Blooming Curious
Looking to effect change and embrace authentic early childhood values and learning? Tune in to Blooming Curious for weekly inspiration and actionable strategies for early childhood classroom and home based educators who want to nurture curious, confident, lifelong learners. Visit www.bloomingcurious.com for resources and strategies that put the love back into teaching and learning. Sign up for your weekly dose of inspiration with Get Curious.
Episodes
June 16, 2025 • 5 mins
In this episode of Blooming Curious, Edwina discusses the importance of adults modelling curiosity to help children become curious learners. She highlights that children's curiosity mirrors that of the adults around them and provides five practical strategies to foster a curious mindset. 🔗 For links and details go to the episode website.✍️ To sign up to Get Curious, the newsletter that gives you a dose of weekly inspiration, and t...
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In this episode, discover the missing ingredient in early learning environments that can transform how children learn. Edwina reveals a teaching experience that changed everything, and how this experience ignited a passion for learning in her students. Learn practical ways to integrate curiosity into teaching with a downloadable toolkit designed to shift from compliance-based teaching to connection-based learning. Tune in to explor...
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In this episode Edwina speaks to educators and parents in the northern hemisphere about the importance of summer break, not just as a time for recovery, but as an opportunity for a mindset reset towards intentional growth. The episode offers practical tips for true rest, reflective journaling prompts, and book recommendations to inspire hands-on, human-centered education. Tune in to learn how to embrace rest, reflection, and inspir...
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May 26, 2025 • 8 mins
Introducing the Curiosity Toolkit: A simple way to engage students and foster curiosity In this episode, Edwina shares the experience that changed everything for her. She introduces the Curiosity Toolkit, a resource designed for educators to easily incorporate curiosity into their classrooms or homeschool environments. This toolkit doesn't require a complete overhaul of current strategies but offers a mindset shift with practi...
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May 19, 2025 • 6 mins
In this episode, we look at the challenges faced by educators today, from disengaged students to a stifling curriculum. We discuss the results of a recent survey highlighting these issues and propose a pivotal change: focusing on curiosity, creativity, and adaptability to prepare students for a future integrated with AI. If we are to prepare students for a unknown future, then we must face the reality that rote learning and the cur...
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May 12, 2025 • 6 mins
In this episode, Edwina looks at how to turn a 'Wonder Wall' from a static classroom decoration into a dynamic part of the learning process. By using students' questions for guided inquiry, educators can make Wonder Walls meaningful and interactive. This episode provides practical steps for incorporating inquiry-based learning into the curriculum through Wonder Walls. 🔗 For links and details go to the episode website.✍️ To si...
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May 5, 2025 • 12 mins
Transform Your Teaching: Integrated Learning with Picture BooksThis episode addresses the common frustrations that educators face with lesson planning, and offers a solution through integrated learning using picture books. I share my personal experiences and insights from my teaching career, highlighting the effectiveness of using picture books to create comprehensive, hands-on lesson plans that cover multiple curriculum areas. In ...
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April 21, 2025 • 4 mins
In this episode of Blooming Curious, Edwina reflects on the insights shared by various experienced educators like Sally Haughey, Claire Warden, Jessica Vance, Tonya Gilchrist, and April Zajko, about the decline of curiosity in children. Emphasizing curiosity as the foundation of learning. Edwina critiques the prevalent easy-route teaching methods such as scripted lessons and reliance on worksheets and urge educators to deeply refle...
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April 14, 2025 • 58 mins
In this episode of Blooming Curious, I welcome Sally Haughey, (pronounced Hoy) the founder and CEO of Wunderled, formerly known as Fairy Dust Teaching. Sally shares her journey from beginning her teaching career in 1996 to building a global community of over 240,000 educators across 120 countries. Sally Emphasises a play-based philosophy inspired by Waldorf and Reggio Emilia approaches, she discusses the profound impact of play on ...
