As we mentioned in our post on The Avenue Children’s Centre and Kindergarten, having a centre in an old house immediately cries out “homely”!

This feeling started as soon as we came down the sideway and had to negotiate our way around the strollers and bikes at the front door – so delightfully inner city!

Inside the staff help nurture this feeling of being in someone’s home by the use of lamps strategically placed around the whole complex.

They have many indoor plants …

and just like at home they have quite a few pets – Silly Billy the rabbit, who is free to hop around the backyard …

two gorgeous mice which the children are allowed to handle under supervision …

and plenty of fish in bowls dotted throughout the different rooms.

We noticed a variety of music being played in the background around the centre, both indoors and out. Such a lovely touch.

The use of these cane drawer units, just like you might have at home, keeps all the children’s construction materials stored in one place, and also gives a top surface for other uses.

In fact, at The Avenue, they use lots of earthy cane basket for storage.

And who doesn’t love the earthiness of timber furniture?!

Everywhere we looked we noticed carpet rugs were used …

as a cosy way to warm up their timber flooring.

To top it off, there are plenty of photos of the children and their families around the place, as well as these lovely informative pictures of each of the staff members.

Considering the amount of time some of the children spend at The Avenue each day, it’s really nice to see that the staff have worked successfully to create that inviting home-away-from-home feeling!