✨A New Blog Post✨ has been added to the UC site en ✨A New Blog Post✨ has been added to the UC site entitled: "A Message on AWE: Letting the WONDERS of Life Change You"

Tonight, I am offering a virtual session on Awe & Wonder, and with this at the front of my mind lately, a blog post seemed fitting. 

I hope you enjoy this quick read! You can find it here: 

https://unlockingchildhood.com/a-message-on-awe-letting-the-wonders-of-life-change-you/

Photo credit: Chris Burgett
💗Words CAN’T describe this experience! But, I’ll g 💗Words CAN’T describe this experience! But, I’ll give it a try…
Last week, the @ecdaofpei invited me to deliver 3 days of intensive learning on Humanity-Driven Leadership in ECE at their leadership retreat. This was a deep dive for leaders, unlike anything I’ve ever delivered—and their idea to do this Retreat-Style made it even better. Learning was had, relationships were formed, community was built…love, laughs, and breakthrough-tears were shed. 
I asked this group to be vulnerable leaders who put people before productivity…and they delivered. 

I hope to offer this model out again to other communities looking to grow their leadership in this way…because it was everything and more. An investment? Sure. Worth it? You bet. 

I want to sincerely thank the @ecdaofpei for this invitation and for being such warm, welcoming hosts. It felt like coming home for me, and I am so grateful. 🫶

I also want to highlight @lou__lake Louise Lyman for her masterful visual depiction of the learning, conversations, and big ideas from this retreat. If you’re looking to provide graphic recording of your next PD session, I highly recommend👌🎨 (she’s also just the best human!) 

This retreat will forever live in my memory. Thank you, leaders✨
💚Meet me at Algonquin College's Bramburger Speaker 💚Meet me at Algonquin College's Bramburger Speaker Series TONIGHT!💚

Parents & Caregivers, this one's for you: Raising Resilient Children in Today's World

Registration closing soon...and you can attend in-person OR virtually as it will be live-streamed!

Secure your spot here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/raising-resilient-children-in-todays-world-tickets-1982288252525?aff=oddtdtcreator
🚗 🚃 ✈️ Looking forward to a fantastic couple of mo 🚗 🚃 ✈️ Looking forward to a fantastic couple of months! Hope to see you there!
For the last 8 months, Algonquin of Pikwakanagan F For the last 8 months, Algonquin of Pikwakanagan First Nation’s Mindiwin Manido child care centre has welcomed me into their programs to reflect & grow together. 

By way of a Pedagogical Partnership, we explored child & educator  well-being, how to position ourselves as attuned educators, and inclusion & belonging. We also engaged in a two-part series to uncover our values, how those values manifest in our practice, and a vision for the future of the programs. 

It has been a privilege to collaborate with this team as they are deeply invested in evolving their practices, do not shy away from deep conversations about their work together, and naturally weave good humour and joy throughout the whole process!

Next, we hope to continue building on this learning by focusing on PLAY…and the many ways we can enrich our environments, materials, and interactions by way of a thoughtful blend of theory, reflection, AND hands-on learning experiences with the team! Onward we go!
'Tis the season for ✨virtual✨ sessions! I love con 'Tis the season for ✨virtual✨ sessions! I love connecting with ECEs in ANY form, including virtually!
...That being said, I'm also so thrilled to see the upcoming in-person sessions in my calendar over the coming months! Spring is surely on it's way and I can't wait for the face-to-face connections...and green sprouts poking up through the dirt, of course!💚
Revisiting my values on an ongoing basis is import Revisiting my values on an ongoing basis is important to help me remain anchored and aligned. 
If you’ve ever wondered about the values that “live” under my practice, here they are…it is my hope that these are observed and felt by my audiences and clients with every encounter 💛

I’ll be totally transparent: Some values come more naturally to me, while others feel like “heavy lifting” because they require me to undo my conditioning or reflexive ways of being. Joy, for example, is something I’m learning to trust and I’ve found the best way for me to access my joy is through gratitude. Joy, for me, is not loud or rambunctious—it’s a deep appreciation for life and is rooted in the present moment.

One value that seems to come a little easier for me is Belonging. It is so important to me that people feel valued for who they are—and do not feel they need to shape-shift or hide. A sense of safety, in my opinion and experience, is a pre-requisite to making learning possible. 

I also like to create reflection questions to go with my values, as this helps me both in-the-moment and when I’m stepping back from complex situations. It immediately shifts me into curiosity around how I’m doing this work and often reveals opportunities for me to proceed with intentionality. 

