020: Why Teaching Your Kids Chores and Life Skills Is NOT Taking Advantage of Them

025: Tapping into Creativity and Why Woodworking Helps Kids Learn Real Life Skills with Anika Gandhi

I interview a LOT of different people in a myriad of professions, but I’ve never come close to having a woodworker on the show before!

“What would we talk about - how to build things? That won’t go well on a podcast in someone’s ear…” I thought.

Do not worry my friends, because Anika and I are both moms, so we dig into woodworking as an analogy for parenting and life skills, and I know you’ll be inspired to make time for a creative pursuit after this!

We talk about:

• How Anika went from being an engineer and scientist to breaking boundaries as a female woodworker on YouTube
• Why the best way to get started with woodworking is…just to get started :)
• How her engineering background helped Anika be a better woodworker and the MYTH of right-brained/left-brained work
• The incredibly valuable life skills kids (and adults) learn while building projects - problem-solving and patience are biggies but wait until you hear the most important skill!
• The two tools you’ll need to buy to get started - a very low barrier to entry!!
• All about confidence, failure, and great parenting
• Why Anika sees failure as an opportunity
• The importance of carving out time for creative hobbies as parents (and modeling all sorts of skills for our kids)

Let’s grab a power drill and get building!

Resources We Mention for Exploring Creativity

• Why we need to let our kids fail
• Find Anika online here
• Watch her on YouTube
• Follow her on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok
• Free Guide: Power Tools Simplified

• Kitchen Stewardship
• Kids Cook Real Food
• Register for #LifeSkillsNow Season 3 Virtual Summer Camp!
• follow Katie on Instagram
• follow Kids Cook Real Food on Facebook
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly updates
• YouTube shorts channel for HPH
• Find the Healthy Parenting Handbook at kidscookrealfood.com/podcast

Affiliate links used here. Thanks for supporting the Healthy Parenting Handbook!

024: Why Kids Need to Understand Their Bodies (And a Few Practical Ways to Teach Them) with Dr. Robin Dickinson

What happens when you’re already living your dream…but it’s a dream interrupted?

Dr. Robin Dickinson was a family practitioner who loved her job and her patients, and she was GOOD at what she did. But when the pandemic sent her kids home from school, they needed her more.

What happened next is nothing short of extraordinary.

In today’s interview, you’ll learn:

• Why teaching kids in-depth medical science helps them understand and care for their bodies.
• Why education should focus on a balanced approach that includes hands-on skills and trades.
• How to tell kids that certain foods are “good” or “bad” the RIGHT way - in spite of the social media voices saying we mustn’t ever never ever…
• One doctor’s advice on managing candy consumption!!!
• That imperfect parents can still parent GREAT kids (good news for me, you too?)
• How to encourage scientific thinking
• Plus a little bit about Doc Robin’s TWO awesome #LifeSkillsNow summer camp workshops!

I love Doc Robin’s philosophy on helping kids OWN their health not through cajoling, not even by example, but by education. Can’t wait to hear what you think of this one!

Resources We Mention for Learning About Your Body

• Fostering a healthy relationship with food in your kids
• If you’re struggling to know what your child needs for proper nutrition check out this interview
• Here’s a rundown of our dessert rule if you want to hear more
• Find Dr. Robin online
• Follow her on social media: Facebook, Instagram

• Kitchen Stewardship
• Kids Cook Real Food
• Register for #LifeSkillsNow Season 3 Virtual Summer Camp!
• follow Katie on Instagram
• follow Kids Cook Real Food on Facebook
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly updates
• YouTube shorts channel for HPH
• Find the Healthy Parenting Handbook at kidscookrealfood.com/podcast

Affiliate links used here. Thanks for supporting the Healthy Parenting Handbook!

023: Expected Mess Vs. True Clutter - What's the Difference and How to Solve Them with Katy Wells

Confession: My house is VERY cluttered.

I have never been good at letting go of things. “I might need that someday!” “What about the grandkids? They’ll want to read that book!”

I’m always a little anxious and yet inspired when I talk to organizers and decluttering experts, and this conversation with Katy Wells will not disappoint!!

Her story was a huge surprise to me and made her all the more believable. Katy is super passionate about keeping a home that allows you to focus on what truly matters, and I love her sense of balance and reality as well.

In this episode, you’ll learn about:

• What clutter really is (and why we might not have heard about decluttering 30+ years ago)
• Women’s biggest clutter pain points (see if these rooms in your house have issues!)
• Why fixing the clutter problem is never as easy as “following a checklist”
• The 3 layers of clutter and challenges that come with the deeper layers (and no, that’s not physical layers as in the piles on your desk LOL!)
• How to teach kids to clean up, declutter, and start life with the right mindset about STUFF!
• A sneak preview of Katy’s brand new workshop in the #LifeSkillsNow summer camp, season 3!
• Why we can find beauty in our messes (a tear jerker!)

