For the Love of Play

Send us Fan Mail "I think gardening teaches you resilience. And awareness that things go on." In Conversation with Jane Edmanson – Gardener, Horticulturalist and TV Host It's the third season of For the Love of Play and in our second episode, we have a chinwag with gardener and TV personality, Jane Edmanson. Jane discusses her early years travelling overseas, her experiences in England, "the home of horticulture", and her start in nurseries at a time when women...

Send us Fan Mail For the Love of Play is a podcast by Playgroup Victoria exploring childhood, community, family and belonging... and play, of course, in its many wonderful forms. In this short intro episode, we give listeners a glimpse at what you can expect from our third season. Whether you are a parent, carer, educator or just someone curious about childhood, community and culture - come along with us as we explore, live, learn and grow through play! Support the show

Send us Fan Mail "I share the realities of my life to try to de-stigmatise things. To let people know 'I'm going through this and you might be going through something similar. You're not alone here in this world.'" In Conversation with Matt Okine – Comedian, Actor, Writer and Musician In this episode of For the Love of Play, we chat with the "joker" (his daughter's word), actor and writer, Matt Okine. He talks about the pain he suppressed after the death of his mother whe...

Send us Fan Mail "It's almost impossible to survive by yourself. But once you are working and linked together, you will not be defeated. You will be impregnable." In Conversation with Jackie French – Author, Ecologist and Historian In this episode of For the Love of Play, we speak with one of Australia's best-known and best-loved authors, Jackie French. As she tells us in this frank and broad-ranging interview, Jackie experienced an extraordinary, and often inc...

Send us Fan Mail "I think it's a great gift to be reminded what it's like to be a kid..." In Conversation with Sean Szeps – Writer and Creator In our first episode of For the Love of Play's second season, we chat with writer and creator Sean Szeps. Candid and humorous, Sean prompts us to think about gender roles, the importance of friendship, the early years of childhood and what it is that makes a healthy home. Sean also discusses his own childhood, the difficulty of mo...

Send us Fan Mail "Playgroup saved me. Although I know that sounds really dramatic, I actually feel it’s really true." In Conversation with Naomi Jeffree – Playgroup Facilitator and Training Coordinator In our final episode of season one, we speak with our wonderful colleague and playgroup expert, Naomi Jeffree. Naomi has been working with families for over twenty years and her work within playgroups has focused heavily on families whose children have different abiliti...

Send us Fan Mail "Play is the most important learning vehicle of life..." In Conversation with Emma Watkins – Children’s Entertainer, Singer, Dancer and Author In this episode, we speak with beloved children’s entertainer, Emma Watkins, better known as the Yellow Wiggle and Emma Memma. We discuss play as a vehicle for early learning and talk in depth about Emma’s passion for visual communication and her endeavour to create interactive spaces that connect us through dance, moveme...

Send us Fan Mail "Everything that’s good about human beings came from playfulness..." In Conversation with Steve Biddulph – Psychologist and Top-Selling Author In our very first episode of For the Love of Play, we sit down with world-renowned psychologist, educator and best-selling author Steve Biddulph for a heartfelt and thought-provoking conversation. Steve has spent his adult life helping families thrive, and his books on raising children - including Raising Boys and Raising Girls - h...