The Wildlings Early Years, is a Montessori preschool located in Weymouth, South Auckland. If you are unfamiliar with Montessori, we invite you to learn more about Montessori. The centre has a licence for 30 tamariki, and a team of dedicated whaea’s (teachers), this helps to create a warm familiar environment.
It is important to The Wildlings, that we work with whānau to understand your tamariki and their individual needs and goals. This helps us support children transition into the centre, and into the future. We communicate with parents regularly about children’s progress and how they are doing, to ensure holistic support for children, no matter where they are. The Wildlings offer:
- Free nappies
- End of year progress reports for tamariki
- Mindful Movement for Mana sessions
- Regular trips and excursions into the community.
The Wildlings Way
Kākano
Our Kākano room, is for children under two, named after the Māori word for seeds, as our youngest tamariki are our seedlings, full of potential. The Kākano room has a low whaea to tamariki ratio, of one teacher for every three tamariki. This ensures that our youngest ones have the attention and support they need during this important period of development.
The room is filled with resources for tamariki to play and explore with, and has it’s own separate outdoor play area under a covered deck. This allows children to play safely, while being able to observe the older children. The children’s sleep room is filled with the sounds of nature to fall asleep too.
Paiaka and Kahiwi
Paiaka are our tamariki aged 2-3, named after the Māori word for roots, as our young Kākano have grown the roots of growth, allowing them to progress to the next room. Our Kahiwi are the tamariki aged 3-6, named after the Māori word for trunk of the tree, as our Kahiwi’s roots have grown strong, and now they are focused on growing strong above the ground. Our Piaka and Kahiwi tamariki play and work together, allowing older children to take on a tuakana role, supporting the Piaka teina. Our over two’s have one whaea to every seven tamariki.
Mahi Room
The mahi room, is where the majority of our Montessori resources are held. In here, children have mahi time, where they can choose the resources they want to work with. These resources are made to support tamariki in their fine motor skills and help them to learn basic concepts. The resources in the room are changed out every term, allowing for new experiences that support tamariki’s current needs, and reflects what tamariki are currently learning about.
Currently Learning
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Mindful Movement for Mana
‘Mindful Movement for Mana’, educational sessions which focus on understanding mindfulness, wellbeing, and te ao Māori, through movement and music. The Wildlings have weekly sessions during term time, hosted by Whaea Katie. The te ao Māori approach closely aligns with the Montessori way, both recognising the child as full of innate potential and wanting to support them in reaching that potential.
What Parents Have to Say…
The Montessori philosophy has infiltrated our home and our daughter shows such independence when looking after her things at home. The expectations of the whaea’s plus the hard work the team puts in everyday, has helped our daughter be a well-rounded, independent, considerate child.
– Nick
They truly wanted to know my aspirations for my children, and my dreams for them, not just to write it on a form and ignore, but to actively nurture. I truly feel that The Wildings is an absolute diamond in a sea of pebbles.
– Shan
We had never considered Montessori before, but the more we learned, the more we appreciated how it encourages independence, real-life skills, and a calm and intentional environment. I would never have recommended The Wildlings to anyone unless I truly rated them.
– Tash