“I’ve always loved the hilarity of being around young children and I know that’s not the academic thing to be saying but they’re hilarious. They teach you all the time, they teach you something every day and it’s wonderful to be around them.” - Cath Larkin

Intro:

Cath Larkin has worked in the Early Years sector since the 90s. She has received huge praise for her ‘Inspirational’ leadership. She is an advocate for outdoor learning, forest-school based activities and ‘being in the moment’ with children rather than over-planning. She’s incredibly passionate about what she does, which is why even though she is now retired, she continues to train others in the UK and Internationally (including our very own team at Back To The Garden.) Today alongside Cath, we are welcoming back Anne Statham (who we interviewed in Episode 2). Anne is an Early Years specialist at Back To The Garden and a good friend of Cath’s. This is a jam-packed, informative and inspiring episode.

“I went into Early Years and never came out of it. Sometimes life has a way of tipping you into something or nudging you and off you go. You find where your supposed to be.” - Cath Larkin

We cover:

• Cath’s personal journey and how she got to where she is today.
• Her training and education
• Where Anne met Cath and their work together
• What’s inspired her in her work.
• The pressures on parents to ‘see’ results of learning.
• Outdoor play and it’s benefits
• Creativity and it’s benefits
• Healthy risk taking
• Allowing children to resolve their own conflicts and the benefits of this in later years.
• The importance of community
• Why early years sector needs to be valued more in society
• Mental Health and 2020 for parents, children and educators.
• And so so so much more!

We’re thrilled to have these 2 wonderful guests on the show and we hope you enjoy hearing about their journey in early years education.

Links and Resources: (for all links head to backtothegardenchildcare.com)

Follow @backtothegardenchildcare

Follow Cath on Twitter: https://twitter.com/catherinelarki2?s=20

Follow Anne on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anniecrock1/?hl=en

Thank you for listening! 

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This episode is sponsored by Kit + Kin, award winning nappies - head to https://kitandkin.com/ and enter the code BABY20 specially created for our listeners to use on the first subscription.

Recorded via Zoom and edited at LBS, Stockport. https://lbs.co.uk/ Producer: Adders Jeffry

Original Music written by Sadie Pickering, performed by Sadie Pickering, Dan J Logan and Jay Ansill

Podcast hosting service - https://anchor.fm/backtothegarden

Website: https://www.backtothegardenchildcare.com/podcast/ (Full show notes, links and resources available here)