The Educator's Edit

Dress-ups, costumes, themed activities and special celebration days are a huge part of life in early childhood education. But have you ever stopped to ask… do children actually understand why we're celebrating?
This week, Bec and Tiana sit down with Simone, founder of Aware Bear, to unpack the meaning behind celebration days like Book Week, Harmony Week, NAIDOC Week and more. Together, they explore how educators can move beyond the dress-up box and create meaningful, age-appropriate experiences that help children develop a deeper understanding of identity, culture, belonging and community.
In this episode, we chat about:
✨ Why Book Week is about more than costumes and favourite characters
✨ Helping children understand the meaning behind celebration days
✨ Building inclusive and authentic learning experiences
✨ Supporting educators to feel confident talking about culture and diversity
✨ The inspiration behind Aware Bear and the beautiful resources designed to spark meaningful conversations
Whether you're planning for Book Week or reflecting on how your service celebrates important days throughout the year, this episode is packed with thoughtful ideas and practical inspiration.
Because sometimes the most important question we can ask is… why are we celebrating this?
Connect with Simone & Aware Bear
🌐 Website & Shop: Home - Aware Bear
🧸 Purchase the Aware Bear Pack: Available via the website, including Aware Bear, celebration patches, 15 storybooks and downloadable educator resources aligned with the EYLF and My Time, Our Place.
📸 Instagram: @‌awarebearofficial
📘 Facebook: Aware Bear Official
If you bring Aware Bear into your service, don't forget to tag Simone and share how you're making celebration days more meaningful in your learning community!

It's Science Week! 🔬🧪
And what better time to ask: what does STEM actually look like in early learning?
You might picture complicated experiments, test tubes and educators who somehow know the answer to every "WHY?" a child throws at them. But STEM doesn't have to be complicated, expensive or intimidating.
In this Science Week episode of The Educators Edit, Tiana and Jackie chat with Ellie from Ranger Jamie about the science, technology, engineering and maths learning that's already happening all around us.
We unpack how educators can follow children's curiosity, encourage them to make predictions, embrace the "I don't know, let's find out" moments and allow children to experience failure as part of learning.
We also explore how STEM looks different across age groups, why babies and toddlers are already natural scientists, and how something as simple as water play, building with cardboard or pressing a button can become an opportunity for scientific thinking.
And because no TEE episode would be complete without a little controversy, Ellie takes on our STEM Hot Takes. 👀
So whether you're a self-proclaimed STEM nerd or someone who hears "science" and immediately thinks that's not really my thing, this episode might change the way you see STEM in your room.
🎧 Listen now and celebrate Science Week with us!

🦘 Find Ranger Jamie Tours
Want to see more from Ranger Jamie Tours? Follow along:
🌐 Website: Australia's #1 Excursion Provider | Ranger Jamie Tours
📸 Instagram: Ranger Jamie Tours (@rangerjamietours) • Instagram profile
📘 Facebook: Ranger Jamie Tours
▶️ YouTube: Ranger Jamie

What do you do when a child's behaviour feels overwhelming, transitions become a daily battle, or you're just not sure what to try next?
In this episode of The Educators Edit, we're joined by Kirsten, The Grove Academy's Behaviour Therapist, for a practical and honest conversation about some of the real challenges educators face every day.
From children struggling with transitions and arrival, to supporting big emotions, co-regulation, group times, sensory needs and those tricky conversations when families say, "But they don't do that at home!" Kirsten shares practical strategies and a different way of looking at behaviour.
We also chat about the emotional load on educators, how leaders can recognise when their teams need more support, and why sometimes the best thing we can do is stop trying to fix everything and start looking at what's happening underneath the behaviour.
Expect plenty of practical takeaways, real educator scenarios and advice you can take straight back into your room.

This week on The Educators Edit, we're flipping the script.
Tiana is back in the podcast studio while on maternity leave and preparing for a brand new experience - searching for childcare for her own little one.
After years of welcoming families into centres, she's now the parent walking through the door, asking the questions, noticing the little things, and trying to find the right fit.
Together, Jackie, Bec and Tiana chat about:
💛 What families are really looking for on centre tours in 2026
🏡 The small things that leave a lasting impression
🚩 Green flags, red flags… and the ones that could be both
👶 How becoming a parent changes your perspective as an educator
✨ Why trust, relationships and feeling matter more than ever
Whether you're an educator giving tours, a leader supporting enrolments, or a parent starting your own childcare search, this episode is a reminder that behind every enrolment enquiry is a family simply looking for somewhere their child will be loved, safe and belong.
Tune in for an honest, relatable and surprisingly emotional conversation about seeing our sector through a different lens.

This week, Jackie and Bec dive into the topics that always spark debate in early childhood education. From screen time and sustainability to food play, educational philosophies, under-the-roof ratios, risky play and those Pinterest-perfect expectations, nothing is off the table.
No drama. No "right" answers. Just honest conversations, different perspectives and plenty of laughs along the way.
Whether you're nodding along, disagreeing out loud or rethinking your own practice, this episode is guaranteed to get the staffroom talking.
What's your biggest educator hot take? We'd love to hear it.