by Hannah Beach | May 21, 2026 | Emotional Health, Emotional Safety, Shut Down
Sometimes the kids who seem like they care the least are actually protecting the parts of themselves that care the most. Understanding what’s really behind kids’ shutdown. “Yeah. Whatever. Fine. Can I go now?” We are seeing more and more kids who have...
by Hannah Beach | Mar 10, 2026 | Building Relationship, Community Building, Emotional Health, Emotional Release, Inclusion, Play, Professional Development
It’s Week 4 of our Re-Thinking Recess series, and Tory is sharing how they’ve reimagined two big playground dynamics: soccer and loose parts. Instead of letting the game default to highly competitive, adversarial teams, they’ve intentionally structured soccer so...
by Hannah Beach | Mar 3, 2026 | Connection, Emotional Health, Emotional Release, Play, Professional Development
It’s Week 3 of our Re-Thinking Recess series, and Tory is back to share how they intentionally bring play indoors—not because of the weather, but because they believe play belongs inside, too. At St. Bernadette’s, indoor play is scheduled on purpose, creating...
by Hannah Beach | Feb 24, 2026 | Attachment, Building Relationship, Emotional Health, Play, Professional Development
It’s Week 2 of our Re-Thinking Recess series, and we’re so glad to welcome Tory, Principal of St. Bernadette’s Elementary School in Ottawa (OCSB), back to the conversation. This week, she shares how she thoughtfully introduces new playground materials—and how her team...
by Hannah Beach | Feb 16, 2026 | Attachment, Building Relationship, Emotional Health, Play, Professional Development, Teaching
You’ve got to check out these fabulous videos from Tory White! Tory is the Principal of St. Bernadette’s Elementary School in Ottawa (OCSB) and one of the most inspiring leaders I’ve met. After attending one of my full-day workshops on play, she took everything to...
by Hannah Beach | Sep 8, 2025 | Attachment, Caring, Connection, Emotional Health, Emotional Release, Emotional Safety
My mom passed away recently. Tomorrow is her funeral. As I’ve walked through these days, I’ve been reminded in the most visceral way to practice what I so often teach: making space for feelings — not rushing them, not reshaping them, not bypassing them with forced...
