In this episode, our guest is Dr. Christine McLean. Dr.  McLean has been an Assistant Professor with the Department of Child and Youth Study at Mount Saint Vincent University since 2016. Prior to that she worked in the ECE sector in St. John’s, NL for 28 years. She is active in several provincial and national associations relating to early childhood education including Vice President of the Canadian Association of Research in Early Childhood (CAREC), National Director for the Canadian Association for Young Children (CAYC) and member of the provincial board of the Association of Early Childhood Educators of Nova Scotia. Dr. McLean’s expertise is in the field of early childhood education specifically in the areas of play-based learning; reflective practice in the field of ECE; child care policy development and evaluation; and pedagogical documentation in early learning settings.

Dr. McLean talks to us about the importance of free play for children, especially during this time, as well as her hope that this new temporary reality we find ourselves in leads to a return to what she refers to as the Lost Art of Play.

Listen in for more!