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

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?

✨️ Mānawatia a Matariki ✨️Last night we held our Matariki evening. Under the twinkling lights we ate our warm vegetable ...
09/07/2026

✨️ Mānawatia a Matariki ✨️

Last night we held our Matariki evening. Under the twinkling lights we ate our warm vegetable soup and fried bread. The soup was made with vegetables collected from our community. The tamariki showcased their learning through an art gallery and proudly showed thier work to their whānau. We danced the night away at our disco and enjoyed each other's company.

A special thank you to our amazing kaiako who went above and beyond to make this night so meaningful.

We have a wonderful community and wish everyone a lovely long weekend.

Ko wai au? (Who am I?)Each room is exploring our learners identities. What started as a small group question in our pres...
01/07/2026

Ko wai au? (Who am I?)

Each room is exploring our learners identities. What started as a small group question in our preschool room "What do you see on the way to Natural Steps?" has morphed into tamariki creating a map of our Pohutukawa Coast.

Using different languages (materials) our tamariki are representing what they see in their community and in turn where they belong. Children are able to connect special landmarks with their own lived experiences. They are making meaningful connections between themselves, their whānau and their communities. This is a still a work in progress and we are excited to see the different paths our map will take us.

Jammies in June Today we joined the initiative to help keep children at Middlemore hospital warm this winter. Each year ...
26/06/2026

Jammies in June

Today we joined the initiative to help keep children at Middlemore hospital warm this winter. Each year around 20,000 children are being admitted to Kidz First Hospital with respiratory illnesses because they live in cold damp houses. We would like thank our whānau for donating warm pajamas!

We wore our jammies and watched a movie, perfect for a cold and wet Friday.

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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