Roundabout Family Ministry

12/11/2024

We are having one last Roundabout Playgroup session to celebrate Christmas and give the families a chance to say goodbye. Anyone who has been associated with the playgroup over the past 15 years, families or volunteer helpers, who would like to join us are most welcome.
The date is Monday 25th November from 10am till 11.30-12 noon. We'll have time for chat, a simple Christmas craft, a telling of the Christmas story, some carols, and some party food. We will present certificates to the children so any current families should forward details of their child's name (given name and surname) and give any relevant details about what they will do in 2025 (Kindy, school, ELC) to Marnie Agnew.
If you plan to come, please RSVP to Marnie Agnew 0408 474 699 email [email protected] by Friday 22nd November.
We look forward to seeing you to celebrate and give thanks for 15 wonderful years at Roundabout Playgroup.

23/09/2024

It is with regret that we inform you that we are bringing Roundabout Playgroup at Blackwood Uniting Church to an end as of today, 23rd September, Small numbers and retiring volunteers mean it is no longer viable to keep providing this service to the community. We will have one final session at the end of November to celebrate Christmas, present the children with their certificates, thank all our volunteers and bring to an end 15 years of Playgroup.
We have had 15 wonderful years and have met many lovely families, mums, dads, grandparents and carers, seen literally hundreds of babies and toddlers grow up and move on to Kindy, school, ELC or many other life moves. And we have had dozens of wonderful volunteer helpers from Blackwood Uniting Church who have been the backbone of the service we have offered, to whom we say a very grateful 'Thank you'.
If anyone who has been involved in Playgroup over the years would like to join us for our final Christmas session to celebrate 15 wonderful years Playgroup, we would love to see you, so put 25th November in your diary.

25/07/2024

Roundabout Playgroup has resumed for term 3. Dates are from Monday 22nd July - Monday 23rd September. The theme for the term is Music and we’ll also celebrate the Olympics (with a noisy parade story), book week, Father’s Day and the coming of Spring. We’ll finish the term with an interactive musical story with participation by the children. There’s lots of fun to be had, with all the usual activities and play experiences in our warm and comfortable rooms. Morning tea is provided for adults. Bring your own (nut-free) snack for your child(ren). Mums, dads, grandparents and carers all welcome. Donation $5 per family.

02/12/2023

Roundabout Playgroup: End of term 4: The year is coming to a close and we are preparing for Christmas. Our last Roundabout Playgroup will be on Monday 11th December. We will be celebrating Christmas with a Christmas story, Christmas songs, a Christmas craft and other Christmas-based activities. We will have Christmas goodies for morning tea and it is also that time of the year when we have to say goodbye to those children who are leaving us and moving on to the next stage in their lives.
We like to mark this moment of moving on with a special ceremony where we present each child who is leaving with a graduation certificate. If your child is leaving could you please, if you have not already done so, email me with your child’s first name and surname, and the name of where they are moving on to, so I can prepare the certificate in advance.
Wishing you all a peaceful and stressless run-up to Christmas, an enjoyable Christmas break and a happy year in 2024
We will resume on Monday 5th February 2024

24/09/2023

The last Playgroup for term 3 is on tomorrow 25th September. To finish our theme of emergency transport we are having a visit from the Blackwood CFS: be there by 10.15 and your children can see the fire truck and tools, explore the truck and have their photo taken sitting inside it, and maybe even hold the large fire hose. Stay for a celebratory morning tea afterwards.
If you can, please bring a cash donation to assist our local firefighters and show our appreciation for what they do.
Please note, the church carpark will be partially roped off to make a space for the fire truck to park close to the inner fence. As the Bike Shed will still be operating parking will be limited. You may need to park across the road in the Magnet Shopping Centre or down the road in the Community Hall.
Roundabout Playgroup will resume in term 4 on Monday 16th October.

29/08/2023

Next Monday 4th September we are having some special visitors from SAPOL, with two police officers who will talk to the children about keeping safe, and then show them their police car, siren, lights and all. Be at Roundabout Playgroup at Blackwood Uniting Church, the church on the roundabout, by 10.30 if you want to take part in this exciting visit. Time for some play beforehand, from 10..am. Morning tea provided but BYO snack for your child, $5 donation.

27/08/2023

We’re celebrating Father’s Day at Roundabout Playgroup tomorrow so the children can make a card for dads, grandpas and other significant father figures. In keeping with our transport theme for the term it’s a rocket craft 😃
“I love you to the moon and back”

16/07/2023

Term two at Roundabout Playgroup finished on 3rd July with an imaginary trip on a broomstick and Julia Donaldson’s wonderful story, Room on the Broom. The kids loved it so much they wanted me to read it again.
Sadly it was also the day we had to say farewell to Roundabout Playgroup’s “great” grandfather Bruce, who after more than 13 years and at the age of 87 has decided it’s time to retire and admit he can’t keep on doing everything he used to. The kids will miss him and so will we. Over the years Bruce has helped set up and pack up, read stories and played his recorder for our end of year Christmas carols and other musical events, sat and talked with and listened to both adults and children, drunk endless imaginary cups of tea on the home corner, played with and kept an eye on children in the playground and moved more tables than he should have. And who will roll up the carpets with the children now? We gave him gifts of book vouchers so he won’t be bored, chocolates because we’d heard he loves them, and the traditional graduation certificate to thank him for his wonderful and much appreciated contribution over the years. We finished up with party food to send him off. Many many thanks Bruce Marriott

25/01/2023

Roundabout Playgroup starts again on Monday 6th February

Roundabout Playgroup will start again on Monday 6th February 2023. (This will leave the first day of term, Monday 30th January, free for parents to take older children to school for their first day of the new school year.)

Our theme for this term, Summer into Autumn, leading us up to Easter at the end of term. We will also celebrate Harmony Day on 21st March. There will be a public holiday for Adelaide Cup on March 13th so there will be no Playgroup that day.

Click here for more information!
https://blackwooduc.org.au/groups/family-ministry/roundabout-playgroup/

25/01/2023

It's time to get 'messy' again!!!
During 2023, we will be looking at the Fruit of the Spirit, starting with Love, which slots very well into the month of February indeed!

February 5th, 2023
4pm Main Oval, Belair National Park
BYO Picnic Dinner (and chairs, etc)
Note: No financial contribution this one time.

Click this link for more information about Roundabout Messy Church in 2023: https://blackwooduc.org.au/groups/family-ministry/messy-church/

01/11/2022

At Playgroup yesterday we celebrated Hallowe’en with the story Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson, sang lots of songs about the themes in the story (thanks Judy), made witches with the animals on the broomstick and ate pumpkin cupcakes thanks to mum Sylvia who had a mountain of pumpkin purée after making a spectacular carved pumpkin lantern. The kids had great fun.