Earthshinekids

Leave Them To It!
Children need to be free to play without adult interference. There is a place for adult led activities and guidance but true free play is where all learning becomes embedded and part of the child’s overall development. Play is practicing life.

Your play piece for today is…

Know the difference!

What I see across multiple pages who ‘claim’ they embrace play as an approach to learning, are simply just setting up ‘adult led learning’.

There is an absolute place for this type of set up for sure but please don’t call it play!

Play is freely chosen, intrinsically motivated and highly engaging. It’s free from learning intentions and success criteria. It’s free from comments like ‘do it this way’ or ‘you can’t do that’.

If you’re new to play, learn the difference.

When you see an ‘activity’ set up, a beautifully designed tuff tray is a perfect example, remind yourself that it is adult directed and can never be classed as ‘play’

It’s a real bug bear of mine 🤣🙄

We currently have a couple of spots open for 2026-2027 School Year in our Preschool Class! Children must be between the ages of 3-6 and must be fully potty trained. Visit www.earthshinekids.com to schedule an interview.

EARTHSHINE KIDS IS HIRING! ❤️
Morning Floater | Monday–Friday | 8:00 AM–12:30 PM

We’re looking for a special person to join our Earthshine Kids family as a floater!

This position is perfect for someone who genuinely loves young children, understands that early childhood is incredibly important, and is ready to jump in wherever they are needed. Our floater helps support our infant, toddler, and preschool classrooms and plays an important role in keeping our days flowing smoothly.

We’re looking for someone who is:
• Reliable, dependable, and punctual
• Flexible and comfortable adapting to the needs of the day
• Positive, patient, and warm
• Passionate about working with young children
• Comfortable working with children from infancy through preschool
• Knowledgeable about child development and developmentally appropriate practices
• Someone who doesn’t wait to be asked, but sees where help is needed and jumps in
• A team player who values communication and collaboration
• Ready to get down on the floor, get messy, play, explore, nurture, and learn alongside children
Childcare experience is preferred!
And you’ll get extra points if you have experience with Montessori, Reggio-inspired, nature-based, or play-based learning.

At Earthshine, we are more than a daycare.

We believe the early years matter. We believe children deserve to be respected, understood, challenged, nurtured, and given the freedom to become capable little humans.

We aren’t simply caring for children until their parents come back. We are helping prepare children for life. And we take that responsibility very seriously.

We’re looking for someone who wants to contribute to something meaningful. Someone who sees early childhood education as important work and wants to be part of a team that makes a difference in the lives of children and families. 🌎✨

If that sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you!
Message us with your interest and your resume!

The Value of Play

Play is fun.
Play comes from within. Children love to play.
Play is an important part of healthy development.
Play is enjoyable and doesn’t need careful planning, or an end result.
Play means active involvement, not just watching.
During play, the child sets the rules, and there is no right or wrong way to play.
During play children practise physical skills and learn about their bodies.
They learn to use their imagination.
They learn about their own feelings and the feelings of others.
They learn about the world around them using all five senses.
Play is the work of children!

Through play children learn:

To explore materials
To be creative
To use language
To share (maybe!)
To make decisions
To test possibilities
To estimate
To concentrate
and so much more!

Children need the time to explore and learn through play – by playing alone, with other children, and with you. Each of these relationships are important!

dunstanbabyaustralia.com.au
Dunstan Baby Australia

We learn through our play, interactions, and experiences here at Earthshinekids 🥰

We enter education with a belief that learning needs to be made appealing. That without the right hook, the right energy, the right spark from us, children will disengage. So we perform. We decorate. We incentivize. All in service of something children were already born with.
The young child doesn't need to be convinced to learn. Curiosity isn't a behavior we cultivate in them. It's what they arrive with. The drive to explore, to figure out, to understand, to master — it's wired in, as natural and insistent as breathing.
What steals the joy isn't a lack of effort on our part. It's the weight of external expectations, the pressure to perform, the narrowing of what counts as learning and when and how fast. When we remove those obstacles and trust the child, what we find underneath isn't apathy. It's wonder.
Our job is not to manufacture joy. It's to protect it.