Big and Little Podcast

Today on the show, Boston Children’s Museum President and CEO Carole Charnow interviews Dr. Mitchel Resnick in the next installment of our Creativity Series. Mitch Resnick is the LEGO Papert Professor of Learning Research at the MIT Media Lab and develops new technologies and activities to engage people (particularly children) in creative learning experiences. His Lifelong Kindergarten research group developed the Scratch programming software and online community, used by millions of young people around the world.

Carole talks with Mitch about his new project OctoStudio, the value of Kindergarten style learning, the 4 P’s of Creative Learning, the relationship between technology and creative learning and more.

The Museum’s Creativity Series continues with a conversation on the importance of connection, collaboration, and community. Through a grant from LEGO, called the LEGO Playful Learning Museum Network, institutions across the country were tasked with creating a community of practice that focused on playful learning

Joining us today are three representatives from LEGO’s community of practice who connected over a shared interest in Tinkering Inventive Playsets, Nick Villagra from theConnecticut Science Center, Michael Wong from the Exploratorium, and Brendan Takenaga from Boston Children’s Museum. Tune in to learn about how a community of practice operates, where creativity exists in our work, the power of inspiration, half-baked ideas, open communication between peers, and more!

Learn more about this partnership on theExploratorium Blog. Or connect with our guests by emailing Nick at [email protected], Michael at [email protected], or Brendan at [email protected].

The Children's Art Museum of India, or CAMI for short, is an online platform and virtual Museum space that enables young artists to submit their art and share their creativity worldwide. Manya and Krish founded CAMI in 2022 when they were 14 and 12 years old, respectively. Since then, the two have been working tirelessly to create and expand CAMI’s reach and continue to carve out this important space for children’s creativity. What began as a local initiative for Indian children to share their art has since grown into an increasingly global movement.

Today on the show, Carole Charnow, the Museum’s President and CEO, talks with Manya and Krish about founding CAMI, the unique benefits of an online Museum space, and how to engage and inspire kids to be creative through art. Learn more about CAMI at: https://www.childrensartmuseumofindia.com/

We’re bringing some creative exploration to the podcast with a special Creativity Series! Our first guest, Laura Petrovich-Cheney, is an artist, maker, educator, and the Museum’s current Gallery artist. Her exhibit, Weathered Shapes, Wooden Quilts brings together the traditional crafts of wood sculpture and quilt making to show the potential of rebuilding and hope. In today’s episode the Museum’s President and CEO Carole Charnow talks with Laura about the inspiration behind her art, the key components of creativity, and advice for parents, caregivers, and educators! Learn more about Laura on her website: https://www.lauracheney.com/

In today's episode, Boston Children’s Museum’s Vice President of External Relations, Charlayne Murrell-Smith talks with Research Scientist, Technologist, Filmmaker, Architect, and Educator, Topper Carew. Topper recounts his experience growing up in Roxbury, starting out as an architect and filmmaker, and his advice for crafting compelling stories. Listeners may be familiar with Topper from his popular TV sitcom Martin, but it might surprise you to learn of his rich and varied experiences beyond the film industry. 

Later in the episode, we also discuss his upcoming project, This Little Light of Mine - in space. This project consists of a Space Payload designed to transport and broadcast a film of children’s choirs around the world singing “This Little Light of Mine.” We could all use a little more light in our lives - so, why not extend that brightness to the night sky and beyond?

How do we design for play? For two decades Cas Holman has been designing playthings and playspaces that encourage exploration, imagination, and collaboration. Through her company Heroes Will Rise, Cas creates intuitive toys that inspire creative, open-ended play, including the award-winning Rigamajig, a line of playful building kits used in schools and public spaces worldwide - and our very own Boston Children's Museum. An educator of 13 years and former Associate Professor of Industrial Design at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), Cas travels the globe to collaborate with thought and industry leaders in early education, curriculum design, public space, and childhood advocacy. Her philosophy and approach to designing for play was recently featured in the award-winning documentary series “Abstract: The Art of Design” on Netflix. In today’s episode our host, Neil Tembulkar, the Museum’s Director of Strategic Initiatives, and Cas discuss how we design for play and empower kids to be creative problem solvers.

Learn more about Cas on her website:  https://casholman.com/

Although we are a children's museum, we don’t often hear directly from our youth. In this episode we’re changing it up and welcoming our very first “little” to the Big and Little podcast. Now, don’t let that word deceive you, today’s guest has a powerful voice and some keen insights on what it’s like to be a kid in this day and age. Meet Sama Prince, the goddaughter of Boston Children's Museum's President and CEO Carole Charnow. She joins us all the way from London, England. Hear about Sama's school, favorite pastimes, and candid reflections on navigating life during the pandemic.

Reaching children in their earliest years not only helps them develop the cognitive, social, emotional, and physical skills they need to succeed, but can also inspire lifelong enthusiasm for learning. On today’s podcast, Boston Children’s Museum President and CEO Carole Charnow sits down with Dr. Jeanette Betancourt from Sesame Workshop and Sally McCrady from PNC Bank to learn more about their partnership - Grow Up Great, an initiative to help prepare children from birth to age 5 for success in school and life.

To access educational resources and learn more about Grow Up Great check out:

https://sesamestreetincommunities.org/

https://www.pnc.com/en/about-pnc/corporate-responsibility/grow-up-great.html

Ahead of the CreatedBy Festival on October 15th, 2022, Digital Content Manager and Podcast Producer, Kathryn York, interviews Boston Children's Museum's Director of Strategic Initiatives, Neil Tembulkar about CreatedBy, the prevalence of STEAM in the museum space, and how to get kids inspired by STEAM. To learn more about the CreatedBy Festival and free Virtual Workshops, Demos, and STEAM Fun, check out https://createdbyfestival.org/