Early Years Mentorship and Consulting

This month's Virtual Play Event!!

Active Play Is Not Optional: Helping Children Thrive in the Digital Age (with Richard Monette ~ Learn Through Active Play & Active for Life)

In today’s digital world, movement is essential for children’s brain development, learning, and well-being. Join us for an engaging and practical session exploring how active play supports holistic development in children ages 0–8.

📅 Date: Monday, June 22, 2026
⏰ Time: 6:30 PM
💻 Location: Live Online
💲 Fee: $15.00

Walk away with simple, real-world strategies to bring more movement into everyday experiences - supporting physical literacy, self-regulation, and joyful learning.

Let’s champion the power of play together.

🔗 Register now: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1988790725597?aff=oddtdtcreator

Today felt like standing in two beautiful places at once at the Outdoor Play in the Early Years Conference.

This morning, I was a participant—learning, observing, being invited into other educators’ thinking. Sitting in curiosity. Letting ideas land softly.

And then the afternoon arrived… and I stepped into the circle as a speaker.

We gathered outside, surrounded by trees, wind, and the quiet energy of possibility. Together, we explored how curiosity isn’t just a spark—it’s a compass.

Through loose parts, movement, and nature-based provocations, educators leaned into their own curiosity personalities…
They questioned.
They created.
They collaborated.
They played.

What stayed with me most was watching that shift—from thinking about practice… to being inside it.

Because that’s where the real learning lives.

* In the pinecones placed with intention
* In the pathways created with mats and movement
* In the laughter under a simple tarp turned into a shared space

This is the work.

Not perfect.
Not polished.
But deeply alive.

I am so grateful to have experienced both sides today—to be held in learning, and then to hold space for others.

To everyone who showed up, engaged, questioned, and played alongside me—thank you. You brought the compass to life.

And a gentle reminder we all carried with us today:
Curiosity doesn’t lead us away from learning…
It is the way we find it.

There’s something about gathering outdoors with a group of educators that feels a little like stepping into a living, breathing classroom… only this time, we are the learners 🌿

Tonight reminded me why I do this work.

From the moment I followed that little sign pointing the way, it felt like entering a space of intention, curiosity, and connection. Surrounded by the river, the wind, and the quiet hum of conversation, we were invited to slow down and notice—not just the materials in front of us, but each other.

Loose parts became invitations.
Fabric, clay, paint, and natural elements… each one whispering, “What could I become?”

I watched hands exploring texture, minds imagining possibilities, and educators leaning into play—not as an “activity,” but as a way of being.

And that’s what stayed with me the most:

✨ Play isn’t something we give children.
✨ It’s something we remember within ourselves.

There was something powerful about creating alongside other adults—laughing, experimenting, getting a little messy, and letting go of the need to have a “perfect outcome.” Just presence. Just process.

These are the moments that refill the cup.

These are the moments that ripple back into our day homes, classrooms, and communities.

Grateful for spaces that remind us:
🌱 to stay curious
🌱 to stay playful
🌱 and to keep seeing the world through possibility

If you’ve been feeling stretched or stuck lately… this is your gentle nudge:
Go outside. Touch something. Create something. Be alongside others.

The magic is still there. Always has been. 💫

Play is powerful. And so is your voice.

If you’re considering joining us for the Illuminate Play Conference in Calgary, now is the time to step forward.

Our Early Interest Registration is now open - giving you priority access and exclusive early bird perks reserved only for those on this list.

Join a growing community of educators who are advocating, connecting, and elevating play together.

💫 Don’t miss your moment to be part of it.

https://aecpcn.org/illuminate-play-conference/

Day 3 (Final Day): The Everything ECE Summit . We’ve arrived at the final day, today’s conversations center around practical ways to navigate our work with intention—exploring strategies for managing stress, setting boundaries, and sustaining a meaningful and professional career in early childhood.

I’ll be sharing a session close to my heart: Outdoor Pedagogical Documentation: A Sensory Safari Through Play and Place

Using the metaphor of a safari journey, we’ll move through a cycle of documentation grounded in:
• rich observation
• interpreting children’s meaning-making
• connecting to FLIGHT’s Holistic Goals and Dispositions

Together, we’ll explore how child, educator, and family perspectives can be woven into pedagogical narration that honours relationships, land, and cultural identity.

If this is something you’ve been curious about or wanting to deepen, I’d love for you to join in on the final day.

*** There is also several other educators who are speaking on various topic. Please come and join us 🙌🏻🎉

I just came back from another conference I attended in person and I could not wait to jump back into DAY 2: The Everything ECE Summit. Thank you Carla W so many powerful and diverse topics for this summit!!! Thank you for putting all of this together. I am so honored to be a part of this summit (Day 3).

Attending “You make a difference” conference

🌟 Featured Keynote Announcement – Illuminate Play Conference 2026 🌟

We are beyond excited to announce that Sally Fowler Haughey from Wunderled Teaching and Fairydust Teaching will be joining us as a Keynote Speaker for the Illuminate Play Conference 2026 in Calgary, AB on November 7, 2026.

Sally’s work has inspired educators around the world to see learning environments as places of wonder, creativity, storytelling, and possibility. Her approach to early childhood education invites us to slow down, see the magic in childhood, and design environments that truly honour children and the educators who work alongside them.

This is a keynote you will not want to miss. 💫

As we plan for 2026, we are asking our community to complete a short 2-minute survey to help us determine attendance and plan an event that is accessible and meaningful for educators.
Survey link in comments.

Introducing the Protectors of Play™ Professional Learning Reflection Journal

After hundreds of hours and more tea than I should have consumed...it's finally here! I've been working on this project for years now, but finally put pen to paper last year. And after many reviews and revisions, and feedback from my colleagues, I finally have this FREE digital resource ready for Early Childhood Educators everywhere!

This journal was created for early childhood educators who believe that reflection is part of our professional practice. Not something extra, but something essential.

Inside this journal, you’ll find space to pause, notice, wonder, and grow.

It is designed to support your professional learning journey through reflective practice, children’s rights, play-based pedagogy, educator well-being, and intentional goal setting.

This is not a workbook to complete.

It is a place to think, question, document, and reconnect with your purpose as an educator.

Because reflection is where learning deepens.
Reflection is where advocacy begins.
Reflection is where our professional voice grows stronger.

If you are a Protector of Play™, this journal was made for you.

📘 Learn more or access the journal here: https://inspiredmindsecc.ca/professional-learning-journal/

Print it out! Share the link with your colleagues.

Connect and reflect. Let's be inspired together!