The woodland child

01/10/2026

19/09/2026

Today I had the privilege of working with Sydney Catholic Early Childhood Services (SCECS), exploring the pedagogical possibilities of light.

Light as a human experience.
Light as a language for thinking.
Light as an amplifier and illustrator of children’s theories, ideas and ways of knowing.

We explored the power of noticing, of becoming literate in light, and of understanding its behaviours so we can recognise the possibilities it offers for children’s thinking and research.

Light gives us another way to encounter, interpret and stay with children’s thinking.

07/09/2026

A blank and smooth clay field offers an invitation to mark-make.

We often think of mark-making with paint, pencils and textas, but clay offers something different.

Soft, responsive and irresistible to touch, clay records every press, drag, scratch and movement.

Clay holds the memory of touch, making visible the gestures and movements of the child.

What might children discover when the material responds back?

04/08/2026

Long before words, children experience the language of light.

Here, even our youngest learners are immersed in thoughtful learning contexts where light invites curiosity, wonder and the joy of discovery.

Simple materials can create rich possibilities for exploration. For educators interested in creating similar invitations, we’ve used Perspex tissue box covers, rechargeable LED tealight candles, a rechargeable spotlight and a handful of old CDs to reflect, refract and transform light in playful and unexpected ways.

Sometimes, it doesn’t take many or expensive resources, just thoughtful ones.

29/07/2026

Part of my role as a Pedagogical Coordinator is designing provocations that deepen educators’ thinking and make our pedagogical values visible through materials, space and encounter. Here’s a small window into my thinking as I designed this clay provocation for educators.

It began with a branch that I “rescued” from the side of the road…

I was intrigued by its quiet, vertical stance. We so often ask clay to exist horizontally, or in the acceptable “round ball”. I wondered what new possibilities might emerge if it was invited to stand instead.

I thought about bark. Texture. Memory. I was delighted by the possibility that clay could listen to its surface, holding its traces while light and shadow revealed them in new ways.

I removed the needles and the pine cone. Not to simplify the branch, but to interrupt recognition. To suspend certainty. To invite slower observation before familiar knowledge took over.

Another thread emerged. Clay is earth. Timber is from earth. Two materials of Country already holding a relationship long before I brought them together.

I chose to lift parts of the encounter from the floor on a simple platforms. Not to separate it from the space, but to shift our relationship with it. To invite bodies.

As the encounter evolved, I became interested in the relationships between the materials. How clay might speak to bark. How bark might invite light. How shadow might become another language altogether. Less a collection of materials, and more a dialogue between them. What might they be saying? Am I quiet enough to listen?

Perhaps this is what designing encounters asks of us.
To follow ideas with enough patience that relationships begin to reveal themselves. To trust that one way of seeing can open another. How might we design for conversation rather than consumption?

24/07/2026

A wonderful morning spent with Simone from learnplaythrive_ , talking (and filming) all things environments, intentionality and curation.

These conversations matter. They invite us to look beyond beautiful spaces and instead ask what our environments communicate about our values, our image of the child and the possibilities we hope children encounter each day.

I’m looking forward to sharing this conversation with you soon.

23/07/2026

In relationship with clay.

Our new team spent time exploring the thinking that underpins the prepared environment. Designing for encounter, inquiry and questions. Preparing contexts that are intentional, deliberate and deeply considered.

Time spent with clay is time spent understanding its language. Clay listens sensitively. It holds the memory of every mark, every gesture and every touch the maker leaves behind. To know clay is to begin recognising the questions it quietly invites.

“The material is enchanting, bewitching and seductive because it is transformative and transformable, always ready to be re-kneaded, receptive and intolerant of every error.” — Mirella Ruozzi

14/07/2026

I love designing a beautiful hallways moment. Hallways are often thought of as places we just pass through. But at our newest service Chisholm Early Education, Care & Preschool It tells children and families that this place has been thoughtfully prepared for them.

11/07/2026

Miles has just started to really find joy in representational drawing. He story tells as he creates and delights in the details. As an educator and mum this is so exciting, we can’t wait to see what he creates .