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April 7, 2025 • 49 mins
In this episode of Blooming Curious, we welcome Ben Scholl and David Berlinski, founders of Toolbox Education. They discuss their initiative to equip children with evidence-based tools for improving mental health in schools. The conversation covers the importance of social-emotional learning, strategies to help kids manage anxiety, regulate emotions, and resolve conflicts. The duo also emphasizes the evolving role of teachers in fo...
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March 31, 2025 • 36 mins
In this episode of Blooming Curious, we dive into the critical topic of building children's confidence in mathematics to combat math anxiety. Following up on last week's discussion with Dr. Aditya Nagrath, who highlighted that many children entering kindergarten are already behind in math skills, we explore practical strategies that parents and educators can use to establish a solid mathematical foundation in young children. From i...
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March 24, 2025 • 38 mins
In this episode of Blooming Curious, Dr. Aditya Nagrath, author of 'Treating Mathematics Anxiety' and founder of the Elephant Learning Mathematics Academy, joins the podcast to discuss his mission to remove mathematics anxiety and empower children in their learning. Dr. Nagrath explains how deficits in early childhood mathematics lead to future difficulties, the importance of understanding mathematical language, and provides insigh...
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March 17, 2025 • 38 mins
In this episode of Blooming Curious, I welcome Shana Roberts, a multi-talented educator, author, and podcast host of 'Talk and Coffee.' Shana shares her 20-year journey in education, emphasising the importance of building strong connections with children to help navigate through difficult situations and emotions. She discusses her work as a trauma-informed educator using the Berry Street education model and offers practical strateg...
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March 10, 2025 • 9 mins
In this episode, we discuss the importance of sparking children's curiosity with loose parts as a key educational strategy. Loose parts is a favourite approach among numerous educators, including Janelle McArdle from My Teaching Cupboard who makes a guest appearance on the show.We explore how these open-ended materials benefit child development across creativity, motor skills, problem-solving, collaboration, and more. With insights...
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March 3, 2025 • 40 mins
In this episode of Blooming Curious, we welcome Alex Peterson, a dedicated Montessori teacher who shares her insights and experience in a Montessori classroom online as @missnearingsmontessori. Alex reveals the creative teaching strategies, hands-on activities, and key differences between Montessori and traditional education methods. She discusses the unique structure of Montessori classrooms, the importance of preparing the enviro...
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February 24, 2025 • 22 mins
In this episode of Blooming Curious, we discuss how Maslow's hierarchy of needs can be harnessed to motivate children to love learning. This discussion stems from a popular blog post on the same topic. We explore the hierarchy from the foundational requirements such as physiological needs and safety, to how love, belonging, and self-esteem play pivotal roles in setting kids up for success, ultimately leading to self-actualization a...
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February 17, 2025 • 59 mins
Understanding Sensory Processing: Insights from Early Childhood Consultant Veronica Green In this episode Veronica Green, an early childhood consultant and mother to a neurodivergent child, shares her journey from becoming an ECE in 2012 to founding Cultivating Confidence, an early years consultancy focused on creating inclusive environments where children and educators thrive. Through her personal experiences raising an autis...
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February 10, 2025 • 20 mins
In this episode, I share the reasons and benefits of inquiry-based learning (IBL) as a teaching strategy. Inquiry-Based Learning enhances student motivation, critical thinking, and creativity, and links learning to real-world contexts. IBL can furthermore foster a lifelong love for learning, and is the prefect strategy to help students connect knowledge to other subject areas and their own life experiences. Additionally...
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February 3, 2025 • 65 mins
In this episode of Blooming Curious, I welcome Tonya Gilchrist, an International Education Consultant and Learning Strategist. Tonya shares her journey towards advocating inquiry-based learning, discusses how to effectively implement inquiry practices within classrooms, and addresses misconceptions around inquiry and agency. She dives into the challenges of standardised testing and talks about her work in transforming educational a...
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January 27, 2025 • 10 mins
In this episode I highlight the natural inclinations and traits of children as active learners. I discuss the importance of incorporating these traits into teaching methods to engage children authentically in learning activities. Using the picture book I Went Walking, I introduce listeners to the multitude of learning experiences that this one little book can bring, and so spark children's natural curiosity and simultaneously...
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