S3 EP5: Kate and Jack from CERES - An Education For Life Begins With Nature
Send us Fan Mail "Play takes you to a magical place. And it's where everyone learns the most." In Conversation with Kate Kantor and Jack Nielsen – Educators at CERES (Centre for Education and Research in Environmental Strategies) In the final episode of For the Love of Play's third season, we head to the community gardens of CERES to chat with educators, Kate Kantor and Jack Nielsen. Kate and Jack, who work with children in the centre's early education programme, tal...
2 Aug 2026
S3 EP4: Nelly Thomas - Writing Your Own Script
Send us Fan Mail "A good comedian speaks truth to power." In Conversation with Nelly Thomas – Comedian, Author and Broadcaster In the fourth episode of For the Love of Play's third season, we shoot the breeze with comedian Nelly Thomas. She discusses being a BMX champion at a young age, the fact that boredom often acts as a catalyst for creativity, coming to Melbourne from Western Australia to pursue postgrad studies and the way her life changed after stumbling into ...
12 Jul 2026
S3 EP3: Jay Laga'aia - The Power of Performing Through Play
Send us Fan Mail "Our children have to hear our stories in our own voices." In Conversation with Jay Laga'aia – Actor, Children's Entertainer and Singer In the third episode of For the Love of Play's third season, we chat with actor and musician Jay Laga'aia. Jay discusses the joy and fun of a large family, the lessons he's learnt as a parent and the bittersweet moment of pushing a child's 'canoe' out into the open sea. Beloved for his hosting role on the legendary A...
5 Jul 2026
S3 EP2: Jane Edmanson - Growing Goodness in the Great Outdoors
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...
28 Jun 2026
S3 EP1: Jacinta Parsons - Keeping Curious And Embracing The Unexpected
Send us Fan Mail "I just feel compelled to tell the truth." In Conversation with Jacinta Parsons – Broadcaster, Writer and Public Speaker To kick off season three of For the Love of Play, we welcome broadcaster, writer and speaker Jacinta Parsons into the studio. She brings warmth, wit and depth to our conversation on play. Known for her radio work on ABC Melbourne and her books Unseen and A Question of Age, Jacinta reflects on curiosity, creativity and living with c...
23 Jun 2026
Introducing Season 3 of For the Love of Play
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
17 Mar 2026
S2 EP6: Ryan Carters - Sport And Conversation Creating Space For Dads
Send us Fan Mail "I was happiest in the cricket world, and funnily enough I performed at my best, when I could tap into that childlike sense of play and love of the game." In Conversation with Ryan Carters – Former Professional Cricketer and Founder of Dadfit In this episode of For the Love of Play, we sit down with former professional cricketer and founder of dadfit, Ryan Carters. He tells us about his childhood, including a love of cricket that began at the a...
10 Mar 2026
S2 EP5: Matt Okine - Finding The Funny In Life's More Challenging Moments
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...
3 Mar 2026
S2 EP4: Justin Calverley - The Legacy And Life Force Of The Gardens We Grow
Send us Fan Mail "I'm lucky enough to be a Gen Xer. We weren't allowed inside. Our generation was literally: 'Here's breakfast. Out you go. Be back by six.'" In Conversation with Justin Calverley – Horticulturist and Author In this episode of For the Love of Play, we have a yarn with horticulturist, author, garden lover and radio personality, Justin Calverley. A man who loves grassroots work (in every sense of the word), Justin chatted with us about working in and with loc...
24 Feb 2026
S2 EP3: Jackie French - You Cannot Survive by Yourself - You Need Stories, Community And Nature
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...
17 Feb 2026
S2 EP2: Tina and Mark Harris (Lah Lah) - Music Is The International Language We Share
Send us Fan Mail "Exposing your child to music - having music play, taking them to concerts - that's one of the best thing you can do." In Conversation with Tina and Mark Harris – Musicians, Musical Educators and Co-Creators of Children's Music Group, Lah Lah In In this episode of For the Love of Play, we chat with Mark and Tina Harris, the musicians behind the hugely popular Australian children's music group, Lah Lah. Tina and Mark Harris have dedicated their lives to music and in ...
10 Feb 2026
S2 EP1: Sean Szeps - The Gift Of Being Reminded What It's Like To Be A Kid
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...
14 Oct 2025
S1 Bonus Episode: Emeritus Professor Dorothy Scott - It Takes a Village to Raise a Child... and What Does it Take to Build a Village?
Send us Fan Mail "I like that African proverb that it takes a village to raise a child because it always makes me think ‘and what does it take to build a village?’" In Conversation with Emeritus Professor Dorothy Scott – World-Leading Expert in Child and Family Welfare This special episode of For the Love of Play was in fact part of our original podcast series, the Playgroup Podcast, which we launched in early 2020. Sadly, the project was derailed by the pandemic. Ou...
16 Sept 2025
S1 EP5: Naomi Jeffree - Playgroup Saved Me
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...
9 Sept 2025
S1 EP4: Paul Kennedy - Sport Can Be An Oasis From The Chaos Of Life
Send us Fan Mail "That’s a really powerful thing... for people to have almost an oasis from the chaos of their lives to come and spend time at a sports club.” In Conversation with Paul Kennedy – Journalist, Author and TV Presenter Content Warning: this episode references child abuse. Please take care of yourself when listening and, if necessary, skip the interview between 39:10 and 42:00. While Paul is well known as the former ABC mornings sports reporter, his book...
2 Sept 2025
S1 EP3: Emma Watkins - Play Is The Most Important Learning Vehicle Of Life
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...
26 Aug 2025
S1 EP2: Alice Zaslavsky - We Are All Craving Connection
Send us Fan Mail "We are all craving connection. We are all hungry for it. And I think that we’ve been desensitised to the value of it." In Conversation with Alice Zaslavsky – Author, Cook, TV and Radio Personality In this episode of For the Love of Play, we speak with author, chef, teacher, TV and radio personality, Alice Zaslavsky. Our conversation explores the innate human need for connection, cooking as a form of play and food as a celebration of culture. W...
19 Aug 2025
S1 EP1: Steve Biddulph - Everything That’s Good About Human Beings Came From Playfulness
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...
12 Aug 2025
Introducing For the Love of Play
Send us Fan Mail For the Love of Play is a podcast by Playgroup Victoria. In this series, we explore childhood, community, family and belonging... and play of course, in its many wonderful forms. In this intro episode, we give listeners a glimpse at what you can expect from the first season. Support the show
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