The Fire Station Early Learning Centre
The Fire Station Early Learning Centre began with an old house and a vision. The team sat down and created a vision board together. They brought their ideas to the table, brought their vision board to Play’n’Learn, and from there, the plan was born.
It was important for the new centre to have learning environments that would challenge children in all aspects of their physical, social, and mental development while offering a warm, nurturing place to learn with their enthusiastic and passionate teachers. This meant there was a need for customisation, which was an exciting journey for both the team at The Fire Station and the team at Play’n’Learn.
Many of the pieces of furniture that Play’n’Learn offer are customisable, which enables centres to put their own creative stamp on their environment. From changing colours, sizes, and shapes, to creating entirely new and exciting pieces, Play’n’Learn uses visions to inspire.
The Fire Station wanted tamariki to feel like they were in a family home while in their centre environment. Achieving this would facilitate a sense of belonging, not only in the tamariki, but in the whānau and kaiako alike. Family time is often centred around mealtimes, so a lot of efforts were focused around kai spaces.
In the dining area, Play’n’Learn created a buffet unit that was completely custom made and could store art supplies in addition to kai. The familiarity of the dining space would provide children with an environment where they could experience a connection with their family and the wider world.
The kitchen space at The Fire Station holds one of the most interesting pieces of work ––or art, depending on how you look at it––in the centre. The breakfast bar. Modelling it after the kitchens of many of their families, The Fire Station team thought it might be a good use of space for the tamariki. Darren from Play’n’Learn jumped on board with this idea instantly and helped them to customise it to fully suit their needs. Then, the builder added the aesthetically pleasing timber work, to go with the timber and white furniture, and the dark walls. It really completes the overall simple yet homely atmosphere.
The children have a play kitchen too, which was custom built to a lower height for the younger ages, and is safely mobile, to allow for easy changes to the environment as interests emerge and evolve.
All of these spaces, plus many more, are the work of two teams collaborating to achieve one dream.
The Fire Station is a brand new, privately owned, early childhood centre in Te Atatu, Auckland. They cater to children aged 3 months up to 6 years in three rooms, each with their own developmentally appropriate learning programme. Their aim is to provide learning opportunities for each child, and for each child to have the freedom to learn and grow.
Play’n’Learn values the ideas and visions of the centres they work with and use them to create individualised atmospheres. Each centre has its philosophy and values, so their environment must express these, and it’s important to Play’n’Learn that their centres are heard.
The Fire Station team say that Play’n’Learn ‘listened to us really well’, and ‘took our ideas on board’. And when asked how they feel about their new space, they say ‘we’ve come out with an amazing space that we love’.
