Tai Tapu A childcare centre your family will love

Active Explorers Tai Tapu is a daycare where kids are encouraged to wonder, imagine, discover and create. Located in the beautiful close-knit community of Tai Tapu, just ten minutes from Halswell and Lincoln, our centre boasts a gorgeous natural environment, plenty of space, and top quality resources.

A home away from home for our children, we have two separate classrooms – our Preschool/Nursery (0-3years) and the Prep Room (3-5years). Each are staffed by a team of well qualified and highly experienced teachers who provide a warm, respectful and caring environment. Our rich programmes are woven with dynamic learning opportunities that keep kids engaged and inspired.

We are the perfect start to a lifetime of learning.

Learning Through Play Week

We have a week of fun filled activities your little one will love all centred around play - why you ask? Because we know children learn best that way!
Book a tour and see what makes our centre special!

Location

8 School Road, Tai Tapu 7672

Daycare Centre Hours:

Monday to Friday: 7:30 am – 5:30 pm
Half day/full day options
Closed Saturday, Sunday, & public holidays

Ages Catered For:

3 months – 5 years

ERO Report

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My daughter is 2 years and 3 months. She has been at Active Explorers here since January this year. I have nothing but positive comments. The staff have changed our lives in an incredible way. The development I have seen in my daughter has been incredible.

Being a “rural” preschool they have a much more common sense approach to everything and I feel that this has been the game changer for us.

Rose Mary

Active Explorers Tai Tapu has a real sense of community and is a local place where you meet good people and families. The environment is warm and welcoming, and we love that nothing is ever a problem.

Max(6) and Poppy(4) have really enjoyed their time here and we’ve been impressed with the progress they’ve made. The teachers are supportive and kind and everybody enjoys the special effort the team puts into field trips, dress up days, sports days, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and the end of year Christmas party.

The centre has a really nice big outdoor area and the staff have a great relationship with all the parents and children. The recent relationship with Tai Tapu Primary School has been really pleasing too. We love that the bigger kids who will soon be attending school get to go on regular visits over there and also having the new entrant teacher come across to the preschool to do lessons with the kids is invaluable!

Verity Bloy

Amazing! We’re loving the increasing use of Story Park and group stories, and the amazing individualised support the team have put in to help Felix.

George Anderson

I am very happy with Active Explorers Tai Tapu. They are so friendly and welcoming, my kids are so happy to be left and they always tell us about the fun day they've had when they get home. The manager and staff are all lovely and very welcoming and enthusiastic.

Julie Mills

News

Our Holiday Programme!

What a fun filled week we have had this week for our holiday program. We have had to have some inside time due to the rain but we didn't let that stop us from having fun and once it was sunny we were outside enjoying the fresh air and warmth. Monday was Storytelling Day. Coming into the nursery/preschool room after the new year break, our day was quite mixed up weather-wise, cold and a little drizzly. However, our Isla came in dressed as Old MacDonald's Farm and brought her farm book along with her. As everyone else arrived, we had classic puzzles on the table of The Three Little Pigs, Billy Goats Gruff and Little Red Riding Hood. Tuesday, we had Water/Beach Day. For our classroom provocation we had four water trays with sea creatures in them. We had decorated your own beach towel in our art area. We got outside to do some water play and to play in the sandpit. We put out impression tiles for our tamariki to enjoy we were at the beach with an ice cream to end our day with. Wednesday was Fruit Day. We had three different kai times where we were able to educate our tamariki of the fruits they had in their lunch boxes. Our provocation for the day was fruit sorting with tongs on trays, we had our own ice cream pictures, coloured by different coloured dye and towards our afternoon tea, we cut up mandarins, banana and apples to share. Thursday was Wheels Day. We decided to surprise our tamariki with a mini excursion to our carpark to ride around in with their favourite mode of transportation. This gave our children the opportunity to ride in an area that they would see their own whanau bringing them to preschool. What a blast wheels day was! The tamariki did some great sharing of their bikes with each other and we got to have a little adventure and ride the bikes somewhere a little new. And lastly, Friday was Nature Day. We set up our nature trays with sand, leaves, pinecones and shells. On the other provocation table, we had puzzles that highlighted the different seasons. It was a great Holiday Programme week.

Highlights from our October Holiday Programme

At our centre, we believe in blending fun with learning, and our recent Holiday Programme was a perfect reflection of that philosophy. From Book Day to PJ and Pamper Day, our tamariki (children) enjoyed a range of activities that fostered creativity, teamwork, and a love for learning. Here’s a glimpse into some of the exciting days we had planned! Book Day We kicked off our celebrations with Book Day, where we delved into the imaginative and informative world of pukapuka (books). The tamariki had a wonderful day sharing their favorite stories with one another, igniting a passion for reading. This early love for books not only sparks curiosity but also lays the foundation for lifelong literacy skills. It was heartwarming to see the children engaged and excited about the stories they shared! Pizza Day Next up was Pizza Day, a delicious adventure where our tamariki made their own individual pizzas. The activity required patience, listening skills, and creativity. As they rolled out the dough and chose their toppings, the excitement in the room was palpable. The pizzas turned out fantastic—delicious enough to make any chef proud! A special shoutout to Bowie, who brought extra fun to the day by donning a pizza hat and shirt. What a great way to enjoy cooking together! Crazy Day Our Crazy Day was filled with laughter and silliness as our friends showcased their wild side with crazy hairdos and silly faces. The highlight was a crazy face competition, where Huxley took home the title! The tamariki also enjoyed making wacky faces using magnet boards and celebrating the day with face painting. It was a joyful reminder of how creativity can bring us all together. Water/Beach Day On Water/Beach Day, we explored the wonders of oceans and water. The tamariki played with mini beaches set up on our table-top and, despite the chilly weather, engaged in a short but thrilling water fight! Tommy and Quinn were particularly competitive, bringing excitement to the day. It was a fantastic way to learn about the ocean while having fun with friends. PJ and Pamper Day Finally, we wrapped up our week with PJ and Pamper Day. Our tamariki started the day with delicious pancakes, fueling them for a day of relaxation and fun. We practiced manaakitanga (hospitality) as each friend took turns in the barber’s chair for a pampering session that cost “one million dollars!” We also enjoyed a calming foot spa, yoga, and mindful breathing exercises. It was a perfect way to unwind and promote well-being among our tamariki. These events not only brought joy and laughter but also reinforced important skills and values such as teamwork, creativity, and kindness. We are proud of our tamariki for their participation and enthusiasm. We look forward to more fun-filled learning experiences in the future!

Ball Skills and Teamwork

We were very lucky to have such a beautiful and sunny day!

Our Olympic Games

Our Tamariki had an amazing two full weeks of Olympic games! We started off with an opening ceremony and torch baring and then held different sports events each day.