Circle Time - The Early Years Podcast

It's an absolute pleasure to welcome Rachel Tapping, chair of Pikler UK, back to Circle Time. Rachel is picking up on a topic which will resonate with so many people working in the field of Early Childhood, that of our own Wellbeing. What do we do to ensure that we are cared for, rested and full able to give our time and energy to supporting our youngest learners.   For more information on the Pik...

In this episode, Glenn talks to Helen Guntrip, a Speech and Language Therapist who has created a programme of activities for children to help them develop their speech through active movement. Combining her skills as a Speech and Language Therapist and a Yoga Teacher, Helen created "Talk and Move", which is a unique approach that combines body movements with vocabulary, speech sound and phonologic...

In this episode of Circle Time The Early Years Podcast, Glenn has been talking to Marc Molloy, a keen cyclist who has been working on a project to get young children cycling through his balance bike scheme "Cyclings". Marc discusses the amazing physical and emotional benefits of cycling and how this could be highly beneficial to Early Years settings.

As a former primary school teacher, Clare Helen Welsh understands how powerful a good book can be in helping children understand their own feelings and support their mental wellbeing, so that is why she set up Books That Help. Find out more about this amazing project by visiting their website https://www.booksthathelp.co.uk/  

For our third episode, Glenn chats with Sarah Brown (AKA The Dyslexic Leader) about how we can support children to become stronger at self-regulation. Why not follow Sarah on Instagram @thedyslexicleader  

The outdoors is just there to be explored and it's an amazing place for young children to grow and develop. In this episode of Circle Time The Early Years Podcast, Glenn catches up with former colleague, Cameron Sprague (Head of Nurseries for Stramash Social Enterprise) and explores why the outdoors is simply the best place for children to be free and able to learn in their own unique way.

A brand new season for Circle Time The Early Years Podcast, and it's great to have not one, but two amazing guests on our first edition. Returning to Circle Time is Dr Lala Manners, alongside her great friend and colleague, Dr June O'Sullivan OBE (making her Circle Time debut), who have been working on a new book exploring the common misconceptions of School Readiness. What does it actually mean,...

We've made it to the end of our third season of Circle Time, and we have a special episode for you. Glenn joined the brilliant Early Years coach and mentor, Laura Hodges, from HQ Early Years as they shared a joint podcast recording, focusing on what could be a tricky subject- finding joy in early years. If you want to know more about what other services Laura can offer, (including her amazing podc...

In our penultimate episode for Season 3, Glenn welcomes Professor Sam Wass, Director of the Institute of Science of Early Years (ISEY) at the University of East London. Sam talks about stress in young children and how, by being outside more with the children, we can reduce the potential triggers of stressful behaviours and reactions. You can find out more about Sam by visiting his website: https:/...

You may (or may not) know about baby wearing and the benefits for both the baby and the adult. Glenn talks to baby wearing consultant and educator (and all-round lovely person) Lauran Hislop from Coorie in with Love about why nurseries should consider this as an option for their baby rooms. You can get in touch with Laurna through her website and social media, details below: https://www.coorieinwi...

In this episode of Circle Time The Early Years Podcast, Glenn talks to highly experienced Nursery Manager, Jade Candy, about why she believes that a quality environment is essential for every child's holistic growth and development. Andy by environment, she's not just talking about the physical environment, but also the adults surrounding the child and why they need to feel inquisitive and excited...

Many of you will have heard of a Pikler Triangle, but where does it come from and how does it fit into our Early Years world? The latest episode of Circle Time is where Glenn talks to Rachel Tapping, Chair of Pikler UK, about Dr Emmi Pikler and her groundbreaking research and methods that show love and respect to children, from the youngest to the oldest - surely something we need in today's socie...

Emotions, particularly in our youngest children, can be unnerving or even alarming. But should we let them happen rather than just comfort the child? In this edition of Circle Time, Glenn talks to Sarah Emerson, a specialist in early childhood behaviour and emotions, about this very devisive subject.   You can find out more about Sarah from her website https://childhoodunderstood.com/  

We talk a lot about children's emotional wellbeing, but what about the wellbeing of the adults? In this episode of Circle Time, Glenn talks to Early Years consultant Melanie Shepherd about strategies, hints and tips we can sue to support the wellbeing of our teams.

Talking about toilet or potty training is such a minefield, with so much information out there it can be tricky to advise parents on this highly important milestone in development. Glenn talks to Early Years Consultant, Alison Featherbe about how staff should all be "singing from the same hymn sheet" when it comes to giving advice.

Lee Connelly is a passionate advocate for children being immersed in the wonderful and rich world of gardening. He talks to Glenn about how childcare settings can add value to their offerings by including gardening in the daily offering, and how you don't need to be a garden expert to grow. Catch up with Lee on his website: https://skinnyjeangardener.co.uk/  

Recruitment is sucha  critical issue for all Early Years settings right now, we're at crisis point, and it can be so easy to let the Safer Recruitment process slip to get staff in place. However, Early Years HR expert, Becky Phillips talks to Glenn about why this cannot happen.   For more information, why not visit her website and book a discover call: https://harrogatehr.co.uk/

Glenn and Sarah are back again with another episode of Two Nursery Managers Talking. In this episode, Sarah and Glenn discuss how the manager's role isn't just about managing children, families and people, it's also about managing budgets and getting your head around balance sheets and P&L's!

This spisode is all about how music and movement can really engage the child's whole brain and stimulate all sorts of learning. Tasha Bretton from Boogie Mites talks to Glenn about the neuroscience research done by Boogie Mites (The ABCD of Doh, Re, Mi) which shows the huge benefits music and movement programmes can have on a child's development. For more information, visit their website at: https...

It's a brand new year and in this episode of Circle Time, Glenn taljks to Vanessa Dooley from Jigsaw Early Years Consultancy about the updates to Safeguarding in Early Years which come into effect from September 1st. Vanessa talks about why it is essential that we act on this now and really embed safeguarding through our settings and practices now.

It's always a pleasure to speak with Neil Leitch, Chief Executive of the Early Years Alliance. This conversation, however, focused on their report addressing the recruitment crisis in the Early Years sector. The report, Turning Point , makes for sobering reading, highlighting the critical state of affairs when it comes to recruiting qualified staff. You can access the report by clicking here HERE

Episode for of this new season continues and Glenn talks to Simon Airey, a teacher with over 25 years of teaching experience, many of it in Early Years, who is passionate about ensuring all children have a curriculum that works for them.

Sarah and Glenn, Two Nursery Managers, are back again. In this episode, they are talking about Curriculum. What does the word actually mean, and how does it relate in practice? Most importantly, how do you get the team on board with it?

It was brilliant to welcome Josh Candy back to Circle Time The Early Years Podcast. Since we last spoke, Josh has set up his own company specialising in delivering meaningful, relevant and exciting PE sessions for nurseries in the South London area (with plans to expand across the UK). If you want to find out more about Josh and what Early Years PE can do for your setting, then get in touch via hi...

Season 3 of Circle Time The Early Years Podcast continues, and what a guest we have this week. Nursery Manager Lorraine Kara speaks to Glenn about the importance of being seen, heard, and supported by others in Early Years management, particularly as a woman of colour.