Blooming Curious

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

Ep 86 When a Child Says 'This is Boring': What They're Really Telling You

October 20, 2025 • 15 mins
In this episode, Edwina looks at the common issue of children complaining that they're bored, or that what they're doing is boring! She explores the underlying reasons behind this behaviour, categorised into four types: tasks that are too easy, tasks that are too hard, lack of personal relevance, and passive learning experiences. Through evidence-based research and practical strategies, Edwina provides insights on how to diagnose a...
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Ep 85 How Questions Encourage Critical Thinking in Children

October 13, 2025 • 6 mins
Not all questions are created equal. In this episode we discuss how open-ended questions stimulate critical thinking and curiosity. We explore strategies to move away from giving direct answers and instead, encourage exploration and inquiry. The episode emphasises the significance of waiting for children to formulate their responses and using concrete materials to help them understand concepts. Additionally, it highlights the impor...
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Ep 84 Back to School Set Up for Nurturing Curiosity

September 8, 2025 • 14 mins
This is a replay of episode 40 - Should teachers be decorating their classrooms? Before you start stressing over classroom decor and spending your own hard earned cash, or worrying about what to do to start off your homeschooling journey, have a listen to top tips that will help you kick off the new year with confidence.You don't need more resources or more stuff, you need some simple things to help you get started and give your st...
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Ep 83 Transforming Learning with Inquiry and Learning Walls: A Conversation with Jessica Vance

July 21, 2025 • 40 mins
In this episode of Blooming Curious, we welcome back Jessica Vance, passionate inquiry educator and author, to discuss her latest book, 'Evidence of Inquiry.' The book offers a hands-on guide to making learning visible and building a culture of inquiry through learning walls. Jessica shares her journey and thought process behind writing the book, offers practical advice on creating and using learning walls, and highlights the benef...
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Ep 82 Three Simple Strategies to Integrate Reading and Writing Across the Curriculum

July 7, 2025 • 8 mins
In this episode, discover how to seamlessly weave literacy into every subject without adding more prep time. Learn three practical strategies: using picture books to create cross-curricular connections, implementing a vocabulary spiral to reinforce key terms, and leveraging the reading-writing connection in subjects like math, science, and social studies. Get actionable tips for starting small and find resources for ready-to-use pi...
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Ep 81 5 Simple Inquiry Strategies to Spark Classroom Curiosity and Engagement

July 1, 2025 • 11 mins
Ignite your classroom with 5 Simple Inquiry Strategies to Spark Classroom Curiosity and Engagement! In this episode, Edwina provides practical, down-to-earth ways to bring inquiry-based learning to life. Discover how to replace textbook questions with real-world problems, embrace the messy middle of student exploration, and use simple tools like “Notice, Wonder, Next” to make thinking visible. Learn how to build on student question...
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Ep 80 The Simple Secret to Raising Naturally Curious Kids at Home (Without Buying Anything!)

June 23, 2025 • 6 mins
In this episode, Edwina explores the importance of harnessing children's natural curiosity through everyday moments. She offers practical advice for homeschooling parents and anyone wanting to create a curiosity-rich learning environment at home. Key strategies include becoming a professional question-asker, modelling curiosity by wondering out loud, and following children's natural fascinations instead of a rigid agenda. 🔗 For li...
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Ep 79 How to Model Curiosity for Kids: Five Practical Strategies

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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Ep 78 How to Spark Lifelong Curiosity in Early Learners: The Secret to Raising Inquisitive, Joyful Kids

June 9, 2025 • 6 mins
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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Ep 77 Rest, Reflect, and Reignite: How Educators Can Use the Summer to Recharge and Grow

June 2, 2025 • 8 mins
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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Ep 76 The Ultimate Engagement Strategy: A Toolkit for Every Educator

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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Ep 75 Why Curiosity, Not Curriculum, Is the Key to Future-Ready Learning

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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Ep 74 Transforming Wonder Walls into Learning Tools

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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Ep 73 Integrated lesson planning with The Tiger Who Came to Tea

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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Ep 72 Taking a Stand for Children's Curiosity

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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Ep 71 Unlocking the Transformative Power of Play with Sally Haughey

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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Ep 70 Strategies for Improving Children's Mental Health: Insights from Toolbox Education

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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Ep 69 Building Children's Confidence in Math with Foundational Strategies

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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Ep 68 Addressing Mathematics Anxiety with Dr Aditya Nagrath

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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Ep 67 Building Connections and Resilience with Shana Roberts

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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