Resources We Mention for Clutter Management

• Katy's courses:
  • Toy Clutter Cure
  • Clutter Crush Challenge
  • Clutter Cure Club
• Maximized Minimalist podcast
• Tips for organizing a kid-friendly kitchen
• Budget-friendly organization strategies
• Find Katy online
• Follow her on Instagram

• Kitchen Stewardship
• Kids Cook Real Food
• Register for #LifeSkillsNow Season 3 Virtual Summer Camp!
• follow Katie on Instagram
• follow Kids Cook Real Food on Facebook
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly updates
• YouTube shorts channel for HPH
• Find the Healthy Parenting Handbook at kidscookrealfood.com/podcast

Affiliate links used here. Thanks for supporting the Healthy Parenting Handbook!

022: Nurturing Young Skeptics: Essential Guide to Teaching Critical Thinking to Kids and Teens with Kathy Gibbens

When is the last time your kids were learning something in school and you got totally pulled in?

That happened to today’s podcast guest, Kathy Gibbens, when her daughter was learning logic and critical thinking in middle school, and Kathy became a mom on a mission.

She realized critical thinking is, well, critical to our society thriving and started teaching others things like logical fallacies and how to spot propaganda and emotion-driven marketing.

I adored our conversation in this podcast! Look forward to some learning and some great challenges to become a better parent and a better person. Listen for:

• the deets on WHY critical thinking isn’t taught in schools (it was intentional!! What???)
• tons of easy-to-learn terms that open up the world of logic
• why life is better for those who can think well
• simple steps to take to foster critical thinking in your home
• some really HARD steps to take to foster critical thinking in your home! ;)
• how helping little kids build their critical thinking muscles is different than tweens and teens
• why it’s a gargantuan problem if your teens aren’t disagreeing with you…yes, I said are NOT disagreeing with you
• some super tips to help our kids take ownership of their health and nutrition

Seriously, this is a fantastic interview - I told Kathy when we started that I typically shoot for half an hour podcasts, but the more fascinating the interview, the longer I generally let it slide. By the timestamp you can see that I couldn’t stop asking questions and eating up everything Kathy was dishing out!

Resources We Mention for Critical Thinking

• Katie's TEDx talk on the importance of critical thinking
• The Fallacy Detective
• The Tuttle Twins Guide to Logical Fallacies
• Find Kathy online
• Follow her on social media: Instagram, Facebook
• Listen to her podcast: Filter it Through a Brain Cell
• The quiz Kathy mentioned to guess logical fallacies

• Kitchen Stewardship
• Kids Cook Real Food
• Register for #LifeSkillsNow Season 3 Virtual Summer Camp!
• follow Katie on Instagram
• follow Kids Cook Real Food on Facebook
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly updates
• YouTube shorts channel for HPH
• Find the Healthy Parenting Handbook at kidscookrealfood.com/podcast

Affiliate links used here. Thanks for supporting the Healthy Parenting Handbook!

021: What Is Your Kid's Poo Telling You? with Dr. Elisa Song (BONUS episode!)

For real, let's talk about Kid POOP. Because it doesn't get enough press! Dr. Song talks about kids' poop with every patient at every visit. You're going to love this interview!

Dr. Elisa Song, MD, holistic pediatrician, is back today with some very important instruction for parents and kids about WHY we need to be aware of our kid's poop each day, what to look for in a healthy poop, and what "text messages" our poop is sending us.

Once we learn to interpret the language of poop, we might need her tips on:

• How gut health impacts our brains and immune system and alllll the many ailments that likely begins in the gut
• Kicking constipation naturally (she explains why Miralax is NOT a good solution)
• How to find a good probiotic
• Best exercise for good digestion
• What happens to our digestion when we literally "eat on the run"

Dr. Song's new book Healthy Kids, Happy Kids: An Integrative Pediatrician's Guide to Whole Child Resilience releases on Tuesday, May 14! You can purchase it on Amazon, Bookshop.org, or ask your local bookstore or library if they'll get it.

Kids' Poop Resources We Mention

• Bristol Stool Chart
• Poo Keeper App
• Dr. Song's blog post Oh, Crap
• My post on natural alternatives to beat constipation
• An alternative to Miralax
• FREE probiotic guide for kids from Dr. Song
• Our huge guide to probiotics on Kitchen Stewardship
• Great choice for an infant probiotic: WellBelly
• Dr. Song talks more about infant reflux relief here.
• 3 part Facebook series on healthy gut in kids: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.
• My post about how to ferment vegetables
• Buddies in My Belly is a book to teach kids about probiotics

• Kitchen Stewardship
• Kids Cook Real Food
• Register for #LifeSkillsNow Season 3 Virtual Summer Camp!
• follow Katie on Instagram
• follow Kids Cook Real Food on Facebook
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly updates
• YouTube shorts channel for HPH
• Find the Healthy Parenting Handbook at kidscookrealfood.com/podcast

Affiliate links used here. Thanks for supporting the Healthy Parenting Handbook!