are still reporting their children are struggling with sleep, have reverted to baby like habits and so on. After shocks don't help this.

How do we look after babies in our child care?

22 July 2010

Here are some tips on what to look for if you are putting your baby into childcare. Parents are faced with a lack of information when weighing up home based care where unqualified people are essentially babysitting compared with centres where qualified teachers nurture and support baby's to reach their milestones.