That Early Childhood Nerd

Explorations Early Learning
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Each week host Heather Bernt-Santy and a member of the ECE Nerd Collective share and discuss a quote with a focus on effecting change in the early learning world.

  1. 7H AGO

    NERD_0380 Scrap Circle Time with Amy Reyes-Hauff

    In this week's episode, host Heather Bernt-Santy interviews Amy Reyes-Hauff, Early Learning Specialist with the Wyoming Department of Education's school success divistion. They talk about traditional circle time practices in early childhood settings and Amy suggests that it's time to scrap circle time in favor of more developmentally informed practices....and PLAY!Amy is an advocate for outdoor learning and has integrated outdoor learning into over 200 classrooms across her home state of Wyoming with the Get Wild Wyoming Initiative. Amy is an early childhood speaker and motivator who firmly believes children learn best in outdoor learning settings where they are able to self regulate through natural colors, shapes, sounds, and feelings. https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-reyes-a1b15844/ Order Heather's book Using Schema Play Theory to Advocate for Free Play in Early Childhood here:Teachers College Press: https://www.tcpress.com/using-schema-play-theory-to-advocate-for-free-play-in-early-childhood-9780807787243Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/mry4md7bBarnes and Noble: https://tinyurl.com/4vy5eyxy Thanks for listening! Save 10% on professional development from Explorations Early Learning and support the show with the coupon code NERD. Like the show? Consider supporting our work by becoming a Patron, shopping our Amazon Link, or sharing it with someone who might enjoy it. You can leave a comment or ask a question here. Click here for more Heather. For a small fee we can issue self-study certificates for listening to podcasts.

    39 min

  2. SEP 10

    NERD_0379 A New Way of Looking at Children’s War Play with Ebba Theorell

    Host Heather Bernt-Santy and fellow nerd Mike Huber talk with Ebba Theorell about her brilliant article, Transformative Aesthetic Dimensions in Young Boys' War Play: Exploring the World Through Kinesthetic Musicality, in which she discusses her research and thesis work examining war play through the lens of dance and choreography. Find her article here: https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/34/article/960063/pdfWant to order Heather's book Using Schema Play Theory to Advocate for Free Play in Early Childhood?Teachers College Press: https://www.tcpress.com/using-schema-play-theory-to-advocate-for-free-play-in-early-childhood-9780807787243 Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/mry4md7b Barnes and Noble: https://tinyurl.com/4vy5eyxy Thanks for listening! Save 10% on professional development from Explorations Early Learning and support the show with the coupon code NERD. Like the show? Consider supporting our work by becoming a Patron, shopping our Amazon Link, or sharing it with someone who might enjoy it. You can leave a comment or ask a question here. Click here for more Heather. For a small fee we can issue self-study certificates for listening to podcasts.

    58 min

  3. SEP 3

    NERD_0378 Free the Teachers! Tightly Controlled Schedules

    Every now and then, host Heather Bernt-Santy and the other nerds in the TECN group chat hit on hot issues that we wish early childhood folks didn't have to worry about. We decided to do a few episodes on these topics, calling it the Free the Teachers! series. In this episode, we talk about how stressful tightly controlled daily schedules are for adults and for children, and discuss some alternatives. Want to order Heather's book Using Schema Play Theory to Advocate for Free Play in Early Childhood?Teachers College Press: https://www.tcpress.com/using-schema-play-theory-to-advocate-for-free-play-in-early-childhood-9780807787243 Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/mry4md7b Barnes and Noble: https://tinyurl.com/4vy5eyxy Thanks for listening! Save 10% on professional development from Explorations Early Learning and support the show with the coupon code NERD. Like the show? Consider supporting our work by becoming a Patron, shopping our Amazon Link, or sharing it with someone who might enjoy it. You can leave a comment or ask a question here. Click here for more Heather. For a small fee we can issue self-study certificates for listening to podcasts.

    54 min

  4. AUG 27

    NERD_0377 Slow Childhoods with Carol Garboden Murray and Amy Chiu

    When host Heather Bernt-Santy talked with Amy Chiu (www.theworkofplay.com) on TECN episode 372, she knew she had to have a follow up conversation including Carol Garboden Murray (https://www.carolgarbodenmurray.com/). Join them all as they discuss the benefit of slowing down with children in our early childhood settings, including some great first-of-the-school-year practices that help build slow habits. Want to order Heather's book Using Schema Play Theory to Advocate for Free Play in Early Childhood?Teachers College Press: https://www.tcpress.com/using-schema-play-theory-to-advocate-for-free-play-in-early-childhood-9780807787243 Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/mry4md7b Barnes and Noble: https://tinyurl.com/4vy5eyxy Thanks for listening! Save 10% on professional development from Explorations Early Learning and support the show with the coupon code NERD. Like the show? Consider supporting our work by becoming a Patron, shopping our Amazon Link, or sharing it with someone who might enjoy it. You can leave a comment or ask a question here. Click here for more Heather. For a small fee we can issue self-study certificates for listening to podcasts.

