What are the opening hours?

Monday 7:30am - 6pm Tuesday 7:30am - 6pm Wednesday 7:30am - 6pm Thursday 7:30am - 6pm Friday 7:30am - 6pm

Sustainable Play Preschool

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Barnsley, NSW
Sustainable Play Preschool

Sustainable Play Preschool is a small preschool in Barnsley, NSW providing child care for ages 2-6.

Sustainable Play Preschool is located in Barnsley, NSW and provides high-quality child care for preschool aged children, 2-6 years, in the Lake Macquarie and Newcastle area. We are a small centre with sustainability at the heart of our mission, we let children be children as they engage in our play-based, child-directed curriculum. We encourage nature play and connections through our gardening and

cooking classes as well as invite children to spend time as much time outdoors as they wish in our bush kindy program and large outdoor nature areas at the centre. Meals and snacks are included in our daily fees and follow a nutritious, colourful, dietitian approved plant-based menu.

29/08/2026

Book Week Celebrations! 📖
📘
Our Book Week celebrations were a wonderful success, children were invited to dress-up all week if they liked, we read lots and lots of stories, we created stories of our own, we walked to our local Barnsley Public School to watch their primary parade and we even had a little Preschool parade.
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Educators worked with children to create their own miniature books from paper and cardboard. Some children independently 'wrote' their own story, while others dictated their creative stories for teachers to scribe. We explored book design, with several children asking for page numbers as they noticed how published books are structured!
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The children drew inspiration from Toy Story, fairies, robots, and dinosaurs to bring their imagination to life. Through writing, drawing, and sharing, they discovered how words and pictures work together to tell a story, while proudly celebrating each other’s ideas. This hands-on experience was a fantastic way to boost early literacy skills.

27/08/2026

Have you heard of the incursion "Living Safely with Dogs"? 🐕

Darren and four-legged Storm provided a special experience for our Preschool children who are transitioning to school next year. This incursion provided us with vital skills for interacting safely and confidently with dogs. By teaching animal awareness early, we are building a lifelong foundation for responsible pet ownership. We are grateful for this opportunity to deliver an impactful lesson that will ensure our children enjoy safe, positive experiences with animals for years to come.
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Darren taught the children how to read a dog's body language and understand their clues. Key lessons the children learned:

🐕 Give them space: Always leave dogs alone when they are eating or sleeping.
🐕 Always ask first: If a dog is on a lead, say, "May I pat your dog?" before reaching out.
🐕 Stay calm: Gentle movements keep everyone safe and happy.

Our learners were so engaged, listened beautifully, and participated confidently. To say thank you, the children created beautiful drawings for Storm to take home as a token of their appreciation. ❤️

23/08/2026

Child safety is paramount in every decision we make.☝️ The #1 priority.

We deeply understand the concerns parents face today regarding child safety - many of us are parents too. At Sustainable Play, our core priority is creating an environment where your child is both protected and empowered.

We don’t just have policies; we have a deeply ingrained safety culture. From our open-plan design to our open-door policy for parents, transparency is built into everything we do.

Swipe through to see the concrete steps we take every single day to protect your children, empower their voices, and give you peace of mind. 🛡️✨

Questions about our safety framework? Contact us.

Visit our 'Commitment to Child Safety' page for more information.

sustainableplay.com.au/childsafety

21/08/2026

Making Traditional Dolls with Aunty Michelle 🌺🧶

Aunty Michelle (Kilipiynpiyn Workshops) recently joined us for a special visit to share how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people craft traditional dolls from sticks, fabric, and wool. She fondly remembered making these same dolls with her own family as a child, passing down a beautiful tradition of creativity and resourcefulness.

Educator Em shared that the children start by choosing "materials to make the body, skirt and hair for their doll from repurposed and natural materials. With wrapping the material around the stick, extending on their hand and eye coordination, finger and grip control, they made the body of the doll. Choosing their material for the skirt this provided opportunity for sensory input and personal expression whether it was layers of ties material or a big piece of material.

Thank you, Aunty Michelle for sharing some of your culture with us today!"

