Let me introduce myself!

Let me take this opportunity to introduce myself!

My name is Sandy Christie and I am a founding member of Simply Curious.  I have had the privilege of spending most of my working life thinking about children, families and caregivers and what they need for healthy and happy development.  By trade, I am an early childhood educator. By practice, I am a playologist, a professor, a mom, an aunt, a sister and a grandma.   From a very young age, I entertained myself using my imagination and wondering about the world around me both the seen and the unseen.  I am a believer in fairies and things that go bump in the night.  I am inspired by kindness and the simple things that define every day adventures.  My philosophy of life is that it is the journey that matters and that rich tapestries of people and places are best created through relationship.

Play is my passion.  It is the vehicle by which everyday experiences are transformed into extraordinary events and ordinary objects become magical playthings.  Without a doubt, I know that the early years of life set the stage for later emotional and physical health, resilience and holistic development. My heroes include Mr. Dressup, the Friendly Giant, and Dr. Fraser Mustard.  The educators that have influenced my practice include Loris Malaguzzi, Maria Montessori, Jean Jacques Rousseau,
Friedrich Froebel and more recently Ann Pelo and Deb Curtis.

My grandchildren have rekindled my delight in the possibilities that exist when nurturing caregivers use developmentally appropriate play things to awaken the potential that lies within each child.  Exploring the great outdoors from a young child's perspective has reminded me of the dangers that lurk around every corner as adults in the 21st century fail to consider the ramifications on the environment of the daily choices made.  We have been lured into a consumer culture that is all about instant gratification.  With that has come a devastating legacy of waste, climate change and other environmental ramifications that our children and their children will bear.

All of the above contributed to the positive response that I gave to my daughter's invitation to combine our skills, knowledge and interests to start a social enterprise.   Ideas for Simply Curious were hatched in January, 2017 and continue to percolate.  Our vision is to use open ended play as the vehicle by which relationships between children and adults are strengthened.  Our mission is to create  eco-friendly toys for play loving people.   Over the past 30 months, we have developed amazing partnerships with others who share our passion for a welcoming community where diversity is celebrated and similarities form the foundation for growth and prosperity.

Each month, I will use this platform to share musings related to a topic of interest to us and hopefully to you, dear readers, as well.  We hope to offer you a forum for sharing your intense curiosity regarding children and the important people in their lives.   Ask questions, share observations, post photographs, offer ideas and insights.

Until next time, I remain yours in playful curiosity....Sandy