Natural Steps Whitford

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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-expression. 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

The big green tree is coming back to life and framing our centre in natural beauty!
07/10/2026

The big green tree is coming back to life and framing our centre in natural beauty!

🎨 "Just make a mark and see where it takes you" 🎨The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds is a book we recently explored which illus...
07/10/2026

🎨 "Just make a mark and see where it takes you" 🎨

The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds is a book we recently explored which illustrates Vashti a little girl who believed she couldn't draw. Her teacher encouraged her to make a mark and celebrated it by framing her dot on the wall.

Our programme, like The Dot is focused on igniting curiosity and empowering tamariki to question, investigate their interests and build on their knowledge. We encourage tamariki to share and evolve their ideas with others, not only through verbal communication, but also through drawing, painting and a multitude of different methods of expressions.

These methods of communication are referred to the “100 languages of children” and a way for tamariki to express their thoughts, theories and wonderings about the world around them. We proudly showcase these on our Atelier and room walls.

09/09/2026

Mōrena Kererū! We have been lucky to have kererū visit us at Natural Steps. This one was enjoying a breakfast of fresh blossom buds that have sprouted. It's always special seeing native birds in our environment

03/09/2026

What started as 2 friends stacking pots and pans and filling them up with water turned into....

"AN ELEPHANT"

And once it's said you can't unsee it!




A handmade light table ✨️ Yes please! How lucky our Sweet Peas to have this beautifully crafted table, made by Kaiako Sa...
03/09/2026

A handmade light table ✨️ Yes please! How lucky our Sweet Peas to have this beautifully crafted table, made by Kaiako Sammy's dad. This is already a favourite with our infants. We can't wait to see how they will use it and the different perspectives it will bring.

26/08/2026

The Magic of clay! One of our languages we explore as infants, toddlers and preschoolers. Clay is a versatile natural medium that we use here at Natural Steps. Our Bluebell children are learning what their hands can do with clay. This experience is one of our favourites to do at the end of the day. We listen to some peaceful music and explore the different shapes our hands can sculpt.

When it's time to go home it takes a little longer to get out the door, sometimes mum or dad join in!

When was the last time you used clay?

Thanks to one of dad's in aviation for this wonderful opportunity for our Bluebell children to learn through real-life e...
24/08/2026

Thanks to one of dad's in aviation for this wonderful opportunity for our Bluebell children to learn through real-life experiences and meaningful connections with whānau. The children showed curiosity as they explored the different resources Dan had brought in, including the pilot headset, aviation maps and life jacket. They were able to investigate the equipment, try things on and observe how they worked.

As Dan shared about his role as a pilot and explained that he works in the cockpit and flies an aeroplane, the children actively engaged in conversation and began making connections to their own ideas and experiences.

“Do you press those buttons?” a curious child asked

This experience supported the children’s sense of belonging, as they had the opportunity to learn from a member of their Bluebell whānau. Through hands-on exploration, conversations and shared experiences, the children were developing their communication, curiosity, confidence and understanding of the wider world.

Thanks so much for sharing your expertise and knowledge with us Dan! 👨‍✈️

Our Bluebell tamariki (toddlers) have been going on family holidays. Even more exciting, some have been travelling on ae...
24/08/2026

Our Bluebell tamariki (toddlers) have been going on family holidays. Even more exciting, some have been travelling on aeroplanes to get to their holiday destinations.

This has sparked an interest in aeroplanes and airports. But what is it that is so captivating for our tamariki? Our kaiako have had conversations, set up provocations, and interpreted observations while the children explore this interest. We have found it is all about... FAMILY!

The children have flown to see family in different countries; gone to a holiday destination to spend time with their family or even have family in aviation! Family is an important part of our identity and who we are!

Stay tuned for more links to our centre wide project Ko wai au?

Some people see a rainbow....What we see....exploring: 🌈 colours🌈 counting🌈 size & sequencing🌈 shapes & geometry🌈 storyt...
21/08/2026

Some people see a rainbow....

What we see....

exploring:

🌈 colours
🌈 counting
🌈 size & sequencing
🌈 shapes & geometry
🌈 storytelling
🌈 problem solving
🌈 fine motor skills
🌈 persistence
🌈 imaginative play
🌈 team work!

it’s open-ended, hands-on learning and our tamariki have been busy with all of the above and more!

Lately, our preschool children have noticed rainbows in our sky. A little girl brought in her book about rainbows to sha...
21/08/2026

Lately, our preschool children have noticed rainbows in our sky. A little girl brought in her book about rainbows to share at together time. This book not only had rainbows in it, but it was also about the water cycle. It sparked our children’s curiosity, so of course, we delved a little deeper.

We revisited the story multiple times and made connections to our environment. We noticed how the warm sun evaporates the rain from our playground umbrella, how the rain flows down our footpath, and how it creates big puddles down by our sandpit.

Our children created their own water cycle flow charts and explored different setups to build on their understanding.

Next, can we explore our local awa — our rivers, estuary, and moana?

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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