    56 min

  5. AUG 20

    NERD_0376 Live from the 2025 Play Empowers Teacher Retreat!

    Live from the lobby of the Claggett Retreat Center, listen in as attendees and presenters debrief the day's events--what resonated, what challenged them, and dreams for what happens next. The Play Empowers Teacher Retreat is truly one of a kind. Because it was a live recording of a large group, the volume levels vary a bit from person to person--this  may not be an ear bud episode!Thank you to Kisha Reid for bringing us all together!Want to order my book Using Schema Play Theory to Advocate for Free Play in Early Childhood?Teachers College Press: https://www.tcpress.com/using-schema-play-theory-to-advocate-for-free-play-in-early-childhood-9780807787243 Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/mry4md7b Barnes and Noble: https://tinyurl.com/4vy5eyxy Thanks for listening! Save 10% on professional development from Explorations Early Learning and support the show with the coupon code NERD. Like the show? Consider supporting our work by becoming a Patron, shopping our Amazon Link, or sharing it with someone who might enjoy it. You can leave a comment or ask a question here. Click here for more Heather. For a small fee we can issue self-study certificates for listening to podcasts.

    47 min

  6. AUG 13

    NERD_0375 Trauma Informed Practices with Nikki Darling-Kuria

    Nikki Darling-Kuria joins host Heather Bernt-Santy to share her growth as a trauma informed early childhood professional in an unpredictable world. The quote to start this conversation is from Katherine Anne Porter, who said, "The past is never where you think you left it," meaning that events that we think are in the past and believe we should be "over" aren't ever over. Nikki shares thoughts and resources about moving through our work and our lives with trauma informed practices. For more information:Listeners can get 10% off the book Trauma Responsive Strategies for Early Childhood from 7/7/2025-9/1/2025. Enter code: podcast10https://www.redleafpress.org/Trauma-Responsive-Strategies-for-Early-Childhood-P2503.aspx  Listeners can get 10% off each of the four eLearnings from 7/7/2025-9/1/2025. Enter code: podcast10https://www.thinksmall.org/trauma-informed/  Thanks for listening! Save 10% on professional development from Explorations Early Learning and support the show with the coupon code NERD. Like the show? Consider supporting our work by becoming a Patron, shopping our Amazon Link, or sharing it with someone who might enjoy it. You can leave a comment or ask a question here. Click here for more Heather. For a small fee we can issue self-study certificates for listening to podcasts.

    43 min

  7. AUG 6

    NERD_0374 The Daycare Myth with Dan Wuori

    For a century, America’s early childhood policy has been premised on a myth. This falsehood—which dictates that child care and education are somehow separate and distinct—not only suboptimizes the most important window into all human development, but costs American taxpayers an untold fortune. It’s time to think differently.Written in plain yet provocative language by one of the field’s most respected bipartisan policy experts, The Daycare Myth makes the case for why the early years matter; why America’s longstanding early childhood policy approach sacrifices the needs of young children in favor of promoting adult employment; and why fixing the problem makes good sense, regardless of your place on the political spectrum.With straightforward guidance for policymakers, practitioners, and parents, this incredibly timely book is a wake-up call for a nation that aspires to nothing less than the wholesale transformation of America’s early childhood landscape. Thanks for listening! Save 10% on professional development from Explorations Early Learning and support the show with the coupon code NERD. Like the show? Consider supporting our work by becoming a Patron, shopping our Amazon Link, or sharing it with someone who might enjoy it. You can leave a comment or ask a question here. Click here for more Heather. For a small fee we can issue self-study certificates for listening to podcasts.

    1h 2m

  8. JUL 30

    NERD_0373 When Children are Free to Pretend

    Mike Huber is back to talk more about pretend play, children's power, and the teacher's liberation as we continue to discuss his new book The Power in Pretend: Supporting Children's Power, Identity and Agency. Mike shares a story of powerful pretend play that started with taking chairs outside so that children could clean them and ended with the children's own take on what happens when you go to church. So fun! And so powerful. Buy Mike's book here: https://www.redleafpress.org/Power-in-Pretend-Supporting-Young-Childrens-Power-Identity-and-Agency-Through-Play-P3107.aspx Thanks for listening! Save 10% on professional development from Explorations Early Learning and support the show with the coupon code NERD. Like the show? Consider supporting our work by becoming a Patron, shopping our Amazon Link, or sharing it with someone who might enjoy it. You can leave a comment or ask a question here. Click here for more Heather. For a small fee we can issue self-study certificates for listening to podcasts.

    1h 5m
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4.5
out of 5
88 Ratings

About

Each week host Heather Bernt-Santy and a member of the ECE Nerd Collective share and discuss a quote with a focus on effecting change in the early learning world.

Information

  • Creator
    Explorations Early Learning
  • Years Active
    2016 - 2025
  • Episodes
    300
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Explorations Early Learning
  • Show Website
    That Early Childhood Nerd

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