Learn Play Thrive Early Education Podcast

Episódios

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  Play Provocations #9: Construction Play 11.08.2026 23min

  In this inspiring episode of our Play Provocations mini-series, host Linda Harrison is joined by lead early childhood educator Michelle Jackson to explore how intentional environmental design can elevate construction play into a rich hub for creativity, engineering, and storytelling. Together, they unpack the pedagogical power of construction play—highlighting how manipulating open-ended mediums like timber offcuts, loose parts, and natural elements allows children to bring their 3D id...
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  Bush Kindy Australia 07.08.2026 14min

  In this episode of the Learn Play Thrive podcast, host Simone Brand sits down with Bec Burch, the visionary founder of Bush Kindy Australia. As Australia’s leading provider of Bush Kindy Leader Training and nature pedagogy professional development, Bec mentors educators nationwide to build confident, compliant, and meaningful nature-based programs. Grounded in her daily, hands-on work with children on the Gold Coast, Bec shares her passionate belief in every child's right to play outdoors, ...
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  S2E5 Little Library: Ships In The Field with Susanne Gervay 04.08.2026 28min

  In this episode of Learn Play Thrive’s Little Library mini-series, host Linda Harrison sits down with Order of Australia honoree and award-winning author Susanne Gervay to explore her moving picture book, 'Ships in the Field'. Drawing from her own family history as the child of post-war refugees, Susanne shares the inspiration behind this CBCA Notable story, which tenderly captures the journey of migration and belonging through a child's eyes. Together, they discuss how the book gently bala...
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  Connecting the Dots Between Music and Self-regulation 31.07.2026 26min

  In this episode of the Learn Play Thrive podcast, we welcome Amelia, former Early Learning Music Specialist at International Grammar School and founder of Rhymey. After witnessing firsthand how intentional musical moments can instantly transform classroom energy—bringing focus, emotional regulation, and deep connection to young children—Amelia launched Rhymey to bridge the growing gap in early childhood music education. As tertiary courses move away from traditional music pedagogy, Amelia's h...
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  Navigating the NQS #10: Standard 5.1 - Relationships between educators and children 28.07.2026 12min

  Welcome back to the Navigating the NQS podcast mini-series with host Simone Brand! In this episode, Simone dives straight into the absolute heart of daily early childhood practice - Quality Area 5, Standard 5.1. Simone unpacks the deep intentionality needed to maintain respectful and equitable relationships with each child, showing how an Exceeding-level service transforms ordinary routines into powerful rituals of safety and belonging. This epsiode explores Element 5.1.1 (Positive int...
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  Building Sustainable Quality at Gilgandra Preschool 24.07.2026 33min

  In this inspiring episode, Simone sits down with the leadership and pedagogical powerhouse team from Gilgandra Preschool. Together, they share how they have pioneered a model of "adaptive quality" that is responsive to changing rural/regional/remote community realities, workforce pressures and unique child needs. The team dives deep into the philosophy that high-quality outcomes do not begin with programs alone, but rather through a beautiful chain reaction - people build culture, cult...
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  Road Safety in Early Education #4: Language, literacy & learning 21.07.2026 18min

  Welcome back to the Road Safety in Early Education podcast mini-series! In this episode, we reframe the local streetscape as a giant, interactive picture book, demonstrating how road safety education naturally drives early language and literacy. Aligning with EYLF V2.0 Outcome 5, the team discusses how real-world experiences—like decoding environmental print and using "commentary walking"—build rich oral language and critical thinking in young children. The conversation covers practical wa...
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  Creating a Culture of Sustainability in ECEC 17.07.2026 26min

  Welcome to a brand-new episode of the Learn Play Thrive podcast! In this episode, host Simone Brand sits down with Dorothée Seeto, Director of Endless Play Studio. Many early childhood services find themselves stuck, scattered, or dependent on a single passionate educator when it comes to sustainability practices. Dorothée delivers a powerful reframe to overcome this overwhelm - "Sustainability isn’t just an extra chore or green stuff like recycling bins, but the vital project of growing ca...
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  Play Provocations #8: Digital Play 14.07.2026 27min

  Welcome to a brand-new episode of the Play Provocations podcast mini-series with host Linda Harrison! In this episode, Linda is joined by Dr. Kate Highfield, Head of School for the School of Teacher Education at the University of Canberra. As a co-author of Early Childhood Australia’s updated 'Statement on Young Children and Digital Technologies', Dr. Highfield shares ways digital tools can be used as open-ended loose parts that interact with the physical world to deeply enrich wonder, invest...
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  Beyond Attachment: Using Theories with Infants and Toddlers 10.07.2026 57min

  In this episode of the Learn Play Thrive podcast, host Simone Brand invites listeners to journey into the intentional heart of infant and toddler pedagogy alongside two leading academics and sector voices - Andi Salamon from the University of Canberra and Tina Stratigos from the University of Sydney. This deep-dive discussion aims to move foundational theorists like Bowlby, Parten, and Piaget off the dusty bookshelf and directly into everyday early childhood practice. As co-authors of the re...
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  S2E4 Little Library: Mr Huff 07.07.2026 22min

