Learn Play Thrive The Podcast

Simone Brand
  • 5.0 (1)
  • EDUCATION
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Welcome to Learn Play Thrive: The Podcast! Join us for expert insights and interviews, practical tips and inspiring stories in Early Childhood Education. Whether you are an educator or leader in the sector, this podcast is your go-to resource to discover strategies to foster learning, promote play and empower young minds to thrive.

  1. 1D AGO

    From Framework to Footpath: A Practical Guide to Road Safety in ECEC

    Tune in for an important discussion on keeping our youngest road users safe! We welcome Louise Cosgrove and Amanda Menzies from Kids and Traffic (Transport for NSW) to share their expert insights. Discover how the Kids and Traffic key road safety messages function as a 'curriculum toolkit' helping educators bring road safety to life in an engaging, meaningful way. Learn how you can leverage your trusted position as an educator to create a strong culture of safety for children and their families. This vital conversation also covers the importance of embedding road safety into ECEC service policies and procedures. Louise and Amanda explain how clear policies help approved providers comply with the National Law, National Regulations, and the National Quality Standard (NQS), ensuring road safety education aligns with the EYLF V2.0. Listen now for expert guidance on improving safety outcomes for vulnerable road users and advocating for road safety in your community! Find out more: https://kidsandtraffic.mq.edu.au/ https://www.instagram.com/kidsandtraffic/ If you enjoyed this episode, consider leaving us a review on your favourite podcast platform. Have questions or feedback? Connect with us on social media or email us at info@learnplaythrive.com.au Connect with Us: - Website: www.learnplaythrive.com.au - Instagram: @learnplaythrive_ - Email: info@learnplaythrive.com.au

    23 min
  2. Little Dreamers #8: Butterflies

    4D AGO

    Little Dreamers #8: Butterflies

    This episode of Little Dreamers is all about beautiful butterflies, guiding preschoolers through gentle imagery and promote deep relaxation, body awareness, and imaginative thinking. Host Kathryn uses storytelling to help children practice gratitude and breathing techniques, inviting them to imagine they are colourful butterflies with happy, thankful wings.  Tune in to practice the butterfly pose, where children learn to feel their bodies become calm and quiet like a butterfly resting on a warm leaf.  If you enjoyed this episode, consider leaving us a review on your favourite podcast platform. Have questions or feedback? Connect with us on social media or email us at info@learnplaythrive.com.au Connect with Us: - Website: www.learnplaythrive.com.au - Instagram: @learnplaythrive_ - Email: info@learnplaythrive.com.au

    11 min

  3. JAN 29

    Episode Encore: Weaving Aboriginal Perspectives Across the Curriculum

    We're bringing back a must-listen favorite! Join us for this powerful encore featuring Jessica Staines, founder of the Koori Curriculum, renowned for her work in culturally responsive pedagogical practices. Jessica offers essential, actionable strategies for educators committed to moving beyond tokenism and cultivating genuine cultural competency. Key insights for cultural competency: - Effective and respectful ways to integrate Aboriginal perspectives across your curriculum. - Cultural protocols for meaningful engagement with Indigenous Elders and Leaders in local communities. - Expert guidance on the potential challenges educators may face and effective ways to navigate them. - Planning ideas using Aboriginal storytelling and oral traditions to enrich the early years classroom. Tune in to transform your curriculum, engage respectfully, and cultivate culturally inclusive practice! If you enjoyed this episode, consider leaving us a review on your favourite podcast platform. Have questions or feedback? Connect with us on social media or email us at info@learnplaythrive.com.au Connect with Us: - Website: www.learnplaythrive.com.au - Instagram: @learnplaythrive_ - Email: info@learnplaythrive.com.au

    20 min

  4. JAN 22

    Episode Encore: Generative AI - Should we worry or be excited?

    We’re bringing back a must-listen favourite. In this powerful encore, I sit down with Dr Kate Highfield to unpack one of the biggest conversations in early childhood right now: Generative AI — should we worry or be excited? Dr Kate brings clarity, calm, and deep expertise to a topic that can feel overwhelming. Together, we explore how AI is shaping our sector, what it means for documentation, planning and admin, and how we can step into this space ethically and confidently. Rather than fearing the unknown, Kate shows us how to anchor ourselves in our professional standards, the ECA Code of Ethics, and our commitment to authentic relationships with children and families. She also offers practical examples of AI tools that genuinely save time — while keeping the human heart of early childhood at the centre. If you enjoyed this episode, consider leaving us a review on your favourite podcast platform. Have questions or feedback? Connect with us on social media or email us at info@learnplaythrive.com.au Connect with Us: - Website: www.learnplaythrive.com.au - Instagram: @learnplaythrive_ - Email: info@learnplaythrive.com.au

