The Play Well Podcast
Welcome to Play Scotland's Play Well Podcast series! Each month we will be exploring play through different themes by talking to play experts, play champions, and practitioners who are passionate about play. Join us to learn about the importance of play for child development, play as a human right, and the different ways play can be used to tackle social issues. If you have an idea for a guest or a theme please do get in touch with JennyLester@PlayScotland.org Please fill in our survey about how we can improve the podcast: https://forms.office.com/r/SPEMkHf6NC #PlayWellPodcast
Episodes
December 1, 2025 • 37 mins
In this episode, our former CEO, Marguerite Hunter Blair, speaks to Dr Myae Han.
Dr Myae Han is a professor of early childhood education at the University of Delaware. Her research focuses on play and early literacy learning, play-based curriculum, professional development for early childhood teachers, and culturally and linguistically diverse children.
She is a recipient of the Brian Sutton-Smith Award from The Association for the S...
Dr Myae Han is a professor of early childhood education at the University of Delaware. Her research focuses on play and early literacy learning, play-based curriculum, professional development for early childhood teachers, and culturally and linguistically diverse children.
She is a recipient of the Brian Sutton-Smith Award from The Association for the S...
Mark as Played
November 1, 2025 • 40 mins
In this episode, our Play Pedagogy Award Officer, Fiona Kirkland speaks to Leanne Sweaton.
Leanne is the Principal Teacher in Woodmill and Dunfermline Cluster in Fife supporting schools to close the poverty related attainment gap. She has been teaching for 25 years and began her play journey began back in 2016. Since then, she has revolutionised her practice and have never looked back. She runs the popular Facebook page 'The Play Pi...
Leanne is the Principal Teacher in Woodmill and Dunfermline Cluster in Fife supporting schools to close the poverty related attainment gap. She has been teaching for 25 years and began her play journey began back in 2016. Since then, she has revolutionised her practice and have never looked back. She runs the popular Facebook page 'The Play Pi...
Mark as Played
October 1, 2025 • 25 mins
In this episode, our former CEO Marguerite Hunter Blair speaks to Paul Hoenigmann, Managing Director of Inclusive Play.
Paul is passionate about widening access to the physical, social, and cognitive development for all children through expanding the provision of welcoming and accessible outdoor play spaces. Our UK-made inclusive equipment supports communities create safe, engaging environments where every child can play, learn, and...
Paul is passionate about widening access to the physical, social, and cognitive development for all children through expanding the provision of welcoming and accessible outdoor play spaces. Our UK-made inclusive equipment supports communities create safe, engaging environments where every child can play, learn, and...
Mark as Played
September 1, 2025 • 32 mins
In this episode, our former CEO Marguerite Hunter Blair speaks to Dr William Bird MBE.
Dr William Bird MBE is passionate about getting people active. As a family GP in the 1990s, he pioneered the concept of social prescribing by setting up the first Health Walk scheme. William is an advisor to the World Health Organisation, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities and Sport England. He is an Honorary Professor at the Univer...
Dr William Bird MBE is passionate about getting people active. As a family GP in the 1990s, he pioneered the concept of social prescribing by setting up the first Health Walk scheme. William is an advisor to the World Health Organisation, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities and Sport England. He is an Honorary Professor at the Univer...
Mark as Played
August 1, 2025 • 40 mins
On this epsiode, our Play Pedagogy Award Officer, Fiona Kirkland, speaks to Rebecca Wilkinson-Quinn, Clinical Lead for Scotland, Place2Be.
Becky is a qualified Art Psychotherapist and Clinical Supervisor. Becky comes from a Fine Arts background, working as an exhibiting artist, FE teaching and community settings. Becky has predominantly worked therapeutically with CYP, their families and teachers in schools, but has also lectured an...
Becky is a qualified Art Psychotherapist and Clinical Supervisor. Becky comes from a Fine Arts background, working as an exhibiting artist, FE teaching and community settings. Becky has predominantly worked therapeutically with CYP, their families and teachers in schools, but has also lectured an...
Mark as Played
July 1, 2025 • 31 mins
In this episode, we speak to Julia Jane Gladwin.
JJ is a garden designer with 30 years of experience in horticulture. She founded Go Flourish, a charity whose aim is to reconnect children to nature. Go Flourish put well-designed gardens into schools. The project uses a Liaison Teacher and the gardens to give real world context to curriculum learning. Partnering with St Andrew’s University to measure outcomes, Go Flourish aim to prov...
JJ is a garden designer with 30 years of experience in horticulture. She founded Go Flourish, a charity whose aim is to reconnect children to nature. Go Flourish put well-designed gardens into schools. The project uses a Liaison Teacher and the gardens to give real world context to curriculum learning. Partnering with St Andrew’s University to measure outcomes, Go Flourish aim to prov...
Mark as Played
June 2, 2025 • 24 mins
In this month's episode, we speak to Dannielle Don, a Youth Development Worker at The MAXwell Centre in Dundee.
