We love a child advocate here at Wildlings and on today's episode, I’m chatting with early years childhood advocate Leah from Leah and the first years.?  Leah SharesAbout Leah and The First YearsAbout the brain and brain development in the early yearsWhy the relationship between teachers and the children and their family is so crucial to building a sense of belongingHow exploration is the key is learning and empowerment That independent play is often the goal and what our expectations should be around thisAbout schemas and how understanding them helps you to remain connected with your childWhy free play and connection to nature through a bi-cultural lens in Te Whāriki is so importantWhat 3- 7 year olds need to learnTips for parents when they are looking for an early childhood centre?  Opt In For Free Downloadables?  Links and ResourcesHer website is coming soon!Leahandthefirstyears.comConnect with Leah on SocialsFacebookInstagramBook ReccsThe Sacred Urge to Play by Pennie Brownlee and Kimberley CrispPlease consider supporting us on PatreonCheck out our online shop!Book in for an adventure with us! ?  Guest Details Leah is a passionate qualified early childhood teacher/kaiako from New Zealand advocating for the first years of life. She has built a community for parents and teachers to go to where they will leave feeling inspired and empowered. She is all about using the developing brain and current research to promote the importance of play and attachment.Wildlings Forest School Contact DetailsWebsiteFacebookInstagramYoutube PinterestLinked In? Did You Enjoy This Episode? If you enjoyed this episode and the Raising Wildlings podcast generally, we have a favour. Please take two minutes to subscribe, and to write a rating and a review. You can do that on Apple Podcasts right now by clicking here. If you are an Android user, you can follow the podcast on Spotify here and Google Podcasts here. Those actions will help the podcast reach more people, and we would be truly grateful. Thank you so much.Apple Podcasts  SpotifyGoogle Podcasts