Natural Steps Whitford

Natural Steps Whitford We are an early learning centre in the heart of Whitford Village. Designed with purpose, love and richly resourced to ignite curiosity and wonder.

Bumblebees Whitford is in the heart of Whitford Village in a thoughtfully renovated villa, maintaining its beautiful character and history. Adorned with natural light, our generous indoor play spaces were created with purpose and love and richly resourced to ignite curiosity and wonder. Our beautiful Atelier, art space, in our cottage, inspires our children to share ideas and indulge in self-expre

ssion. Designed with adventure in mind, our three spacious outdoor areas include natural grass, huts, sandpits, mud, natural obstacle courses, and vegetable gardens, empowering the children to connect with nature and nourish every facet of their being. Our indoor and outdoor learning environments serve as an invitation to play, and our loving teaching team gently guides our children with respectful and caring teaching practices. With nutritionist approved and deliciously cooked meals prepared by our in-house cook, our children have full bellies and are ready for a fun filled day of learning and laughter. We offer environments filled with love curiosity and wonder for children aged 3 months to 5 years. Our centre is open from 7:30 am to 6:00 pm, Monday through to Friday

🐝BUMBLEBEES WHITFORD HAS CHANGED IT'S NAME TO NATURAL STEPS WHITFORD👣Last week we farewelled Anna who has made the decis...
02/06/2026

🐝BUMBLEBEES WHITFORD HAS CHANGED IT'S NAME TO NATURAL STEPS WHITFORD👣

Last week we farewelled Anna who has made the decision to slow down and spend time with her family.

Anna has played a significant role in nurturing the children, whānau and kaiako, building strong relationships over the past 8 years. She has made something special, something that I think we all feel when we walk through those gates. A home away from home for our little loves.

We will continue to carry on our vision with our loving kaiako alongside our new centre owner, Byron.

🐝WORLD BEE DAY🐝 A day we take very seriously at Bumblebees! It is a day to share how important these little yellow and b...
20/05/2026

🐝WORLD BEE DAY🐝

A day we take very seriously at Bumblebees! It is a day to share how important these little yellow and black insects are to our ecosystem. Thanks to our wonderful Kaiako, our tamariki got to enjoy many meaningful learning opportunities and conversations about bees.

Here's 5 facts about bees we learned today:

1. Honey bees are super-important pollinators for flowers, fruits and vegetables. This means that they help other plants grow!
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2.Honey bees live in hives and are divided into 3 different members; the Queen Bee who runs the whole hive. The workers who are all female and forage for food. The workers are the only bees that people see flying outside the hive. Drones are the males who mate with the Queen Bee in summer months then are kicked out of the hive in the winter.
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3. Bees produce honey to eat in the winter months but they produce 2-3 times more than they need to survive which is why we get to eat some too!
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4. Bees perform a waggle dance to share information with each other, usually where the best flowers are.
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5. In the summer months a Queen Bee can lay up to 2,500 eggs per day. WOW!
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Yesterday at Bumblebees Whitford, we stood together against bullying for Pink Shirt Day. Kōrero Mai, Kōrero Atu, Mauri T...
15/05/2026

Yesterday at Bumblebees Whitford, we stood together against bullying for Pink Shirt Day.
Kōrero Mai, Kōrero Atu, Mauri Tū, Mauri Ora – Speak Up, Stand Together, Stop Bullying! 💕

Our hearts (and tummies!) were full at our annual Mother’s Day Breakfast 💛 Thank you to all the amazing mums for joining...
08/05/2026

Our hearts (and tummies!) were full at our annual Mother’s Day Breakfast 💛 Thank you to all the amazing mums for joining us, we loved celebrating you!

🐝📚 World Book Day at Bumblebees 📚 🐝What a fun day we had yesterday! Our tamariki enjoyed celebrating some of our favouri...
24/04/2026

🐝📚 World Book Day at Bumblebees 📚 🐝

What a fun day we had yesterday! Our tamariki enjoyed celebrating some of our favourite story books by dressing up. Our Kaiako provided so many meaningful opportunities to explore books, from The Hungry Catepillar, Dear Zoo to The Tiger Who Came To Tea.

At Bumblebees we nurture a love for early literacy because it lays the foundation for children’s future learning, communication, and overall development. Early literacy is not just reading and writing, but how tamariki make meaning through language, play and interaction.

Thank you to our Bumblebees community for donating preloved books for our Bumblebees Book Nook, a place where we swapped books with one another to take home.

On this day, our tamariki continued their journey of exploring self-identity through meaningful and creative expression ...
15/04/2026

On this day, our tamariki continued their journey of exploring self-identity through meaningful and creative expression in our atelier.

We delved into the cultural significance of henna designs, learning about the beautiful symbols and the stories they can represent. The children began by tracing their hands, using them as a canvas to design their very own henna-inspired patterns.

Each design was thoughtfully created, with tamariki carefully choosing symbols, shapes, and patterns that felt meaningful to them. It was wonderful to see the level of focus, creativity, and pride they brought to their work.

“Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known.” – Oscar Wilde

To deepen their understanding, the children shared their designs with one another, explaining the meanings behind their symbols and why they were important to them. This sparked rich conversations about identity, culture, and personal expression.





We had a wonderful time celebrating Easter through a range of Easter-inspired learning experiences, stories, and meaning...
15/04/2026

We had a wonderful time celebrating Easter through a range of Easter-inspired learning experiences, stories, and meaningful discussions. A favourite was defintely the hot cross bun inspired play dough experience! The children loved the colour and cinnamon smell 🐣

Our tamariki explored the traditions and values behind Easter while sharing their own ideas and experiences. These moments opened up rich conversations about different cultures, beliefs, and ways people celebrate around the world.

At our Bumblebees Whitford, we embrace and celebrate all holidays, creating opportunities for children to learn about and respect cultural differences in a warm and inclusive environment 💛

At Bumblebees Whitford, creativity and self-expression take many beautiful forms.Recently, our tamariki have been explor...
30/03/2026

At Bumblebees Whitford, creativity and self-expression take many beautiful forms.

Recently, our tamariki have been exploring loose parts (natural and open-ended materials such as stones, match sticks, and small wood rounds) to create their own unique family portraits. Each creation tells a story, reflecting not just who is in their family, but how they see and understand those important relationships.
This experience connects deeply with our current project on self-identity.

Through working with loose parts, children are given the freedom to represent themselves and their families in ways that feel meaningful to them. There is no “right” or “wrong” way, just endless possibilities.

Inspired by the Reggio Emilia philosophy, we recognise that children express their ideas in many different ways. Loose parts are one of the “hundred languages of children,” offering an open-ended, hands-on approach that encourages imagination, problem-solving, and personal storytelling.

It’s always incredible to see the diversity of ideas that emerge when children are empowered to create freely. 💛

Address

9 Whitford-Maraetai Road
Whitford
2571

Opening Hours

Monday 7:30am - 6pm
Tuesday 7:30am - 6pm
Wednesday 7:30am - 6pm
Thursday 7:30am - 6pm
Friday 7:30am - 6pm

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