Pennie was a mother of one, grandmother of two, and began her primary school teaching career way back in 1967. Her early childhood experience began with motherhood, and it grew when her daughter Clare and Pennie attended Thames-Parawai Playcentre in 1975. They both loved it so much they stayed there an extra year instead of going to school. It was there that Pennie had the time and space to observe what happens when children play and learn.
After five years of observing many children's creativity unfolding, Pennie wrote "Magic Places: An Adults' Guide to Young Children's Creativity", published by New Zealand Playcentre Publications in 1983, revised in 2007, and completely rewritten in 2015.
Since 1990 Pennie has been facilitating residential retreats for parents and teachers throughout New Zealand, exploring creativity and learning, for both children and adults. In 2004, 2006, 2013 & 2014 she attended Summer Schools at the Emmi Pikler Institute in Budapest, Hungary. There her eyes were opened to what respect really looks like with infants, toddlers and young children.
Wanting to share the information that so inspired her, Pennie designed an intensive course in 2005 - "Dance with me in the Heart • Level One". In 2008 she wrote "Dance With Me in the Heart: An Adults' Guide to Great Infant-Parent Partnerships". In 2011 Pennie launched a 'portable course' for people who had done the "Dance with me in the Heart" training so they could go back to their own communities and seed the skills for "The Culture of Kindness" there.
Pennie's legacy and impact in early childhood education lives on through her books and webinars. We know that you will learn a lot from Pennie.
