What happens when you combine curious little explorers, a bus full of excitement, and a chocolate factory adventure? Montessori Minds magic.

This week, the children of Montessori Minds Childcare and Kindergarten in Geelong had a day they won’t soon forget. Safety vests on, and smiles stretched wide—our little adventurers clambered aboard the bus for an excursion to Freckleberry Chocolate Factory, right here in Geelong.

Chocolate Pizzas and Messy Hands

Upon arrival, the children were welcomed into the wonderful world of chocolate making. After being told a story about chocolate making, the real fun began—making chocolate pizzas.

Melted chocolate, colourful sprinkles, and lollies as sweet toppings. Each child designed their very own edible masterpiece. Some went for rainbow explosions of colour; others carefully placed each lolly with the focus of a true artist. A few sneaky taste-tests may have occurred along the way.

The Secrets of Chocolate

Between chocolate-covered fingers, our group gathered to learn how chocolate is made—from cocoa beans to the shiny treats we know and love. Eyes grew wide as the children discovered that chocolate comes from a tree (yes, really!) and that it takes a lot of steps to turn a bitter bean into something so delicious.

Inquisitively, the children asked;

“Can we grow a chocolate tree?”
“Do the beans taste yucky before they’re chocolate?”
“Why is chocolate soft and hard?”

Meeting Willy Wonka Himself

The highlight for many was a surprise visit from Willy Wonka himself, decked out in his iconic purple top hat and long overcoat. Gasps, giggles, and a few shy waves greeted him as he welcomed and mischievously moved around the factory.

The Great Oompa Loompa Hunt

No visit to a chocolate factory would be complete without searching for the legendary Oompa Loompas. Using colour recognition, the children were asked to find cardboard cutout Oompa Loompas. With boundless energy, the children, under supervision, scoured the park near the factory. When all the Oompa Loompas had been found, Will Wonka himself (well, a cutout) was next to be discovered.

Learning Through Play: The Montessori Connection

Behind all the fun, this excursion was rich with learning. In true “follow the child” spirit, the children’s own curiosity led the way—and along it, they were quietly building skills across several key developmental areas:

Practical life – scooping, spreading, and decorating their chocolate pizzas built fine motor control and independence, the same skills nurtured daily through practical life work in the classroom.
Sensorial exploration – melted chocolate, crunchy sprinkles, and the differing textures of hard and soft chocolate gave the children a hands-on sensorial experience, engaging touch, taste, and smell all at once.
Language development – new vocabulary took root as the children learned words like “cocoa,” “cacao pod,” and “harvest,” and practised expressing their wonder through questions and observations.
Science and nature – discovering that chocolate begins as a bean on a tree connected the children to the natural world and the process of transformation, a favourite Montessori theme of tracing something “from source to shelf.”
Colour recognition and problem-solving – the Oompa Loompa hunt turned matching and searching into a playful, purposeful challenge, encouraging observation and logical thinking.
Social and emotional growth – sharing toppings, taking turns, and exploring together as a group nurtured cooperation, patience, and community—all central to the Montessori approach to grace and courtesy.

A day of chocolate pizzas and Oompa Loompa hunts, yes—but also a day of genuine, joyful learning.

Montessori Minds Childcare and Kindergarten extend a huge thank you to the team at Freckleberry Chocolate Factory for making our excursion so memorable, and to our amazing educators for wrangling the excitement (and the sprinkles).

Want to learn more about life at Montessori Minds Childcare and Kindergarten? Book a centre tour and see where little adventurers grow, learn, and occasionally hunt for Oompa Loompas.