The Inspired EC Blog

  What if we told you that the difference between you being a standard educator and an amazing educator rested with someone else? Sure - you are ultimately responsible for the type of educator that you are and that you become. You make choices each and every day about the way that you interact with children, and the way that you support their play. But there is no doubt that these choices are shaped by others - in good ways, and sometimes in not so good ways.    Yesterday, Tash called to share with me an amazing conversation she'd had...

**This post was originally written in 2018 and has been updated.  In early 2018 we launched the first Australian TimberNook program. This amazing program, which is the brainchild of US Paediatric Occupational Therapist Angela Hanscom, has a strong focus on children getting outdoors, strengthening physical skills, building resilience and getting back to play! The facilitators of the program play a really important role, yet there is a very hands-off, stand back type of approach… and for good reason. I have written about the concept of Interaction vs interference before and while many educators agree in theory, putting it into practice can be a little...

  Last week, we had a death in the family. Our beautiful bunny Cadbury passed away and breaking the news to my three children was excruciating. There were questions (theirs), there were cuddles (mine) and there were tears (all of ours).    After an emotionally wrought 48hours, my husband and I looked at each other and said "no more pets!" Did we mean it? Well, at the time - yes! We were heartbroken ourselves, and seeing our little ones so devestated and thinking we could possibly prevent that from happening again was a driving force in that comment. But in...

This week, I listened to a podcast episode of the Child Care Bar & Grill titled Heavy Work Makes You Happy. This concept isn't new to me, although it is definitely something I have only really had a good understanding of since being introduced to the work of Angela Hanscom some six or seven years ago.  This snippet of an interview with Angela Hanscom, explains it pretty well:  "Part of the problem is that their proprioception system, which is the senses in your joints and muscles, is off. That system helps regulate how hard you push or pull things, so...

  {{This blog post was originally written in 2016 and has been updated with new content}} “Writing for real purpose draws on our natural inclination and desire to connect, communicate and influence our world. Can you remember a time when you were asked to complete a task in which you could not see relevance? To do so can be infuriating and draining. In contrast, the energy that comes from being set a meaningful and purposeful task is infectious. Why do we assume children are any different? When we engage with children around an area of their interest they are more...