Play is more than fun - it’s foundational. In this episode, Tina Geers, play advocate and founder of the Alberta Early Childhood Play Connection Network, joins the conversation to explore play pedagogy and what it means to protect play in our learning environments and communities. Together, we reflect on how play is both simple and complex, what educators can do to connect with play, and how honouring play nurtures curiosity, connection, and joy for both children and educators.
To learn more and connect with Tina:
Alberta Early Childhood Play Connection Network
What happens when we resist the urge to step in - to help, to guide, to teach - and instead give space for a child’s experience to unfold? In this episode, Cathy reflects on the power of pausing in our work with children. Through moments of play, disappointment, and discovery, she explores how a simple pause can nurture agency, deepen connection, and invite joy back into learning.
The Intentional Educator Journal ~ monthly newsletter with resources, reflective questions, stories to support your teaching practice
What if picture books were less about teaching and more about connecting? In this episode of The Intentional ECE Podcast, we explore how stories can open spaces for laughter, wonder, and empathy — helping children make sense of their worlds and build relationships with others. Join Cathy as she reflects on how educators can use picture books as invitations for connection, curiosity, and shared meaning.
It Came in the Mail by Ben Clanton
Outside My Window by Linda Ashman
In this episode, Megan Graham from Around the Birch Tree joins the conversation to share how play creates space for families to slow down, connect, and rediscover play together. From these family moments, we move to the larger circle of community - exploring how strong connections among families nurture parents, enrich children’s lives, and support collective wellbeing. It’s an invitation to reflect on play, presence, and the ways connection shapes both family life and community.
To learn more and connect with Megan:
In this episode, we’re joined by Susan Harris MacKay and Matt Karlsen from the Center for Playful Inquiry to reflect on what true growth for educators can look like. Moving beyond traditional notions of professional development, we explore how transformation emerges when educators engage in dialogue and lean into community. Together, we consider how playful inquiry can sustain us, challenge our assumptions, and help us imagine new possibilities for ourselves as educators and the children in our care.
Learn more at Center for Playful Inquiry
In this episode, we explore connection as the heartbeat of pedagogy with Bree Jackson of The Humble Educator. Together, we reflect on how authentic relationships with children and families create the foundation for meaningful learning. Bree shares insights from her 15 years in education and her role as a pedagogical leader, reminding us that when we truly see and honor each child’s world, we open pathways for growth, trust, and deep learning.
To learn more and connect with Bree:
Instagram - @the.humble.educator
Facebook - The Humble Educator
What if education was less about outcomes and more about learning how to live well together? In this episode of The Intentional ECE Podcast, we explore the deeper purpose of education—beyond curriculum and standards—through play, relationship, trust, and community. Join Cathy as she reflects on how educators can create spaces where children experience belonging, agency, and the joy of learning as fully human beings.
From Thinking to Teaching by Ann Pelo & Margie Carter
The Hungry Mind: The Origins of Curiosity with Susan Engel
What if classrooms were seen not as static places, but as living, breathing organisms that grow and adapt with children? In this episode, guest Alona Yildirim shares her 25 years of experience as an early childhood educator, leader, and co-founder of Documentation Studio Türkiye. Together, we explore how learning environments act as co-teachers—shaping curiosity, inspiring creativity, and making learning visible for both children and educators.
To Learn more and/or connect with Alona:
documentationstudioturkiye.org
LinkedIn: Alona Yildirim
Resources:
The Third Teacher: 79 ways you can use design to transform teaching and learning
Reggio Children Children, spaces, relations
Deb Curtis Designs for Living and learning
Ingrid Crowther Creating Effective Learning Environments
Sandra Duncan Inspiring Spaces for Young children, Rethinking the Classroom Landscape Through A child’s Eyes
The Space: A guide for educators
The Space: A guide for leaders
Yi Fu Tuan Spaces and Places: The Perspective of Experience
Jim Freeman Caring Spaces, Learning Places
Jure Kotnik Designing Spaces for Early Childhood Development: Sparking Learning & Creativity
Architect Faith Swickard Spatial Conditions of Emotion
In this episode, Cathy sits down with artist-educator and consultant Jesús Oviedo to explore how materials act as a language of inquiry in early childhood education. Jesús shares how encounters with “intelligent materials” open pathways for children’s thinking, expression, and collaboration — and how educators, by paying attention to this dialogue, can deepen their own practice. Together, they reflect on the role of materials in shaping ideas, sparking curiosity, support inquiry and how educators can look at children’s artwork to understand the meaningful learning that’s in process.
