Kindergarten in Forrestdale Gumnuts, 4 to 5 years. Big ideas, bigger stages and a confident start to school.
Gumnuts is Everwood’s kindy room for children aged 4 to 5 who are getting ready for school. Inquiry maths, phonics-rich storytelling and team projects help your child get ready to start school confident, curious and resilient.
- 4 to 5 years
- Kindy and school readiness
- WA ratio 1:10
- Open 6:30am to 6:00pm
School readiness
How does Gumnuts get my child ready for school?
Each Gumnuts day is planned to build the foundation skills children need for a successful start to primary school.
- Early reading and phonics
- Writing readiness
- Number sense
- Social confidence
- Emotional resilience
The kindergarten programme values both academic readiness and the joy of childhood. It is guided by the Early Years Learning Framework and Everwood’s Reggio Emilia-inspired, child-led approach.
Read about our Reggio Emilia approach
What your child learns
What will my child learn in Gumnuts?
Big ideas now need bigger stages. These Gumnuts programmes let children pitch solutions, lead teams and show what they have learned.
Inquiry Maths Lab
Pattern hunts, number stories and hands-on measuring stations turn maths into real problem-solving. Children record what they find in mini-journals, a concrete start to numeracy at school.
Literacy Launchpad
Daily phonics games, puppet-led storytelling and shared-author sessions grow vocabulary and the sound awareness that early reading is built on.
Leadership Projects
Small teams plan, research and present long-term projects, like building a worm farm, staging a puppet show or designing a mini-market, growing teamwork, public speaking and pride in shared work.
A day in Gumnuts
What does a kindy day look like?
Hello at the gate
Gumnuts educators are happy to chat at drop-off.
Phonics and stories
Literacy Launchpad games and storytelling, every day.
Projects and maths
Small teams return to their Leadership Projects and Inquiry Maths Lab challenges, following their own questions.
Outdoor Challenge Course
Balance beams, cargo nets and loose-part obstacle builds develop core strength, risk assessment and teamwork, as educators link “plan, test, refine” to movement.
Lunch from our chef
Fresh meals cooked on site every day.
Rest and quiet time
Rest that follows your child’s routine at home.
Home time
A chat at pick-up, with family updates shared through Xplor.
What will kindy cost with CCS?
Your Gumnuts fee depends on your days and your Child Care Subsidy. Work out an estimate with our calculator, or ask on a 30-minute tour.
More in the Gumnuts year
What else is part of the kindy year?
Future-Skills Lab
Tablets, Bee-Bot robots and coding cards introduce digital skills the play-based way. Children predict, plan and debug simple sequences without losing hands-on creativity.
Community Buddies Week
Local “big school” students visit for shared reading and playground games, to help smooth the move to pre-primary. Children get to know school routines and make friends, so the next step can feel exciting rather than worrying.
Monday movement with Brenda Beckley
Every Monday, movement specialist Brenda Beckley runs play-based sessions in Gumnuts: hopping, skipping, ball skills and core strength that support focus and listening for school. Included at no extra cost.
About the movement programmeSpeech pathology on site
Qualified speech pathologists visit every week and work alongside educators on vocabulary, storytelling and confidence talking with others. Included at no extra cost.
About speech pathologyWho guides your child
Who will teach my child in Gumnuts?
Gumnuts is guided by experienced, qualified early childhood educators who shape learning around each child’s interests and stage.
WA law sets the minimum for this age at one educator for every ten children, from 36 months to preschool age (ACECQA ratio table). On your tour, ask how Gumnuts is staffed through the day.
Everwood is mum-owned and teacher-led: Issy, our owner, is a qualified teacher. Talk with your child’s educators at drop-off and pick-up, and follow the day in Xplor and Earlyworks.
See how a day at Everwood flows
Our rooms
Which room suits your child’s age?
Questions parents ask
Kindy questions, answered.
What age is the Gumnuts kindy room for?
Gumnuts is for children aged 4 to 5 who are preparing for their transition to school. Children move up from Tall Trees, our room for 3 to 4 year olds, and new families are welcome too.
Is Gumnuts a kindergarten programme or childcare?
Gumnuts is both: Everwood’s kindergarten programme for 4 to 5 year olds, run inside long day care that is open 6:30am to 6:00pm, Monday to Friday.
How will Gumnuts help my child start school?
Gumnuts builds early reading, writing readiness, number sense, social confidence and emotional resilience. Community Buddies Week also brings local big school students in, to help the move to pre-primary feel familiar.
What is the educator to child ratio in Gumnuts?
The WA legal minimum for this age group is one educator for every ten children (1:10), from 36 months to preschool age. Ask on your tour how Gumnuts is staffed across the day.
Do Gumnuts children use screens?
Yes, Gumnuts children use tablets, Bee-Bot robots and coding cards in the Future-Skills Lab, which introduces digital skills the play-based way alongside plenty of hands-on play. Ask on your tour how often.
How much does kindy cost at Everwood?
Kindy fees at Everwood depend on the days you choose and your Child Care Subsidy. Our CCS calculator estimates your out-of-pocket cost, and we confirm current fees when you visit. Under the 3 Day Guarantee, each child in an eligible family has at least 72 subsidised hours a fortnight, a rule that started on 5 January 2026 (Services Australia).
Is Everwood close to Armadale and Piara Waters?
Yes, Piara Waters is about 5 minutes away by car and Armadale about 9, measured on Google Maps outside peak hour. Everwood is at 30 Anstey Road, Forrestdale.
Find us
Just off Armadale Road.
30 Anstey Road, Forrestdale WA 6112
Everwood is on Anstey Road, just north of Armadale Road, with parking on site. Most families are 5 to 9 minutes away.
Drive times to Everwood
- Piara Waters: about 5 min
- Harrisdale: about 6 min
- Haynes: about 7 min
- Seville Grove: about 7 min
- Banjup: about 7 min
- Treeby: about 8 min
- Hilbert: about 8 min
- Champion Lakes: about 8 min
- Armadale: about 9 min
- Southern River: about 9 min
- Canning Vale: about 9 min
- Kelmscott: about 12 min
- Byford: about 15 min
Drive times: Google Maps, outside peak traffic. On-site parking.
Get directions ↗Come and see for yourself
Book your Everwood tour.
Choose a day and time, then add your details once. Tours take about 30 minutes: walk through the rooms, meet our educators, and ask anything.