Building our city using magnetic blocks…..

Monday 21st September 2026

A new selection of magnetic blocks has been added to our collection, creating even more possibilities for the children’s creativity, imagination and collaborative construction to thrive.

A book highlighting the buildings and architecture of our city of Newcastle has certainly sparked the children’s imagination. As they looked closely at familiar places, they began making connections between the images in the book and the places they know and experience during our City to Sea walks.

The children were particularly inspired to build The Roundhouse, an iconic circular building they regularly see on our journeys towards Newcastle Beach. Once the Newcastle Council Administration Centre and now home to the Kingsley Newcastle, the building has become a familiar landmark within our shared experiences of the city.

Our conversations also led us to Trevor Dickinson, an artist whose detailed illustrations celebrate the buildings, streets and character of Australian cities. Trevor painted the artwork in the tunnel that we travel through as we make our way towards Newcastle Beach, creating another meaningful connection between the artist, our local environment and the children's own experiences.

Making these meaningful connections enables children to recognise that the places around them hold stories, history and identity. They begin to see themselves as active participants within their community, drawing on their experiences, memories and observations to represent what they know and wonder about through construction, creativity and play.

Through these experiences, our city becomes more than somewhere we visit, it becomes part of our learning, our stories and our sense of belonging.