Big and Little Podcast

When was the last time you let your imagination take the wheel? As kids, our imagination created endless possibilities. An old blanket was a superhero cape. Pots and pans? A full on drum set! Imagination has the power to make the “ordinary” novel and exciting. In the wake of an increasingly digital age, however, many wonder, does imaginative play still hold the same space in children’s lives? Hear from Dr. Laura Rubin, founder of Portsmouth Neuropsychology Center, about how imaginative play helps children process emotional experiences, build executive function skills, foster creativity, and more. She also shares how parents, caregivers, and educators can support their child's imaginative instincts.

For more on imaginative play and children’s mental health, check out the following resources:

• Portsmouth Neuropsychology Center: https://www.portsmouthneuro.com/
• The Child Mind Institute: https://childmind.org/
• How Re-Framing Our Experiences Can Contribute to Our Well-Being by Dr. Laura Rubin, TEDxPortsmouth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqpQ0iHBRSQ&ab_channel=TEDxTalks
• Make-Believe: Games & Activities for Imaginative Play By Dorothy G. Singer and Jerome L. Singer: https://www.apa.org/pubs/magination/4417173

 

Join tech trailblazer Madge Meyer as she talks with Carole about her journey to success as a woman and Asian American immigrant in the STEM fields and shares strategies for raising young girls excited about and engaged with STEM.

Art in early childhood helps children thrive and develop into well-rounded, socially-conscious individuals. Sadly, thousands of students across the United States do not have access to arts education. 

As the founder of ARCK, the Arts Resource Collaborative for Kids, Sara Mraish-Demeter has made it her mission to give children a voice through the arts. She has helped thousands of under-resourced students gain access to arts education throughout the last ten years. 

Hear from Sara about the importance of closing the creativity gap in schools through equitable arts education and the power art can have on our children’s healthy social and emotional development.

Three simple words can have a profound effect on a child's life— "I’m a reader.” 


Unfortunately for too many children in the US, numerous challenges and barriers have made these words infrequent. 


In the latest episode of the Big & Little Podcast, former kindergarten teacher, founder of Barbershop Books, comedian, and expert in early literacy Alvin Irby speaks about empowering kids, especially young Black boys and other vulnerable children, to identify as readers and grow to enjoy learning. 


Three simple words can have a profound effect on a child's life— "I’m a reader.” 


Unfortunately for too many children in the US, numerous challenges and barriers have made these words infrequent. 


In the latest episode of the Big & Little Podcast, former kindergarten teacher, founder of Barbershop Books, comedian, and expert in early literacy Alvin Irby speaks about empowering kids, especially young Black boys and other vulnerable children, to identify as readers and grow to enjoy learning. 


Three simple words can have a profound effect on a child's life— "I’m a reader.” 


Unfortunately for too many children in the US, numerous challenges and barriers have made these words infrequent. 


In the latest episode of the Big & Little Podcast, former kindergarten teacher, founder of Barbershop Books, comedian, and expert in early literacy Alvin Irby speaks about empowering kids, especially young Black boys and other vulnerable children, to identify as readers and grow to enjoy learning. 


The holiday season doesn’t have to be perfect to be wonderful. No matter what special occasion or tradition you celebrate around this time of year, along with the cheer can come large amounts of stress for parents and caregivers juggling a million things while trying to give their kids a magical season. We wanted to help identify ways to take the stress out of the season and bring back the meaning with simple, low to no-cost strategies. Here to help us is guest Meghan Block, the owner of Boston Moms and a mother of three young children with an excellent perspective on the challenges that moms and caregivers face in today’s world.

Listen in on a conversation with Codman Academy Head of School Thabiti Brown and third grade teacher and equity coordinator Marcus Parker about Codman’s thoughtful education strategies—teaching for social justice, prioritizing student questioning and the exploration of identity, making connections between learning and the world outside the classroom, and engaging teachers and parents in conversations around equity and inclusion.

Join Carole and guests Drs. Michael Pistiner and Ali Yurkovic for an important conversation on food allergies in children. As allergy experts and parents of children with food allergies themselves, Michael and Ali speak to the prevalence of allergies in children, their own experiences as parents of kids with allergies, and how people can get involved in advocacy efforts to protect those with food allergies in public spaces. 

Innovation in Education is our new 3-part series that will dive into three different schools that are innovating the traditional schooling model we are all familiar with, with non-traditional curriculums, strategies, and values.

Our first guest is Bethann Jellison, principal of the Carlton Innovation School in Salem, Massachusetts.  The Carlton School, a public school categorized as a Massachusetts “innovation school” back in 2012, uses a cohort model with mixed age groups in each classroom. Kids are placed in an appropriate cohort, based not on age, but on their individual academic, social, and emotional needs. 

How does the cohort model work? And how has this innovative model affected the outcomes for students? Let’s catch up with Carole and Bethann to find out.