18/08/2026

🌱 Teeny baby cauliflower! Early spring in the garden 🌻

The children have been excited to spot new growth, including our very first baby cauliflower head! 🥦 We kicked off spring planting by potting sunflower seeds that the children had harvested themselves last season. While planting, we discussed the changing seasons. The children shared wonderful observations, noticing "more green leaves on the trees" and connecting their school science learning to what they see at home.

Stay tuned to see how our garden grows!

15/08/2026

Bubbles: Science, Art and Self-Regulation 🫧

The children explored colors through an engaging sensory art experience. By blowing colored bubble solution onto paper, they observed patterns and discovered firsthand how blue and yellow mix to create green 💚.

They practiced the following:

Self-Regulation: Blowing slow, controlled bubbles mimics deep-breathing exercises, helping children calm their bodies and regulate emotions.

Social Skills: The children practiced turn-taking and teamwork as they blew bubbles for peers to track and pop.

Oral Motor and Physics: Experimenting with breath control and air direction helped develop fine motor muscles and spatial awareness.

Educator Rachael is skilled at transforming simple ingredients into a magical multi-dimensional learning experiences for children. Thank you Rachael! ☺️🫧

14/08/2026

Building social skills and forming friendships 🤝. At Preschool, children learn more than just ABCs. Every day is a chance to practice sharing, build friendships, and learn how to team up with peers. ✨

Contact us on our website about 2027 enrolment 💛.

sustainableplay.com.au

11/08/2026

Puppet Shows! 🎭 🦁🦜

Following a huge interest in puppets, the children put on a show for their peers in the puppet show stage. From one child's big lion roars to another's hilarious puppet antics, everyone was laughing and cheering each other on.

Through storytelling performances, children practice amazing skills:
✨ Communication: Using new voices and gestures.
✨ Social Skills: Waiting patiently and celebrating friends.
✨ Confidence: Expressing themselves through play.

Our Assistant Director Emma has a strong love of storytelling and her amazing puppet displays have certainly inspired the children over the years in their own performance skills and story creations.

We invite you to grab your child's favourite puppet or teddy and encourage them to create a story for you. It's a moment to connect and an opportunity to see what's on their mind! ☺️

08/08/2026

Kangaroo sighting at bush kindy! 🦘

The group was walking quietly along the track and spotted six kangaroos! The children stopped, watched in wonder, and showed such beautiful respect for the wildlife. 🦘

Afterward, the adventure continued with climbing, balancing on a huge fallen tree, and cheering each other on. 🪵

Days like today remind us that the best learning happens in quiet moments of wonder and adventurous outdoor play. ☀️

07/08/2026

✨ The Power of Child-Led Learning: Our Seedlings Fairy Project! ✨

It all started with a single spark of imagination. When 2 children found colorful gems on the craft table, they wondered: Would the fairies like these? 🧚‍♀️

What began as two children creating a tiny garden quickly blossomed into a community-wide project! Over the past week, our Seedlings playground has transformed into a world of magic, collaboration, and deep learning.

Here is how our little spark grew:

🌸 Collaborative Design: Children worked together to build mushroom ornaments, a miniature stick-and-string clothesline, and layered fairy jars.

📝 Authentic Literacy: The children wanted to write to their new friend, sparking an explosion of drawing, mark-making, and letter writing.

📬 The Magic Letterbox: We installed a special fairy mailbox. Every morning brings pure excitement as the children check for replies!

Why this matters (The Pedagogy):

This is the beauty of an emergent curriculum. By listening to child-led ideas, our educators helped turn simple play into a rich learning journey. The project has naturally fostered problem-solving, symbolic thinking, sustained collaboration, and a deep sense of ownership and belonging in our environment.

We'll love to see where this magical journey takes our learners next! 🪵✨

Address

40 Nelson Street
Barnsley, NSW
2278

Opening Hours

Monday	7:30am - 6pm
Tuesday	7:30am - 6pm
Wednesday	7:30am - 6pm
Thursday	7:30am - 6pm
Friday	7:30am - 6pm

Telephone

+61240010140

Website

https://sustainableplay.com.au/

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