December 2025 | Kōrero from Curious Minds

Kia ora e te whānau,

What a jam-packed month its been here at Curious Minds! We have really covered a lot of ground with scientific discoveries, entomology, exploring different literature, messy sensory play, boxing, crazy weather and so many more things! Please enjoy this newsletter; we are all looking forward to hearing about your tamariki’s holiday expierences.

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Island Bay

The countdown to Christmas begins! Here at Island Bay we have been having a blast with our wee Elf on the Shelf causing all sorts of mischief around the centre, including a jungle gym in Sarah’s office, a floury snow angel, and some cheeky jokes above the fireplace!

Our tamariki have been learning about science a lot this month, specifically entomology and having all sorts of fun with bug themed dress up and exploratory artwork. One set-up included a dirt farm where the children got to look for their
tiny ant and caterpillar friends! Reading has been a great way to learn about emotional regulation. Our kaiako spend a lot of time helping the tamariki work through these emotions and learn to communicate them in a positive way by using the painted wooden ovals. Reading is one of the best ways to transport little minds into others “shoes” so they can see the world from a new perspective. Messy play in the nursery has been a big hit lately, promoting cognitive function; it lets the babies learn about cause and effect while having a whole (paint) bucket of fun.

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Johnsonville

A brilliant month here at Johnsonville—we have really been tucking into our reading these last few weeks. The tamariki can’t get enough of their favourite adventures, or reading about themselves in their Learning Stories.

Reading is one of the best ways we can learn about empathy, regulating big emotions, navigating difficult situations, and building creative pathways in our curious minds.
“Reading is an exercise in empathy; an exercise in walking in someone else’s shoes for a while.” – Malorie Blackman.

We have had so much fun with the warmer weather and some great sensory play. Lots of soap and bubbles that might not last very long, but the laughter they incite sure carries on. Speaking of laughter, our Christmas party brought so many smiles and giggles, with face painting, visits with Santa, holiday-themed dress-ups, and lots of sweet moments.

We are so excited for the warmer months to come and wish everyone a wonderful holiday season.

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Miramar

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Santa came to visit us here at Curious Minds Miramar and brought with him a bounty of gifts—and the sunny weather.

The tamariki have been busy little learners these last few weeks, experimenting with mixing different substances together for International Science Day. It’s always fun to get hands into a bit of colourful mud, or to play with food colouring and oil to create some super-interesting suspended shapes. A few other science-based projects we’ve been exploring include invisible ink, magnet tiles, and bug searches.

With the weather having a mind of its own lately, we had to take our Thanksgiving picnic indoors—but our wonderful tamariki were easy-going and had a great time learning about sharing their kai (and the picnic blanket).

Of course, as we near Christmas time, Elfie has made his seasonal appearance. Up to mischief and chaos, he makes the tamariki giggle every morning with his new, crazy antics.

All in all, it’s been a very productive few weeks here at CMEL Miramar, and we’re all looking forward to the sunny weather and beach days ahead.

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Queenstown

Holy moly, it’s been a busy month here, with lots of sensory and active play to get the creative thoughts going. Art has been at the forefront of our daily activities, whether that’s painting with chalk water on the deck outside or designing beautiful Rangoli patterns.

There has been some great exploration with gravity and Rube Goldberg contraptions, with the tamariki discovering how different heights affect velocity. We’ve been using our big imaginations to create with loose parts (some Christmas-themed) and learning all about cause and effect through different scenarios. Jenga is a great game for this—the effect is very swift as everything comes crashing down!

Hopscotch has been another favourite, and remember Twister? The tamariki can barely balance as they laugh so hard. Boxing is another great summer activity we’ve been exploring, learning how to manage big emotions in a safe way while building those gross motor skills.

With the sun out, our water table has been getting plenty of use as well—perfect for keeping little hands busy while learning about density and mass. We hope every one of our CMEL whānau has the most wonderful holiday, and we look forward to sharing again soon.

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Ngā Mihi Nui from The Curious Minds Team!

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