The Inspired EC Blog
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Get Outside: Nature Supports Educator Wellbeing
We're burning out. Our sector is struggling. Every time I visit services or speak to educators I hear first-hand the toll that this role is taking on people.
Nature helps. Nature replenishes us.
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Who needs worksheets and rote learning when you have nature and time to explore?
Simple, and child led. It's what learning needs to be. Why do we have a tendency to overcomplicate the way in which children learn? When we head out into nature, when we slow down and let children explore and create and wonder, magical things happen. Learning happens. -
Is it time to ditch "No Hat, No Play"?
Recently, one of our team shared a reminder message that they had received from their child's education and care service about hats and sun protection, and it led to some discussion about the concept of "No Hat, No Play" in our office. -
Lessons from the Birds
A few months ago, my 7 year old daughter called to me from her bedroom. I could tell she was excited before I even went in, but when I saw her f... -
"Slides are for going down, not up!" REALLY?
Going up the slide requires a different set of body skills, it requires a different focus. Some children will find it challenging to go up the slide. Some children will find it easy. There will be some negotiation required between children, but you know what? They usually just work it out.
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4 Ways to Support Problem Solving Through Loose Parts Play
This post was lost in the archives. Originally published by us in 2020 This week I visited a local service. While I spoke with the approved prov... -
How to Embrace Rainy Day Play
Yesterday morning I sat at my desk watching the kookaburras and the magpies forage in the grass - the incessant rain having bought worms to the surface. And then I spotted her. A child of about three stepped across the soggy grass, her gumboots squelching, toward the birds. -
5 Practical Ways to Support Mud Play
Sometimes I hear from educators that mud play is too much work, that the inevitable clean-up is too hard, that the time spent is too long. But I have to ask the question - what else are we doing that is more important? -
5 Myths About Infant Outdoor Environments
I remember one of the first services I ever visited as a young student. I headed on into the infant room and was overwhelmed by toys and swings ... -
4 Ways to Support Barefoot Play
I spend a lot of time barefoot. I am barefoot indoors, I am barefoot outdoors, and I prefer to drive with barefeet. This explains how one morning,...
