Our Rooms
Active Explorers Invercargill has four separate rooms, enabling us to deliver age appropriate experiences for children at each different age and stage. Ages are only approximate as transition is based around the readiness of each individual child.
Tui Room
The Tui room provides an environment that is safe and nurturing, and is home to our youngest Active Explorers, aged from 3 months to 15 months.
Daily Rhythm
The Tui Room has a very flexible routine. We aim to keep our children’s routines individual and as close to what they do at home. We also follow the children’s cues.
7:30 am: Centre opens
9:00 - 9:30 am: Morning tea
11:15 am: Lunch
2:00 – 2:30 pm: Afternoon tea
4:00 pm: Late kai
5:45 pm: Centre closes
Nappy changes are every three hours or as needed. We offer open ended play with lots of loose parts for the children to explore and make discoveries while making sense of the world around them.
Fantail Room
Our 1 to 2 year olds enjoy their time in our well equipped Fantail Room, which offers plenty of opportunities for learning in a supportive and safe environment.
Daily Rhythm
7:30 am: Centre opens - learning experiences available for children, free play, settling in children, breakfast club.
8:30 am: Outside deck available (weather permitting)/free play inside and outside
9:00 am: Morning tea followed by free play inside and outside. Group experiences set up based on the children’s current interests.
9:30 am: Nappy checks begin (also changed as required).
10:45 am: Short mat time with stories/songs as tamariki get ready for lunch.
11:00 am: Lunch
11:30 am: Music time followed by quiet stories and lullabies as nappies get rechecked before bedtime.
12:00 pm: Bedtime (can be earlier if needed). Quiet inside experiences available for those children who no longer require a sleep/rest or for those who have morning/afternoon sleeps instead.
2:30 pm: Afternoon kai time either indoors or outdoors depending on the weather.
3:00 pm: Nappy checks again (or as required throughout day).
4:15 pm: Tidy up time
4:30 pm: Late kai
4:45 pm: Free play, stories and sing alongs
5:45 pm: Centre closes
This outlines the general rhythm of our room, however our programme is flexible and changes according to children’s needs.
Kea Room
Our lovely Kea Room caters for our 2 to 3.5 year olds, providing all the support and resources they need for fun and learning.
Daily Rhythm
7:30 am: Centre opens - learning experiences available for children, free play, settling in children, breakfast club.
8:30 am: Outside available (weather permitting)/free play inside and outside.
9:20 am: Morning kai whanau time – group mat time before washing our hands for kai.
9:30 am: Morning tea
11:15 am: Tidy up inside, encouraging children to tidy as they go, ‘play and put away’ before they move onto another activity.
11:30 am: Songs and rhymes at the table while our tamariki wash their hands for lunch.
12:00 pm: Sleep/rest time for those who need it. Outside and quiet inside experiences available for those children who no longer require a rest.
2:30 pm: Afternoon tea
3:30 – 4:00 pm: We combine with the Pukeko Room (3.5-5 years) for the remainder of the day. Inside and outside experiences are still available.
4:30 pm: Mat time
4:45 pm: Late kai
5:45 pm: Centre closes
This outlines the general rhythm of our room, however our programme is flexible and can change according to the children’s interests or special events.
Pukeko Room
Our oldest children start preparing for their transition to primary school in our Pukeko Room. Set up for kids aged 3.5 to 5 years, they learn skills like independence, resilience and social skills.
Daily Rhythm
7:30 am: Centre opens - learning experiences available for children, free play, settling in children, breakfast club.
8:30 am: Outside available (weather permitting)/free play inside and outside.
9:40 am: Mihi/mat time - welcome, coming together as a group for our calendar and stories.
10:00 am: Morning tea
11:30 am: Tidy up inside, encouraging children to tidy as they go, ‘play and put away’ before they move onto another activity.
11:40 am: Mat time - music, stories, games and general sharing time.
12:00 pm: Lunch
12:20 pm: Quiet time on mat - individual time with puzzles and/or books.
12:30 pm: Ako - group learning time.
1:00 pm: Free play inside and outside.
2:15 pm: Mat time – stories and games as a group.
2:30 pm: Afternoon kai
3:00 pm: Free play inside and outside.
3:45 pm: Combine with Kea Room for inside and outside play and experiences.
4:30 pm: Mat time
4:45 pm: Late kai
4:50 pm: Quiet activities and free play inside and outside (weather permitting).
5:45 pm: Centre closes
This outlines the general rhythm of our room, however our programme is flexible and can change according to the children’s interests or special events.