About Dannielle
My journey started in 2014 during a placement with Barnardo’s Growing Up Project, where I was introduced to The MAXwell Centre. That’s where I discovered my unexpected love for gardening, and it quickly blossomed into something more. I volunteered with the very first Garden Club and soon after joined the tea...
About Dannielle
My journey started in 2014 during a placement with Barnardo’s Growing Up Project, where I was introduced to The MAXwell Centre. That’s where I discovered my unexpected love for gardening, and it quickly blossomed into something more. I volunteered with the very first Garden Club and soon after joined the tea...
Mark as Played
May 1, 2025 • 40 mins
On this episode of the podcast, we speak to Niki Buchan about play in nature.
Niki has 40 years’ experience in Early Education, works internationally as a conference keynote speaker, nature pedagogue, trainer, and award-winning author. She is a strong advocate for children’s right to a quality childhood, including the right to regular play and access to nature. She is the author of ‘Children in Wild Nature’, ‘A Practical Approach to...
Niki has 40 years’ experience in Early Education, works internationally as a conference keynote speaker, nature pedagogue, trainer, and award-winning author. She is a strong advocate for children’s right to a quality childhood, including the right to regular play and access to nature. She is the author of ‘Children in Wild Nature’, ‘A Practical Approach to...
Mark as Played
April 7, 2025 • 30 mins
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 p...
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 p...
Mark as Played
March 1, 2025 • 31 mins
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...
"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...
Mark as Played
January 31, 2025 • 35 mins
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, bipartisa...
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, bipartisa...
Mark as Played
January 9, 2025 • 33 mins
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 ...
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 ...
Mark as Played
December 2, 2024 • 27 mins
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 sett...
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 sett...
Mark as Played
November 4, 2024 • 34 mins
Karen is the leading expert in playwork qualifications in Scotland. She is the curriculum manager at Glasgow Clyde College for Playwork, Childhood Practice, Additional Support Needs, Social Services, and Early Learning and Childcare. She is a qualified primary teacher and she recently completed a Masters in Education where her research focused on play deprivation.
Mark as Played
October 8, 2024 • 29 mins
Dr Sarah Goldsmith has been a playworker and playwork trainer for over twenty years, after finishing a degree in Playwork. Sarah has worked in out of school clubs, adventure playgrounds and as a play ranger. The experience Sarah gained as a playworker led her to a PhD that explored children's experiences of toys and gender from a playwork perspective. Currently, Sarah works part time at Thrive Outdoors, researching children's oppor...
Mark as Played
September 10, 2024 • 34 mins
Dr Stephanie Chambers is a Senior Lecturer in the Sociology of Health and Wellbeing at the University of Glasgow. She leads a masters programme in Global Health and teaches on health inequalities and programme design and evaluation. Stephanie’s research focuses on children and young people’s health and wellbeing. She is particularly interested in the ways in which intergenerational programmes might bring wellbeing benefit to both c...
Mark as Played
August 5, 2024 • 28 mins
Give Them Time is a grassroots movement which evolved in 2018 from parents across Scotland sharing their own, often difficult, experiences of applying for a further year of nursery funding for their child.
Their campaign has been successful in changing the law so that all children with a legal right to defer their p1 start (those not age 5 by the school start date) from Aug 2023 to Aug 2024 and every year thereafter, are now automat...
Their campaign has been successful in changing the law so that all children with a legal right to defer their p1 start (those not age 5 by the school start date) from Aug 2023 to Aug 2024 and every year thereafter, are now automat...
Mark as Played
July 2, 2024 • 34 mins
Virginia Radcliffe is the Artistic Director & CEO of Licketyspit, a theatre and play charity focused on early years children and families.
After graduating in Drama & English Virginia became an actor. In her 30's, on becoming a mother, she developed her fascination for the early years, which flourished on moving to Scotland in 2000 to become Director of Scotland's first dedicated early years theatre programme at Wee Stories....
After graduating in Drama & English Virginia became an actor. In her 30's, on becoming a mother, she developed her fascination for the early years, which flourished on moving to Scotland in 2000 to become Director of Scotland's first dedicated early years theatre programme at Wee Stories....
Mark as Played
June 1, 2024 • 37 mins
Amy Woodhouse is the Chief Executive Officer of Parenting across Scotland - speaking up for and with parents and families in Scotland. Prior to this role, she was Head of Policy, Projects and Participation for Children in Scotland, a position she held for eight years.
Earlier in her career she worked as a researcher in the mental health sector and has a particular interest in how music, and the arts more widely, can be used to prom...
Earlier in her career she worked as a researcher in the mental health sector and has a particular interest in how music, and the arts more widely, can be used to prom...
Mark as Played
April 30, 2024 • 31 mins
The Opentree Foundation (Project: Toybank — Development Through Play) Toybank — Development Through Play is the flagship project of Mumbai-based non-profit The Opentree Foundation, which was founded in 2004. Toybank creates safe spaces for at-risk children with a focus of mainstreaming play-based learning in India. We adopt a Conscious Play™ approach to enable children from vulnerable communities to alleviate stress, build resilien...
Mark as Played
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