Which specific Values drive your practice? 💭🤔And how do these Values “show up” in your work? Feel free to share in the comments!
Raising Resilient Children in Today’s World💪 March Raising Resilient Children in Today’s World💪
March 12 @ 6:30 PM (in person & virtual)
Algonquin College, Pembroke
Register here➡️: https://www.algonquincollege.com/pembroke/event/the-bramburger-speaker-series-presents-mary-hewitt-raising-resilient-children-in-todays-world/
In June 2024, I was hired to begin a series of ses In June 2024, I was hired to begin a series of sessions with the County of Renfrew’s Community Services Team, with the intention of deepening their Trauma-Informed practices when delivering services such as Housing, Ontario Works, and Child Care. 

Together, we explored concepts like the role Childhood Trauma, ACEs and Trauma’s impact on the Lifespan, Toxic Stress, Hidden Neglect, the role of Attachment in relationships, the nuances of Moral Injury, Affective vs. Cognitive Empathy, Emotional Competence, AND an array of strategies and mindsets to coincide with these themes. 

In every session, a takeaway I always carried home with me was just how crucial a role these frontline individuals play within the community. Many times, they are the arms that hold people up when life hits the hardest, providing them with essential services they need…while reminding them of their worth and agency. They are also the ones who are presented with heaps of broad deliverables and, by way of really “truly seeing” their community, they find ways to make those deliverables meaningful at a local level. No small task.

As such, this group made the very real investment these past couple of years in ensuring they are equipped with the tools and understandings to approach their work through a trauma-informed lens. Why? Because they recognize the importance of early experiences in the trajectory of one’s life and, when they are called on for support, they want to ensure they always lead with compassion. 

Yet again, the @countyofrenfrew is exemplifying their aptitude to be forward-thinking in the face of local challenges. As a facilitator AND local community member, I want to thank them for the way they showed up to each session with an attitude of dedication, openness, and reflection on some very difficult topics—unafraid to face “the hard” in service of “the better” for their community💛
@countyofrenfrew
Follow on Instagram
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The Child, The Environment & Materials, The Self · April 7, 2026

A Message on AWE: Letting the ‘WONDERS of Life’ Change You

Here’s what I believe: children deserve educators who have nurtured their sense of awe and wonder. And, as educators, making time and space for curiosity about the unknown or unfathomably beautiful and mysterious is the air that breathes life back…

Read More

✨A New Blog Post✨ has been added to the UC site en ✨A New Blog Post✨ has been added to the UC site entitled: "A Message on AWE: Letting the WONDERS of Life Change You"

Tonight, I am offering a virtual session on Awe & Wonder, and with this at the front of my mind lately, a blog post seemed fitting. 

I hope you enjoy this quick read! You can find it here: 

https://unlockingchildhood.com/a-message-on-awe-letting-the-wonders-of-life-change-you/

Photo credit: Chris Burgett
💗Words CAN’T describe this experience! But, I’ll g 💗Words CAN’T describe this experience! But, I’ll give it a try…
Last week, the @ecdaofpei invited me to deliver 3 days of intensive learning on Humanity-Driven Leadership in ECE at their leadership retreat. This was a deep dive for leaders, unlike anything I’ve ever delivered—and their idea to do this Retreat-Style made it even better. Learning was had, relationships were formed, community was built…love, laughs, and breakthrough-tears were shed. 
I asked this group to be vulnerable leaders who put people before productivity…and they delivered. 

I hope to offer this model out again to other communities looking to grow their leadership in this way…because it was everything and more. An investment? Sure. Worth it? You bet. 

I want to sincerely thank the @ecdaofpei for this invitation and for being such warm, welcoming hosts. It felt like coming home for me, and I am so grateful. 🫶

I also want to highlight @lou__lake Louise Lyman for her masterful visual depiction of the learning, conversations, and big ideas from this retreat. If you’re looking to provide graphic recording of your next PD session, I highly recommend👌🎨 (she’s also just the best human!) 

This retreat will forever live in my memory. Thank you, leaders✨
💚Meet me at Algonquin College's Bramburger Speaker 💚Meet me at Algonquin College's Bramburger Speaker Series TONIGHT!💚

Parents & Caregivers, this one's for you: Raising Resilient Children in Today's World

Registration closing soon...and you can attend in-person OR virtually as it will be live-streamed!

