About Us



Days Bay Play is an extension of Days Bay Playcentre that offers creative play-based education opportunities to all families in Eastbourne. Days Bay Play has a class 'Bugs and Butterflies: The Art of Insects' for Term Two 2015. Take a look at the details below and enrol now to secure a place!

Saturday, 8 December 2012

Creative Arts Classes and Workshops for Term One 2013


Creative Clay for 5 – 10 year olds - FULL

When: Wednesday 3.30 – 5pm, weeks 2 – 7 of Term 1 (February 11th – March 27th).           

What: This is a six week creative clay course.  Over the six sessions the children will be taught the basic skills of clay sculpting and have time to experiment and explore with various clay sculpting tools and techniques.  Children will work on three projects starting with a basic pinchpot and working up to a more sophisticated bowl and tea light candle holder.  Children will be taught new skills with each project as well as having plenty of time to play with the clay and create original pieces.  Each child will create their own set of three unique finished projects to take home.  The children will colour and glaze their creations and have them fired as part of the course.

About the Artist: Jane Kenworthy has a background in primary school teaching with a specialty interest in teaching visual arts.  She currently runs clay classes for primary aged children through the Hutt Art Society.

Enrolment Details:
Cost: $120 per child for the six week course. Course cost includes all materials, glazing, and firing, and art shirts are also provided.
Class size: maximum 10 children.
To enrol your child email: daysbayplay@gmail.com

Creative Visual Arts for 5 – 10 year olds - FULL

When: Thursdays 3.30 – 4.30pm, weeks 6 -11 of Term 1 (March 14th – April 18th).

What: This is a six week visual arts course where children will experiment with a variety of techniques in art making. Kids will create a range of artworks, which focus on the 'process' of making art, and will include the 'magic of drawing', 'drawing into paint', colour, collage, and recycling materials in art.

About the Artist: Gabrielle is a qualified art and technology teacher who has experience with teaching primary aged children through to secondary school students. She has a variety of knowledge across all art disciplines. She is a textiles mixed-media artist with a passion for allowing young people to explore and recognise their own creative potential and to let them have FUN!

Enrolment Details:
Cost: $75 for the six sessions.  Course cost includes all materials.
Class size: Maximum 12 children.
To enrol your child email: daysbayplay@gmail.com

Family Sing  - for all ages - FULL

When: Every second Friday from 4.30 – 5.00 starting in week 2 (February 15th – April 12th )

What: An opportunity for families to get together and sing regularly throughout the term. Family Sing will be co-ordinated by Priya Gain and Gina Hopkirk.  Song books will be provided so you can take away a range of great songs you can sing together as a family.  Possibility of going to Pavillion after some sessions for a shared meal.  The Days Bay Play Choir will be offered again in Term 2.

Enrolment Details:
$20 per family for the term.
Maximum number of children 30.
To enrol your family email: daysbayplay@gmail.com


Creative Arts Adult Workshop: Music for Young Children with Helen Willberg.


When: Wednesday February 20th, 7:30 –  9pm.

What: This workshop will look at the research on the benefits of music for young children and give parents plenty of ideas on how to encourage their child’s musical development, from an infant’s musical babbling through to older preschooler’s musical explorations.  Helen will also talk about ways parents can respond to children who are particularly absorbed by musical play.  She will also discuss when to begin formal music education and how to choose an instrument for your child.

The Presenter: Helen Willberg is a very respected music educator who has been writing/composing music for children for over three decades.  She was based at the Wellington Teachers college for many years as a music educator.  She is the author of ‘Sounds Forty’ and ‘Sounds Fun’, which are both well known resources in early childhood centres throughout New Zealand.  She currently runs a number of music programmes in the region including Chimes music and a number of choirs.

Enrolment Details:
Cost: Free to playcentre families otherwise $10 per person.
To enrole email:daysbayplay@gmail.com

Creative Arts Adult Workshop: Drama with Young Children. PLAY CENTRE FAMILIES ONLY.

When: Wednesday  27th of March, 7.30 – 9.30pm.

What: This workshop will look at why and how children use dramatic play, how parents can support their children in this type of play, and look at ways drama can be used in guiding children’s behaviour.   Kate will also look at different types of dramatic play including puppetry, role playing, and storytelling. 

The Presenter: Kate Mathewson has been involved with playcentre for seven years and is currently one of our session leaders.  She has a background in theatre, film, and television and recently wrote and directed San Antonio’s school production of ‘The Muppets’.

Enrolment Details:
Cost: Free to playcentre families otherwise $10 per person.
To enrol email: daysbayplay@gmail.com

Looking ahead to later on in the year:

Megan Prebble – is planning an after school course for 5 – 10 year olds on paper art in Term 2.  In this six week block course children will can be involved in things such as paper making, quilling, marbling, and origami.  Megan Prebble is a local artist with her own company called ‘Dora Papers’. You can read more about her work here: http://felt.co.nz/shop/dorapapers


Christina Buckley – is planning an ‘Introduction to Scrapbooking’ course where you will be able to celebrate the ordinary and extraordinary of your life and preserve treasured memories by combining stories, photos, and a bit of craftiness.

Gina Hopkirk – is planning a beginners ukulele class for those wanting to have some fun singing and playing as they learn some ukulele basics.  Gina is a member of ‘The Sugar Loaf  Ukulele Band’ and has led a few ukulele learning sessions for parents at Playcentre as well as using the ukulele to lead singing with children on sessions.

Dianne Cheyne – is hoping to run one of her creative arts classes for adults at our centre later on in the year.  Dianne is a local artist who creates art pieces using resources from the natural environment.  You can read more about her work here: http://www.livingstyle.org.nz/about.html

If you are interested in any of these workshops/classes please send your expression of interest to daysbayplay@gmail.com and we will be in touch with further details as they are confirmed.