When we reshape our intention from teaching to thinking, our exchanges with children change.  They become authentic conversations.

Listen. Listen some more. Listen again.

Rice crackers and most other crackers on the market contain minimal nutritional value. Effectively you are purchasing something thats adding no value to your child’s diet. Any quality seed cracker from the supermarket is now upwards of $6 for 100gms. At Nurture we make all our own seed crackers once a week in a large batch. These cost us $1.39 for 100gms.  We have been serving these on our snack platter for 9 YEARS now and the children/teachers/parents LOVE them. We have a few variations, but this one is a hit.

One of the most distressing reports that you can receive from your child care service is that your child has been bitten, and it can be even more distressing to be told that your child has bitten another child or an adult. No family wants to be informed that their child has been hurt or has hurt someone else. Biting can also be challenging for even the most experienced of child care professionals, as biting

incidents often cause strong emotional reactions in families. An ongoing biting issue can be frustrating as there is no magic solution to prevent it occurring.

Finally on Friday the 3rd of December we will welcome all our Nurture children back into our centres. We have put together some great tips for you to use with your children to help with this transition.

We invited our whānau to tell us how we can support them with research on relevant issues.

This is one of the most common questions we were asked.

We all know that 'play is a child's work' and when our little person is engaged in playing, they find it hard to move onto something that we would like them to do, whether it is to leave home in the morning or follow the usual rhythm of the day - bathing, eating, or sleeping.

Learning science in the preschool years helps children become better problem solvers and critical thinkers. Children are curious by nature and are eager to explore, question, experiment, and learn about science through play. Early childhood educators can use a playbased approach to teaching science to give children opportunities to explore, experiment, and express new ideas.

Our annual Nurture parent survey told us that our families feel that self management is a very import skill for their child to be grasping before they enter the primary sector. I am sure lots of new entrant teachers agree. We thought this interview with Joseph Driessen might help with some great strategies parents can use at home.

With Nurture's founding vision to provide quality nutrition and wellbeing as part of our curriculum was the desire to redefine snack times. With a little trial and error we have worked out a formula that seems to work well, and so the Nurture sharing platter was born! On this platter, you will find at least 3 food groups - meeting nutritional needs- colour, texture, social connection and autonomy!

Our goal is to normalise vegetables by making them a familiar sight at all meals (including breakfast!).

Make the most of these holidays and spend sometime with your children outdoors. There are loads of benefits of Nature Play, and what’s more it’s a chance for you to sit back and watch rather than instigate the play. Thank you so much to Nature Play Christchurch, Woodland Escape and Little Kiwis Nature Play for permission to post their article on our Blog

Newshub contacted Nurture Early Learning as industry leaders for our opinion on latest research that states ultra processed food makes up half of New Zealand children diet. However here at Nurture our chefs make fresh food every day with real ingredients- seed crackers fresh bread and more.

It is easy to inspire your teacher’s, chef’s and community when you have such a talented and passionate group of leaders in your organisation. Check out this interview with Anya Bell (Nurture Early Learnings Group Nutrition Advisor) talking to the Australian organisation Little People Nutrition.

When people, places, and things offer children the presence of a supportive adult, a stress free, and stimulating environment: the child’s brain builds positive dispositions that in turn open up new areas of brain structure in readiness for all future learning and academic success, not just at primary school; up to, and beyond University.