Secure your spot here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/raising-resilient-children-in-todays-world-tickets-1982288252525?aff=oddtdtcreator
🚗 🚃 ✈️ Looking forward to a fantastic couple of mo 🚗 🚃 ✈️ Looking forward to a fantastic couple of months! Hope to see you there!
For the last 8 months, Algonquin of Pikwakanagan F For the last 8 months, Algonquin of Pikwakanagan First Nation’s Mindiwin Manido child care centre has welcomed me into their programs to reflect & grow together. 

By way of a Pedagogical Partnership, we explored child & educator  well-being, how to position ourselves as attuned educators, and inclusion & belonging. We also engaged in a two-part series to uncover our values, how those values manifest in our practice, and a vision for the future of the programs. 

It has been a privilege to collaborate with this team as they are deeply invested in evolving their practices, do not shy away from deep conversations about their work together, and naturally weave good humour and joy throughout the whole process!

Next, we hope to continue building on this learning by focusing on PLAY…and the many ways we can enrich our environments, materials, and interactions by way of a thoughtful blend of theory, reflection, AND hands-on learning experiences with the team! Onward we go!
'Tis the season for ✨virtual✨ sessions! I love con 'Tis the season for ✨virtual✨ sessions! I love connecting with ECEs in ANY form, including virtually!
...That being said, I'm also so thrilled to see the upcoming in-person sessions in my calendar over the coming months! Spring is surely on it's way and I can't wait for the face-to-face connections...and green sprouts poking up through the dirt, of course!💚
Revisiting my values on an ongoing basis is import Revisiting my values on an ongoing basis is important to help me remain anchored and aligned. 
If you’ve ever wondered about the values that “live” under my practice, here they are…it is my hope that these are observed and felt by my audiences and clients with every encounter 💛

I’ll be totally transparent: Some values come more naturally to me, while others feel like “heavy lifting” because they require me to undo my conditioning or reflexive ways of being. Joy, for example, is something I’m learning to trust and I’ve found the best way for me to access my joy is through gratitude. Joy, for me, is not loud or rambunctious—it’s a deep appreciation for life and is rooted in the present moment.

One value that seems to come a little easier for me is Belonging. It is so important to me that people feel valued for who they are—and do not feel they need to shape-shift or hide. A sense of safety, in my opinion and experience, is a pre-requisite to making learning possible. 

I also like to create reflection questions to go with my values, as this helps me both in-the-moment and when I’m stepping back from complex situations. It immediately shifts me into curiosity around how I’m doing this work and often reveals opportunities for me to proceed with intentionality. 

Which specific Values drive your practice? 💭🤔And how do these Values “show up” in your work? Feel free to share in the comments!
Raising Resilient Children in Today’s World💪 March Raising Resilient Children in Today’s World💪
March 12 @ 6:30 PM (in person & virtual)
Algonquin College, Pembroke
Register here➡️: https://www.algonquincollege.com/pembroke/event/the-bramburger-speaker-series-presents-mary-hewitt-raising-resilient-children-in-todays-world/
In June 2024, I was hired to begin a series of ses In June 2024, I was hired to begin a series of sessions with the County of Renfrew’s Community Services Team, with the intention of deepening their Trauma-Informed practices when delivering services such as Housing, Ontario Works, and Child Care. 

Together, we explored concepts like the role Childhood Trauma, ACEs and Trauma’s impact on the Lifespan, Toxic Stress, Hidden Neglect, the role of Attachment in relationships, the nuances of Moral Injury, Affective vs. Cognitive Empathy, Emotional Competence, AND an array of strategies and mindsets to coincide with these themes. 

In every session, a takeaway I always carried home with me was just how crucial a role these frontline individuals play within the community. Many times, they are the arms that hold people up when life hits the hardest, providing them with essential services they need…while reminding them of their worth and agency. They are also the ones who are presented with heaps of broad deliverables and, by way of really “truly seeing” their community, they find ways to make those deliverables meaningful at a local level. No small task.

As such, this group made the very real investment these past couple of years in ensuring they are equipped with the tools and understandings to approach their work through a trauma-informed lens. Why? Because they recognize the importance of early experiences in the trajectory of one’s life and, when they are called on for support, they want to ensure they always lead with compassion. 

Yet again, the @countyofrenfrew is exemplifying their aptitude to be forward-thinking in the face of local challenges. As a facilitator AND local community member, I want to thank them for the way they showed up to each session with an attitude of dedication, openness, and reflection on some very difficult topics—unafraid to face “the hard” in service of “the better” for their community💛
@countyofrenfrew
Follow on Instagram

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