To learn more and/or connect with Jesús:
https://www.materialearning.com/
In this episode, we explore the power of outdoor learning with April Zajko. From noticing the wonders of nature to creating spaces where children feel a deep sense of curiosity and belonging, April reminds us that the outdoors is more than a backdrop - it’s a teacher in its own right. Together, we reflect on how embracing nature can nurture belonging, resilience, creativity, and joy for both children and educators.
To learn more and connect with April:
In this episode, Shirley Rempel—family child care provider, play advocate, and early learning leader—talks with us about the depth and value of home-based care. Shirley shares her experiences running a day home for over 16 years, her commitment to child-led, play-based learning, and the importance of advocacy for early childhood education in Alberta and beyond.
To learn more about Shirley’s work you can find her at:
https://toplayistolearndayhome.weebly.com/
IG: @toplayistolearndayhomedayhome
FB: To Play Is To Learn Day Home
Email: aandsrempel@yahoo.ca
FB: Alberta (and Beyond) Early Learning and Child Care Network
What does it truly mean for children to have agency in early childhood settings? In this thought-provoking episode, Marta Skrzypczak invites us to consider how autonomy, democratic practices, and systems like children’s councils can support meaningful participation. Drawing inspiration from Janusz Korczak’s legacy, Marta shares insights into moving beyond small choices to real, empowered action.
Learn more about Marta’s work at Participation Coach
Instagram: @participation_coach
What if the path to literacy doesn’t begin with letters and sounds—but with movement, play, and connection? In this episode, Stacy Benge, M.S.—early childhood educator, speaker, and author of The Whole Child Alphabet—joins me to talk about how literacy develops through the body, the senses, and the child’s natural curiosity.
Stacy helps us unpack the real foundations of literacy, from language development and vision to rhythm, play, and child-led experiences. With clarity and heart, she offers a refreshing perspective for both educators and families—one that honours the whole child.
Learn more about Stacy’s work at:
IG: @StacyBengeMS
FB: StacyBengeMS
LinkedIn: StacyBenge
In this episode, we explore how an educator’s personal history—our beliefs, values, and lived experiences—shapes what we notice and how we interpret children’s actions and words. Drawing on insights from Beau Lotto and Ann Pelo, we reflect on perception, cultural lens, and the power of self-awareness in observation. When we look inward as we look outward, our observations become more intentional, responsive, and grounded in care.
Resources:Deviate by Beau Lotto
From Teaching to Thinking by Ann Pelo & Margie Carter
In the final episode of our play and arts series, we pause to reflect. What has surfaced through playful observation, creative expression, and time spent reconnecting with our senses and surroundings? What common threads have emerged? And how might these insights shift the way we think, teach, observe, and respond?
In this third episode of our four-part play and arts series, we explore the art of observation as a form of play and creative expression. Through sensory experiences, drawing, writing, photography, and sound, educators are invited to rediscover the world around them and reconnect with curiosity, wonder, and joy
Resources:
In this second episode of our four-part series on play and art, we explore how developing an art mindset begins with embracing play. By reconnecting with the joy, curiosity, and openness that live in both play and process art, educators can create meaningful, developmentally rich experiences for children—and rediscover their own creativity in the process.
What if play isn’t just something we do, but a way of being? This episode explores play as a state of curiosity, freedom, and connection—one that nourishes our sense of joy, replenishment, and belonging. Listeners are invited to notice their own moments of play and consider how this shift in perspective can deepen their work with children, themselves, and the world around them.
Resources:
The Original Learning Approach by Suzanne Axelsson
Play by Stuart Brown
Free to Learn by Peter Gray
In this episode, I’m joined by Rosalba Bortolotti—pedagogist, mentor, and founder of the Acorn Collaborative—for a rich conversation rooted in the Reggio-inspired philosophy. We begin by exploring the powerful idea of seeing and being seen—and how the image we hold of children and ourselves as educators shapes relationships, environments, and the everyday decisions we make in our learning spaces. Rosalba shares her insights on materials as co-constructors of learning, what it means to create a living studio of ideas, and how educators can begin to transform their practice through reflection and intention. We also talk about her Mini Book Collection—a beautifully curated set of stories, provocations, and invitations—and how it can serve as a meaningful companion for educators on their journey.
Learn more about Rosalba at acorncollaborative.com
Instagram: @acorncollaborative
In this episode of The Intentional ECE, we explore professional learning as more than just a list of strategies or a requirement to check off. When approached with intention, learning becomes a joyful, reflective, and deeply personal journey—one that mirrors the way we believe children learn best. Tune in for inspiration, thoughtful questions, and a fresh perspective on what it means to grow as an educator.
