Roots of Wonder logo — a sage-green seedling with terracotta roots beside the words Roots of Wonder
Now booking · Ireland

Wherewondertakes root.

Workshops on play-based learning with Amy Byrne — for parents and early years educators who want to understand children more deeply and love them more confidently.

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Themes
53
Duration
1 hr
From
€25
Watercolour illustration of a young child sitting on a rug in a sunlit playroom, arranging a spiral of leaves, pebbles, pine cones and wooden rings
Level 8 · ECEC◆Mandated Person Trained◆Children First◆Aistear & Síolta aligned◆Booklets included
Special community evening

Starting School with Confidence

An informal, warm get-together for parents with a child starting school. Join Amy for tea, coffee and treats, share worries, ask questions, and leave with practical ideas for a smooth transition.

Monday 24 August 2026 · 6:00–7:00pm Gorey Enterprise Center, Room 8 Tea, coffee & treats included
Book your place — €15
Watercolour illustration of parents sitting together with tea, coffee and treats at a community evening about starting school

Made for the people who love children most.

Three ways in — whichever describes your day, there's a workshop written for you.

For Parents

Practical, warm guidance for everyday challenges — big feelings, routines, sibling dynamics, sleep, play and connection. No judgement, ever.

Parent workshops

For Educators

Staff development on inclusive practice, regulation, environments, observation and child-led leadership — anchored in Aistear and Síolta.

Staff days & professional development

For Both

Shared-language sessions that bring families and settings closer — so the child feels the same steady, loving world in both places.

Book privately
Private 1:1 sessions

A half-hour that can change the whole day — €25 in person.

Sit down with Amy in person, talk through whatever is going on for your child, and leave with clear, practical ideas you can use straight away. A warm, judgement-free space for parents who need a little guidance.

Book a 30-minute 1:1 Ask a question first
  • 30 minutes
  • In person
  • Follow-up email with next steps
Watercolour illustration of an adult sitting on the floor at child height beside a young child, building with wooden blocks and autumn leaves

"You don't need to figure it out alone."

Workshops to launch with

Three sessions to begin with.

High-demand hours from the full catalogue — adaptable as parent evenings, half-days or staff-development days. Each includes a take-home booklet.

See all 53
Parent evening

Behaviour Is Communication

Look beneath challenging behaviour to identify developmental needs, triggers and unmet needs — for both settings and families.

1 hour Booklet Ireland
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Most requested

Big Feelings, Small Children

Clear, relatable and reassuring — perfect for a parent evening exploring emotional overwhelm.

1 hour Booklet Ireland
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Staff development

Emotional Regulation Through Play

Sensory activities, movement, breathing and imaginative play to strengthen regulation in everyday life.

1 hour Booklet Ireland
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Watercolour illustration of an early years educator kneeling beside five young children who are painting and sorting flowers on a wooden tray in a summer garden

"Understanding a child is the most loving thing we can do."

Amy Byrne · Founder

Meet your guide

Play as a child's first language.

Level 8 in Early Childhood Education & Care, currently studying a Level 9 postgraduate in Play Therapy, four years of leadership in childcare and a lifetime spent with children and animals — each session turns that into realistic, reassuring strategies for home and setting.

Meet Amy Enquire privately
In their words

What people say

Words from parents and early years teams who have sat in a session.

  • “Amy made supporting children through child-led activities and emergent interests so much easier to understand. She sat in the room with us completely non-judgmental and offered guidance that in turn sparked our own ideas.”
    ChloeRoom leader, early years setting
  • “Amy's love for children shines through and her passion is contagious. If you want your fire reignited, Amy will most definitely help you light the match.”
    MargaretParent
  • “Planning made simple, broken down and fun to discuss.”
    MariaWorkshop attendee
From the blog

Free reading while you decide.

Practical, Irish-specific guides written the same way the workshops are taught.

All articles
Watercolour illustration of an early years educator sitting on the floor of a bright playroom with young children, wooden blocks and baskets of natural loose parts
For educators · 8 min read

Taking on a new age group: a first-month guide for early years educators

Moving from babies to toddlers, or toddlers to preschool? Here is what actually changes — routines, expectations, planning and your own confidence — in the first month.

Read it
Watercolour illustration of a young child in school uniform with a schoolbag holding a parent's hand at a garden gate on a bright September morning
For parents · 7 min read

Starting school with confidence: a gentle plan for the weeks before September

Uniforms and lunchboxes are the easy part. Here is how to prepare a child emotionally for starting school in Ireland — and what to do with your own nerves.

