The Play Well Podcast

• 43 - The Voice of Early Childhood

  On this episode of the podcast, we speak to Angelica Celinska about working in early years childcare.Angelica is an early childhood advocate, lecturer and founder of The Voice of Early Childhood (TVOEC). Angelica is working on giving the early childhood sector a voice through TVOEC by encouraging shared reflection, dialogue, collaboration and healthy debate. Angelica’s areas of expertise are community building, networking, career progression and bridging the gap between academia and practice. She has worked in practice across various settings and in different roles, before moving into content creation aimed at enhancing training and development for both educators and parents across the globe. This has involved working in publishing, training, academia, events and resourcing learning environments.http://www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/

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• 42 - Toadstool Trails

  On this episode of the podcast, we speak to Suzanne Scott and Rodney Mountain who have been creating nature trails across Scotland to encourage families to get out and explore. "I'm enthusiastic about promoting playful curiosity, wellbeing and outdoor exploration through art and community. I partnered with Rodney Mountain, the creator of ‘Brambles and Brumbles’ concept of intergenerational togetherness. He is a champion of bringing people together and he is passionate about the value of bringing art and design into healthcare. Together we created an inspiring, magical trail of inclusivity, togetherness, nature based wellbeing and outdoor adventuring."The trail is housed at Dundee Botanic Garden, with one day pop up trails at Scone Palace, Dens Road Primary School, Creative Dundee and the Maxwell Centre (Community Centre and Garden).

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• 41 - Dan Wuori and Early Years Education

  In this episode, we hear from Dr. Dan Wuori about his work in early years education.Dan Wuori is the Founder and President of Early Childhood Policy Solutions and Strategic Advisor on Early Childhood at the Saul Zaentz Charitable Foundation. Dr Wuori is a former kindergarten teacher and school district administrator. Working as the Deputy Director of South Carolina First Steps to School Readiness he developed significant, bipartisan support for early childhood education, including the creation of statewide program accountability standards, and the expansion of evidence-based home visiting programs.  Dr. Wuori holds a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism, a Master of Arts in Teaching, and a Ph.D. in early childhood education, all from the University of South Carolina. He speaks to a social media audience of a quarter of a million to share the powerful learning and development that happens in the early years. And in turn, uses this learning to influence national policy.

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• 40 - Play and Dementia

  In this podcast episode, we hear from Dr. Mike Wragg and his research on play in care homes.Dr Mike Wragg is a Senior Lecturer on the Childhood Development & Playwork BA (Hons) course at Leeds Beckett University.  Mike is Chair of Trustees of Play Bradford, a local play development charity that he founded in 2004, and which incorporates the Big Swing adventure playground.  Mike's current research is focussed on the practice of playwork in care homes with people living with dementia, which he's presenting at the 2004 UK Dementia Congress. 

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• 39 - Toddlers and Technology

  In this episode of the podcast, we hear from Dr. Lorna Arnott and her research on lived experiences of children's play, specifically in technology and digital play before the age of 5.Lorna Arnott is a Reader of Early Childhood Education and former Director of Early Years at the University of Strathclyde. Her work sits close to practice around three inter-related themes: children’s lifeworlds and experiences in early childhood settings and home cultures; pedagogic innovation in Early Childhood Education; and children’s digital play.  The first two themes are brought together in her conceptualization of how the dynamics of context shape children’s experiences (see selected publications: Pedagogic Cultures). Dr Arnott’s high standing in this field led to her inclusion in the Scottish Government Strategic Approach to Participation, serving on the Children’s Rights and Participation Team. Dr Arnott is an internationally recognized expert in children’s digital play, as evidenced in her role as editor of the 2017 SAGE book Digital Technologies and Learning in the Early Years and co-editor of three special issues on this topic in the British Journal of Educational Technology, Global Studies of Childhood and The European Early Childhood Educational Research Journal. She is founder and co-convener of the EECERA Digital Childhoods, STEM and Multimodality Special Interest Group.  She is Deputy Editor for the International Journal of Early Years Education and Assistant Editor for the Journal of Early Childhood Research.  Methodologically, Dr Arnott specializes in children’s voice and creative methods for children’s participation and has co-edited two books aimed at both research and practice audiences: Research Through Play: Participatory Methods in Early Childhood (SAGE, 2021) and Theory and Practice of Voice: A Guide for the Early Years (Routledge, 2022). Underpinning all of this work is an interest in children’s experiences of learning through play.

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