  Welcome to a brand-new episode of Learn Play Thrive’s Little Library mini-series, where host Linda Harrison is joined by Linda Stock—a qualified early childhood educator, therapeutic practitioner, and university lecturer specialising in children’s literature. In this illuminating conversation, the two experts dive deep into the emotional landscapes of picture books, focusing on Anna Walker’s award-winning story, Mr Huff. Linda Stock draws upon her extensive background in Bibliotherapy ...
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  Building Resilience and Tackling Anxiety in Young Children 03.07.2026 36min

  In this episode of the Learn Play Thrive podcast, host Simone Brand sits down with Dr. Kaylene Henderson—a medically trained child and adolescent psychiatrist, parenting specialist, and one of Australia’s most trusted early childhood experts. Known for her warm, relatable style and ability to translate complex research into "doable" approaches, Dr. Henderson unpacks the emotional and practical hurdles parents and educators face when navigating the "Goldilocks dilemma" of support. Toget...
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  Navigating the NQS #9: Standard 4.2 Professionalism 30.06.2026 12min

  What takes an early childhood service from a group of people working in the same building to a collaborative, ethical community of practice? In this episode of our Navigating the NQS mini-series, host Simone Brand dives straight into the heart of team culture: Quality Area 4, Standard 4.2 – Professionalism. This quality standard is about the spirit—it’s the invisible glue that holds a service together. We discuss how Exceeding services move beyond just "getting along" by using active t...
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  Weaving Country into Curriculum 26.06.2026 26min

  In this very special live episode of Learn Play Thrive, host Simone Brand sits down with Aunty Tracey Linn Bostock—a Bundjalung Mulungjali Woman, artist, author and early childhood educator with over 30 years of experience in the sector. If you have ever used the beautiful Acknowledgement of Country featured on ABC's Play School, you are already familiar with Aunty Tracey's incredible work. In this episode, she shares the deep meaning behind those words, her visionary ideas for the sector an...
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  Road Safety in Early Education #3: A Framework for Programming and Planning 23.06.2026 18min

  In this episode of our Road Safety in Early Education mini-series, we explore how to move beyond 'Road Safety Week' and embed life-saving messages into your daily curriculum throuhgout the year. Using high-quality, play-based pedagogy aligned with the EYLF V2.0, we discuss how to use transitions, dramatic play, and children’s spontaneous interests to make road safety a natural part of early learning. The highlight of the episode is a deep dive into Gilgandra Preschool, where road safety is ...
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  The Sleep Smart Guide to Safe Rest in ECEC 19.06.2026 15min

  In this episode of Learn Play Thrive, we explore the vital role of sleep and rest in early childhood settings with the team from Sleep Smart Australia. Quality sleep is a cornerstone of child development, yet navigating sleep routines in an ECEC environment can be complex. We dive into how Sleep Smart Australia is revolutionizing this space by bridging the gap between safe sleep guidelines and nurturing, responsive practice. We discuss their unique approach, which integrates evidence-based s...
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  Play Provocations #7: Nature Play 16.06.2026 13min

  Step outside the four walls of an early years classroom and into a world of invitations to wonder. In this episode of Play Provocations, Linda Harrison sits down with Centre Director and nature play advocate Aimee Hansen to explore how the natural world acts as a living, breathing co-teacher. They discuss how nature play builds essential executive function and school readiness in children under five. By engaging with sticks, stones, and soil, young learners are developing a deep-seated apprec...
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  Building a Bridge to Belonging: Supporting Children in Foster Care and Adoption 12.06.2026 37min

  In this moving episode, we are joined by international guest Jeanette Yoffe, Clinical Director of Yoffe Therapy and founder of the Celia Center in LA. Jeanette shares her profound personal journey through the foster and adoption systems, explaining how her own history of separation fueled her mission to become a therapist and advocate. She introduces powerful therapeutic tools — such as the "anger, sad, and out-of-control bags" — designed to help children process the complex traumas and insta...
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  S2E3 Little Library: What Do You Call Your Mum? 09.06.2026 18min

  Join us for a heartwarming new episode of the Learn Play Thrive: Little Library mini-series! Host Linda Harrison sits down with bestselling children's author Ashleigh Barton to explore her latest picture book, What Do You Call Your Mum? This rhyming story takes readers around the world to discover the many names for "Mum"—from Okaasan in Japan to Tina in Fiji. Ashleigh shares the inspiration behind this "love letter to families," explaining how the story shows that while languages and cultu...
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  Attachment and Parenting: Where Does It All Fit? 05.06.2026 52min

  In this episode of the Learn Play Thrive podcast, we are joined by Megan Jones, a Clinical Psychologist with over 26 years of experience, to unpack the science behind building secure attachments. Megan clarifies common misconceptions, explaining how research-driven attachment-based parenting is vastly different from permissive parenting. We explore the "control center" of the parent-child relationship, focusing on how co-regulation and emotion coaching allow parents to stay deeply connected...