Ros Molyneux, Gowrie Coach
Ros Molyneux is an Early Childhood Teacher, Consultant and Coach who lives and works on Wadawurrung Country, spending most of her time in Geelong and Ballarat.
Before coming to Gowrie, Ros had worked for 21 years at The Geelong College where her most recent role there was as Director of Early Learning. During this time her pedagogical interests included Reggio Emilia inspired practice, Early Years Leadership, Nature Pedagogy, Early Childhood and Primary collaboration, and embedding First Nations Perspectives. A highlight was her team winning the ‘Emeritus Professor Collette Tayler Excellence in Educational Leadership Award’ in the Victorian Early Years Awards in 2019.
In her spare time Ros enjoys spending time with her husband and three sons, particularly down on Gunditjmara Country near Portland, where her husband is a Traditional Owner. They are currently renovating a small church which takes up all their available weekend time!
Aside from being a part of Gowrie Victoria’s Adult Learning team, Ros runs her own business called Hearth Nature Play where she offers nature play sessions for families, as well as bush kinder for early childhood services.
Could you tell us about your business, Hearth Nature Play, and what inspired it?
I have been interested in children learning outdoors for many years, establishing a Bush Kinder program at my school. The benefits for children are now well documented, and particularly after Covid lockdowns I noticed children lacking physical skills such core strength, balance and fine-motor coordination, as well as immature social and emotional skills, which research tells us can all be promoted by free play outdoors.
Hearth Nature Play
This occurred at the same time as my parents were downsizing the family farm. I decided a transition period from my busy fulltime job could include developing a Nature Play site on a bush block on the farm. I wanted to use my skills and experience to offer a program where children could play freely in the bush and connect to nature.
After nearly two years planning I launched Hearth Nature Play in April this year. Our name reflects our philosophy – ‘The Hearth’ connects the child’s heart to the earth, while the hearth around a fire is a place of comfort and connection, a feeling of being home.
What will families get out of it?
We offer Nature Playgroups, Early Childhood/School excursions, and School holiday programs, and parents or Educators stay with children. Parents have appreciated that it is led by an experienced teacher and I have had many families say their children love this type of free play but have not had anywhere to access it. Children benefit by becoming connected to the land, as well as gaining the physical, cognitive, social and emotional benefits of playing and learning outdoors.
The site is as natural as possible, with logs, branches, leaves, dirt and tracks for exploration. Free child-led play is encouraged and popular experiences are cubby building, loose parts play and Nature Art and Music. Ballarat weather can be cold, so in Winter we have a fire available for warmth, connection and campfire cooking.
You’re also a Gowrie coach. Why did you want to become a coach?
After 30 + years of teaching and leading in Early Childhood Education I wanted to give back to the next generation of teachers and educators. I’ve always enjoyed further study, professional learning discussions and mentoring newer educators. My previous training in Growth Coaching made Gowrie a natural place to share my experience. I felt that the quality and rigor of the Gowrie coaching programs meant I could still learn professionally, while working face to face with teachers.
What do you love about coaching?
It’s been very rewarding working with a wide range of services. It’s great being able to offer support, encouragement and reassurance to educators. I love assisting teams to identify their quality improvement goals whilst acknowledging their existing expertise. Coachees are very responsive and value the coaching programs which makes it a pleasure to work with them.
I have particularly enjoyed coaching in the Returning Teachers and Educators program as it has challenged me to use all my skills. I have met inspiring colleagues transferring from overseas, interstate, and coming into Early Childhood teaching from the Primary, Secondary and Tertiary sectors.
I also love working with the team of consultants and coaches at Gowrie. They have a wide variety of skills, interest and experience, and they are a supportive team to work with. As we all work remotely, our catch-ups are mainly online, but we relish any opportunity to meet in person and continue the rich pedagogical discussions.
What would you say to educators who are considering receiving coaching?
I would highly recommend coaching as personalised professional learning. It’s a non-judgmental relationship that involves listening and encouraging, and most importantly, thinking together. A coach is someone outside your work context who may be able to help you see things in a new light and assist you to grow professionally. This was reinforced as follows by one of my coachees:
“This coaching program has been a highlight of my professional development experiences. Brilliant and inspiring. It took me from feeling overwhelmed and discouraged, to feeling a great sense of agency in such a short period of time.”- Coaching participant, 2023
Gowrie Victoria offers tailored coaching support for early childhood services through the School Readiness Funding program. To find out more and enquire, click here.
