Nido Early School Craigie

At our service, we are committed to supporting families in their important role as their child’s first and most influential teacher. We love sharing opportunities that help build knowledge, confidence and connection.

CliniKids offers evidence-based support for children with autism and developmental delays and will soon be hosting a range of parent information sessions. These sessions provide practical strategies, expert guidance and valuable insights to help families navigate their child’s development and strengthen their parenting toolkit.

We encourage families who may be interested to keep an eye on the upcoming sessions and take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to learn and connect

Are you a parent of a child with autism and/or ADHD? We’re holding a free online workshop for parents and caregivers: The Brain's Air Traffic Control System.

🗓️ Thursday, 2 July
⏰ 11.00am-12.00pm AWST | 1.00pm-2.00pm AEST

Autistic kids and those with ADHD can experience differences in executive functioning skills. These skills are involved in helping kids to:
👉 plan
👉 focus attention
👉 remember instructions
👉 initiate tasks
👉 solve problems
👉 achieve goals
👉 adapt to new situations

Join this workshop, presented by Katie Johnson, CliniKids Occupational Therapist, and learn how to support your child’s executive functioning and help them thrive.

Register: https://shorturl.at/kynji

Have you met Patricia, Our Classroom 2 Lead Educator?

Originally from Brazil, Patricia brings warmth, dedication and a strong sense of community to our service. For many of our families from South America, she offers a familiar connection and a sense of home that helps children and families feel welcomed and understood.

Patricia is passionate about building strong, meaningful relationships with children and families. She believes that trust, connection and genuine care are at the heart of quality early childhood education.

Known by her colleagues as one of the most reliable and committed educators, Patricia holds high expectations for herself and her team. She is deeply committed to children’s safety and wellbeing, and approaches every child with the same care, respect and expectations she would want for her own family.

A lifelong learner, Patricia is always seeking opportunities to grow her knowledge and refine her practice. She loves learning, reflecting and implementing new ideas to ensure the best possible outcomes for children.

We are incredibly fortunate to have Patricia leading Classroom 2 and helping to create a nurturing, inspiring and high-quality learning environment for our children every day.

In a world that often asks children to hurry, today we embraced the beauty of slowing down.

A simple invitation of natural and open ended resources that included flowers, petals, leaves and pinecones created space for children to linger, observe and wonder. There was no end product to achieve and no rush to move on; just time to explore, discover and make meaning through their interactions with natural materials.

Slow pedagogy reminds us that learning unfolds in moments of curiosity and connection. As children scooped, sorted, poured and examined, they were given the gift of time; time to notice, time to question and time to be fully present in their learning.

It is within these unhurried moments that wonder flourishes.

Today brought great excitement as our first butterfly emerged from its chrysalis! The children gathered closely, observing with curiosity and delight as they witnessed this remarkable transformation unfold before their eyes.

Throughout this experience, the children have been developing theories, asking questions and making connections about the butterfly life cycle. Watching the chrysalis hatch provided a powerful opportunity to see change, growth and patience in action.

This afternoon, the children will carefully release the butterfly into its natural environment, acknowledging its journey and celebrating the completion of one stage of its life cycle. As we farewell our first butterfly, we eagerly await the emergence of the remaining two chrysalides.

Moments such as these remind us that learning is deeply connected to wonder, observation and meaningful experiences with the natural world. We look forward to continuing this inquiry alongside the children as the story unfolds.

“The wider the range of possibilities we offer children, the more intense will be their motivations and the richer their experiences.” — Loris Malaguzzi

In Classroom 4, the children explored the beauty of nature through creativity and investigation. Using mortar and pestles, they carefully crushed and ground flowers, observing the changes in texture, colour and scent as they transformed natural materials into watercolour paints.

With fine paintbrushes and watercolour paper, the children used their handmade paints to create delicate artworks, expressing their ideas and interpretations through mark making. This experience invited scientific inquiry, creativity and a deeper connection with the natural world, demonstrating how children can be researchers, artists, and storytellers all at once.

We welcome the Government’s decision to extend the Worker Retention Payment, recognising the incredible work educators do every day.

Our educators continue to show unwavering commitment to children and families and this extension is an important acknowledgment of their value to our communities.

Thank you to all early childhood professionals for the difference you make each and every day.

On the menu today was a delicious Hearty Lamb Stew, prepared as part of our nutritionist-designed seasonal menu.

Our menu is carefully planned to provide up to 80% of each child’s daily nutritional requirements while introducing a variety of wholesome, nourishing foods. Mealtimes are about more than just nutrition; they are opportunities for connection, conversation and learning as children explore new flavours and develop positive relationships with food 🍲

At the heart of our service are strong partnerships with families. We believe that when educators and families work together, children feel supported, valued and empowered to thrive.

We greatly value families feedback, ideas and insights. Whether it’s a conversation at drop off, a suggestion, a compliment or feedback on how we can improve, your voice helps shape our community and strengthens the experiences we create for children each day.

Thank you to all of our families for trusting us with your child’s early years and for being an important part of our journey. Together, we can continue to create a welcoming, responsive and nurturing environment where every child can flourish.

For any families who may use baby bottle self-feeding devices at home, please be aware that due to serious safety concerns, the ACCC has now permanently banned these products in Australia.

While these devices have never been used within our service, we wanted to share this important update to help keep all children safe.

Bottle feeding is about so much more than nutrition. It provides valuable one-on-one time for connection, comfort, communication and relationship-building between a child and their caregiver. These moments support a child’s sense of security and wellbeing while ensuring feeding is always closely supervised.

For more information, please visit the ACCC website:
https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/permanent-ban-on-baby-bottle-self-feeding-devices-now-in-effect

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has permanently banned baby bottle self-feeding devices in Australia.

The most up to date information on the ban to share with families is available on the ACCC product safety website: https://brnw.ch/21x36yz

ACCC Product Safety

Through observing, questioning, hypothesising and testing their ideas, children develop their own theories about how things work. As they share their thinking with peers and revisit their ideas, learning becomes a collaborative journey of discovery.

Thoughtfully curated materials and spaces invite exploration and investigation, reflecting the Reggio Emilia belief that the environment acts as a third teacher - provoking curiosity, inspiring questions and supporting children to make meaning through their experiences.

At Nido Craigie we celebrate these moments of inquiry, where children are empowered to think deeply, wonder boldly and learn through exploration 🔍