May 2025 | Kōrero from Curious Minds

Welcome to Our Monthly Newsletter

Kia ora e te whānau, and welcome to another edition of Kōrero from Curious Minds!

Each month, we celebrate the magic of early learning—highlighting the moments, values, and connections that make our community so special. It's a joy to share the adventures of your tamariki and the ways their natural curiosity leads them to exciting discoveries about the world around them.

‍

‍The Spark of Curiosity: Nurturing young explorers

Children are natural scientists, storytellers, and philosophers. Every "Why?", "How?", and "What if?" is a stepping stone towards deeper understanding. At Curious Minds, we believe that encouraging tamariki to ask questions and explore their ideas builds the foundation for a lifelong love of learning.

Te Ao Hurihuri: A World in Motion 🌍

The world is changing all the time and when tamariki notice these changes they begin to understand that the world is full of patterns and possibilities. Through noticing, wondering, and experimenting, children learn ways of thinking. Curiosity fuels creativity, critical thinking, and resilience. Every day at our centres, you’ll hear wonderings like:

"Why do snails come out when it rains?"

"How does a spider make its web?"

"What happens if we mix all the paints together?"

Each question opens up a new path of discovery, and our kaiako work alongside tamariki, offering encouragement and giving them space to develop their own theories as well as supporting them to do further research and sharing their own knowledge.

He pātai, he huarahi – A question is a pathway.

This whakataukī reminds us that questions aren’t just requests for answers—they're invitations to explore. By encouraging tamariki to wonder out loud, to test their ideas, and to share their thinking, we help them build confidence as learners and explorers.

💡Curiosity Everywhere!

You don't have to go far to spark a child's curiosity. Sometimes, the tiniest moment can ignite the biggest thinking—a dewdrop on a spiderweb, a piece of pumice on the beach, the shadow of a bird flying overhead. At Curious Minds, we weave curiosity into everything we do, from storytelling and dramatic play, imagining other worlds and possibilities to seeing how high we can build a block tower before it falls!

‍

Whānau: Your Role in the Curiosity Adventure

You are an essential part of this journey! The simple act of wondering together—pausing to ask "I wonder why that is?"—shows your child that questions are valued.

You don't need to have all the answers. In fact, some of the most powerful learning happens when adults and children discover together.

Next time your tamaiti asks a tricky question, try:

"That's a great question! What do you think?"

"Let's find out together."

"I wonder who we could ask about that?"

Together, we model that curiosity is powerful, exciting, and worth pursuing.

What We've Been Up To This Month

This month, our Curious Minds tamariki have been embracing curiosity in all kinds of ways:

🐋 Project Jonah Visit – Johnsonville – Our Johnsonville centre had a very special visit from Project Jonah, where tamariki learned about whales, marine life, and how we can help protect these incredible creatures. Big questions about the ocean and its mysteries filled the day!

🦆 Feathered Friends and Family Baking – Island Bay – At Island Bay, the tamariki were fascinated by a duck who decided to make the playground its home for a while! They watched and wondered about where the duck had come from, if it was a boy or a girl and why it was there. They also enjoyed a delicious baking session with one of the children’s grandmas, filling the centre with the warm smells of fresh hot cross buns.

🌺 ANZAC Reflections – Miramar – The older Miramar tamariki explored important parts of our history by visiting the War Memorial for ANZAC Day. This gave tamariki the opportunity to think about remembrance and community. The children at the centre honoured the day by baking their own ANZAC biscuits.

🌈 Science Explorers – Queenstown – In Queenstown, tamariki have explored hands-on learning with a series of science experiments. From colour mixing and creating rainbows to squishy cloud dough, their investigations have been full of excitement and wonder.

Ngā Mihi Nui from The Curious Minds Team

Each experience this month has shown how naturally tamariki move between noticing, wondering, and creating. As always, thank you for your ongoing support! We look forward to another month of adventures, big questions, discoveries, and plenty of curiosity.

Until next time, stay curious and connected!

Ngā Mihi Nui,

The Curious Minds Team

‍Stay Connected: Island Bay, Johnsonville, Miramar, Queenstown