Read it
Watercolour illustration of an adult sitting at child height beside a young child building with wooden blocks and leaves, a notebook and pencil resting on the floor beside them
Emotional regulation · 8 min read

Planning a child's emotional development: Amy's approach, step by step

How to plan for a child's emotional development without turning feelings into a worksheet — Amy Byrne's five-part approach, from noticing to naming to rhythms that hold.

Read it
Online courses · €20

Can't make a date? Learn at your own pace.

Each course is four short lessons with a printable worksheet you complete and upload. Amy reviews your answers personally and issues your certificate when you pass.

Browse all courses
Parents & educators

Big Feelings: Calm Responses to Toddler Tantrums

What to say, what to skip, and how to stay steady in the storm.

  • Understand what is happening in a child's body during a meltdown
  • Use one calm script instead of reasoning or bargaining
4 lessons 32 min€20
Early years educators

Aistear in Practice: Planning from Children's Interests

Ireland's curriculum framework, translated into everyday practice.

  • Explain Aistear's four themes in your own words
  • Turn an observation into a planned experience
4 lessons 32 min€20
Parents & educators

Sensory & Messy Play, Made Manageable

Rich sensory experiences that do not wreck the room.

  • Explain what sensory play does for regulation, language and fine motor skills
  • Build a sensory bin from store-cupboard materials
4 lessons 28 min€20

Explore everything on Roots of Wonder

For educators & settings

Ask about group sessions, pricing or bookings.

Whether it's a staff development day, a parent evening or a team-bonding creative event, tell me what you need and I'll send a clear quote or suggested dates.

Come and play with us

Roots of Wonder is here for you.

I'm building this slowly and honestly — you can be part of the very first sessions. Follow along on Instagram for gentle notes, or get in touch to plan a workshop for your family or setting.

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Warm
Play-focused
Nature-led
Small groups
Booklet included
Ireland-based
Good to know

Questions parents and settings ask before booking

Prices, what is included, certificates and safeguarding — answered plainly, with no VAT and no booking fees on top.

  • How much is a Roots of Wonder workshop?

    Public tickets are €20 per person online and €35 in person, with €5 off when you book at least two weeks ahead. Private 1:1 sessions are €25 for 30 minutes or €50 for an hour. Private groups are €35 per person online and €45 in person. Setting packages are €399 to €799.

  • How long is a workshop and what is included?

    Every workshop is one hour. You get the live session with Amy, space to ask about your own child or your own room, and a take-home booklet with the ideas, prompts and reflections written up so nothing is lost afterwards. In-person attendees also receive a dated certificate of attendance.

  • Is there VAT on top of the price?

    No. Roots of Wonder is not VAT registered, so the price you see is the price you pay. A public online ticket is €20 per person, in person is €35, and a setting package is €399, €599 or €799 as a flat fee for the whole setting. Nothing is added at checkout.

  • Are there booking fees?

    No booking fees, no card surcharge and no per-person admin charge. You pay the ticket or package price only. An itemised receipt is emailed to you the moment payment goes through, and settings can request a formal invoice before booking so it can go through your own accounts process first.

  • Do staff get certificates, and do they count towards a Quality Action Plan?

    Every participant receives a dated certificate of attendance naming the workshop, the date and the hour completed. Settings routinely file these as evidence of ongoing professional development in a Síolta Quality Action Plan. They are not CPD points, because that requires separate registration with an awarding body.

  • Are you Children First trained and insured?

    Yes. Amy Byrne has completed Children First training through Tusla and acts as a Mandated Person, and Roots of Wonder carries public liability and professional indemnity insurance. Certificates and insurance details are available on request before you book, which most settings need for their own compliance file.

  • Are the workshops Aistear and Síolta aligned?

    Yes. Every educator workshop names where the content sits in Aistear, the national early childhood curriculum framework from the NCCA, and in the Síolta quality standards. Parent workshops use the same evidence base in plain language, without the framework vocabulary, so nothing feels like jargon.

  • Which counties do you cover?

    In-person workshops run across Leinster and Munster from a base in Gorey, County Wexford — Dublin, Kildare, Meath, Wicklow, Louth, Wexford, Kilkenny, Waterford, Tipperary and Cork. Galway, Limerick, Clare, Westmeath, Mayo and Donegal are served online, and travel further afield can be arranged for setting packages.

More answers on pricing, refunds and setting packages are on the full FAQ page, or send Amy a message.