Forest school, Outdoor Learning, the Nature Based Approach. We have mostly all heard of these terms, but what do they actually mean? Shána is joined by leading Forest School Practitioner Marina Robb on the importance of nature based learning and its impact on our children's development.

Emotional literacy and regulation is a challenging and yet important skill for children to develop. How do we support our children in being aware of and communicating their emotions? How do we support ourselves to do the same? Shána speaks with Jenna Moniz from the HeartMath institute about, quite literally, the heart of the matter.

Shána talks with Lesley Berrington, published author of Hattie & Friends book series, about representation in children's books and why they are a must-have in any Early Years setting.

Website: https://hattieandfriends.com/

Twitter: @hattiesfriends

Instagram: @hattieandfriendsauthor

Facebook: @Hattieandfriendsauthor

LinkedIn: @lesley-berrington-0252b425

In the UK, only 3% of EYFS practitioners are male. Join Shána as she chats with Tom, Matt C, Mat S, Mat M & Matthew (Yes, that is a lot of Matthews..) as they open up about the challenges they have faced in the work place, just because of their gender. How can we make sure our EYFS settings are welcoming for all?

Tom Noakes - @mrnoakes_teachingjourney

Mathew Stevenson - @eyfs_with_mr_s

Matthew Chatburn - @mattchat004 and @MrChatburn_eyfs

Mathew Middleton - @TheMFASP

Matthew Crouch - @mr_c_classroom and @mrcclassroom

1 in 10 of us will have some form of Dyslexia. That includes Early Years educators. In this episode, Shána explores the challenges that practitioners face in the classroom while having a form of Dyslexia, shares research and links on how to support yourself or your colleagues and speaks to Kelly Harris, a Dyslexic teacher, about her experiences getting diagnosed, trained and supported through her career.

Supporting Dyslexic Trainee Teachers: University of Southampton

Blog: The Gift of Being A Dyslexic Teacher by Matthew Friday

Supporting Teachers with Dyslexia: Engage Education

Shána speaks with Early Childhood Consultant Sue Asquith about how to support children, families and teachers with transition from room to room, Nursery to Reception and EYFS to Key Stage 1. Sue shares her advice, experience and answers your questions on best practise.

Learn more about her work in the links below!

Sue's LinkedIn

Sue's Facebook Group

Sue's Website

Sam is an ex-headteacher turned Leadership Energy coach & trainer. She supports school leaders and practitioners in building resilience in such a fast-paced and challenging work environment. She shares her experience, expertise and top tips for building resilience as a practitioner in the EYFS.

Get to know her more here:

Instagram: @sunskycoaching

LinkedIn: @samantha-jayasuriya

Website: http://www.sunskycoaching.co.uk/

Email: [email protected]

Projects: https://sunskycoaching.co.uk/coaching/#evolution

Does this comment make your eye twitch? Perhaps you have said this to an EYFS teacher friend yourself? Join Shána as she explores what play actually means, how practitioners weave it into their timetable and why it is such an integral part of an EYFS setting. There's a lot more to it than you might think!

Link to Article

We can all agree that snack time is a very important part of the day in early years, but how do you go about doing it? Shána looks at group time snack as well as rolling snack and the benefits and set-backs of both. Which way works for your setting?

Join Shána as she explores a study about imaginary friends. She also shares experiences of you, wonderful listeners, who have written in and even interviews her colleague Alisha about her very own imaginary friends.. you will NEVER guess what they were!