    32 min
  5. Navigating the NQS #3: Standard 1.3 - Assessment and planning

    JAN 19

    Navigating the NQS #3: Standard 1.3 - Assessment and planning

    In this episode of Navigating the NQS, host Simone Brand guides educators to excellence by diving into the heart of Quality Area 1 - Standard 1.3: Assessment and Planning. This episode is essential for mastering the planning cycle—observing, analysing, planning, implementing, and reflecting—which assessors look for as the systematic bedrock of professional practice.  We also explore the keys to Exceeding NQS, focusing on Critical Reflection (1.3.2) and Information for Families (1.3.3). Discover how to challenge your practice and demonstrate visible program change, while building family partnership through meaningful, two-way communication about children's progress. Get actionable steps and an Exceeding NQS case study to immediately elevate your program quality this week! If you enjoyed this episode, consider leaving us a review on your favourite podcast platform. Have questions or feedback? Connect with us on social media or email us at info@learnplaythrive.com.au Connect with Us: - Website: www.learnplaythrive.com.au - Instagram: @learnplaythrive_ - Email: info@learnplaythrive.com.au

    12 min

  6. JAN 15

    Episode Encore: The Power of Play and Storytelling in Water Safety Education

    This week, we're bringing back one of our favourite episodes just in time for the summer season. Simone Brand chats with Louise Lambeth, an experienced surf lifesaver and children's book author. With warmer weather encouraging more time near the water, this episode is a vital listen for every educator and parent. Louise’s mission is to teach children and families how to stay safe in and around the water, powerfully using the art of storytelling to embed crucial safety lessons. Key takeaways: - Discover how Louise’s brilliant picture books align with the EYLF V2.0, focusing on children’s health, safety, and well-being. - Learn ways to weave essential water safety messages into daily play-based learning for preschoolers. - Hear all about the fantastic, free incursions offered to early childhood services across NSW through the Surf Life Saving NSW “Annie and the Waves” program. - Explore digital resources to share with children about  identifying rip currents, choosing safe beaches, and understanding marine animals. Tune in to make water safety a confident and informed part of your summer curriculum! If you enjoyed this episode, consider leaving us a review on your favourite podcast platform. Have questions or feedback? Connect with us on social media or email us at info@learnplaythrive.com.au Connect with Us: - Website: www.learnplaythrive.com.au - Instagram: @learnplaythrive_ - Email: info@learnplaythrive.com.au

    27 min
  7. Little Library #8: Tubowgule - A Sydney Opera House History

    JAN 12

    Little Library #8: Tubowgule - A Sydney Opera House History

    Join host Linda Harrison and First Nations author, Melissa-Jane Fogarty, as we explore the picture book Tubowgule: A Sydney Opera House History. This story traces the site's story from the Gadi people gathering at Tubowgule over 60,000 years ago, through colonisation, and up to the construction of the Sydney Opera House. We discuss the story's key themes of Aboriginal culture and language; and how the picture book acts as a powerful tool to begin conversations with preschoolers about big concepts like the impact of colonisation. Linda provides vibrant, play-based story-inspired ideas including a visual arts experience using the Opera House 'sails' to inspire Architect Art that explores STEAM concepts like structure and balance. Tune in to discover how sharing this story with young children promotes a greater understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing and being, actively working towards Reconciliation. Find out more: https://melissajanefogarty.com/ https://www.instagram.com/melissajwriting/?hl=en If you enjoyed this episode, consider leaving us a review on your favourite podcast platform. Have questions or feedback? Connect with us on social media or email us at info@learnplaythrive.com.au Connect with Us: - Website: www.learnplaythrive.com.au - Instagram: @learnplaythrive_ - Email: info@learnplaythrive.com.au

    22 min

  8. 12/18/2025

    Activating a Collective Ethic of Care and Co-responsibility with the Great Barrier Reef

    Join us for an inspiring discussion with two leading voices in early childhood education, Debi Keyte-Hartland and Catherine Lee. We dive into an inquiry-project, which began with a discovery made by children digging in the sandpit. This unexpected find unfolded into a rich, extended inquiry that nurtured children's ecological identity, amplified the arts as a language of learning. Discover how an initial spark of curiosity developed into a project that transcended preschool boundaries, as the children learned their find was fossilised coral from the Great Barrier Reef. The episode explores how this sustained learning experience fostered a collective ethic of care as the children became aware of climate change, leading to creative activism! We discuss how this vibrant, messy, and unpredictable journey illustrates the Reggio Emilia concept of 'progettazione' (design thinking), where learning is co-constructed, transdisciplinary, and is driven by thinking-with materials. Listen in to hear the incredible audio clip of the children’s resulting musical and movie to amplify their message - ‘Save the Reef’! Find out more: debikeytehartland@mac.com https://debikeytehartland.com https://www.facebook.com/debi.keytehartland.early.years.ed? locale=en_G https://www.linkedin.com/in/debi-keyte-hartland-420b131a/ Catherine Lee | LinkedIn If you enjoyed this episode, consider leaving us a review on your favourite podcast platform. Have questions or feedback? Connect with us on social media or email us at info@learnplaythrive.com.au Connect with Us: - Website: www.learnplaythrive.com.au - Instagram: @learnplaythrive_ - Email: info@learnplaythrive.com.au

    30 min
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About

Welcome to Learn Play Thrive: The Podcast! Join us for expert insights and interviews, practical tips and inspiring stories in Early Childhood Education. Whether you are an educator or leader in the sector, this podcast is your go-to resource to discover strategies to foster learning, promote play and empower young minds to thrive.

Information

  • Creator
    Simone Brand
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    106
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Learn Play Thrive The Podcast
  • Show Website
    Learn Play Thrive The Podcast

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