Childspace Study Tour 2026

Presented by Toni and Robin Christie.

Your hosts, Toni & Robin Christie will lead this 4 day adventure and you will have the opportunity to explore the stunning environments of Childspace, observe children and teachers interacting in these environments, explore a bit of Te Whanganui-a-Tara / Wellington, and attend a series of workshops at the Childspace Institute.

This study tour runs from Friday 27 – Monday 30 November 2026.

Course cost covers meals mentioned in the description, transport to centre tours, tours, materials, and workshops. 

Flights, accommodation, and travel to and from our institute in Johnsonville are at participants' own expense.

PROGRAMME:

Friday 27 November 2026, 9-4pm:
Morning tea, lunch and happy hour included. Welcome, introductions and tour outline and materials. An opening address on leadership and relationship-based programmes will set the scene for the tour, creating a wide ranging discussion-based morning with Toni covering values-based leadership as well as specific practices that empower children and support healthy attachment relationships to enable feelings of safety for children and families as well as a sense of purpose and meaning for educators. After lunch, we have an afternoon workshop from Robin on risk, resilience, and loose parts play, and then we finish the day with a happy hour and an introduction to Zentangle.

Saturday 28 November 2026, 9:30am–4pm:
Centre Tours – lunch, transport and happy hour included. Meet at Childspace Institute for centre tours. Morning tours of all four Childspace centres are followed by lunch out. In the afternoon, we visit the Wildspace base, our workshop, and 'Dopamine Forest' experimental playground. Returning to the Institute for reflection and finish the day with a happy hour and introduction to the ukulele. The evening is free to explore Wellington and taste NZ cuisine.

Sunday 29 November 2026:
Free Day to explore Wellington and NZ Culture. Information on tours and cultural experiences will be provided as part of your welcome pack.

Monday 30 November 2026, 9 – 2pm:
Tours and Workshops – lunch and transport included. We will divide into small groups to observe within specific centres of interest throughout the morning. Observation time will allow an opportunity to view morning tea and lunch rituals as well as sleepers at the younger centres and the programme in operation. Return to the institute for our own lunch ritual. Afternoon panel discussion, reflection, questions, certificates, evaluations, and farewell.

General admission price: $990
Special price for subscribers to The Space or Childspace at Your Place (CAYP): $900

• To check if you are a current subscriber to The Space or CAYP, click here.
• To subscribe to The Space magazine, click here.
• To subscribe to Childspace at Your Place, click here.