Toni

Kia ora, I am a qualified early childhood teacher, mother of two tamariki, a sister, and an aunty who I love being, a wife, and Nanny of mokopuna which I adore.  I have been involved in home based childcare since 2013.

My home environment allows for exploration, the tamariki learning holistically through play, allows for the development and maintenance of tuakana/teina relationships, basic te reo Maori to be used through waiata, karakia, and mihimihi, and the encouragement of families and whanau to participate fully in their child’s homecare life.
I like to provide a wide range of activities and experiences that are inclusive of all tamariki despite their age or ability, from cooking, weeding the garden, washing dishes, painting, to waterplay.  I have a big front and back yard for our tamariki to explore in, and we also grow vegetables, and have Montessori activities which the tamariki love.

We have a lot of music playing from different genres so our tamariki hear different beats and tempos, and we have fun dancing to the music.  We like to go for walks to the library, to a local preschool, we make biscuits and cakes and visit our kaumatua, and we go to the local park.

Culture and whanau have always been essential in my teaching philosophy, and I love how these two things can be combined within homecare to help tamariki become independent, confident and competent learners for life.