Not Just Cute, the Podcast: Intentional Whole Child Development for Parents and Teachers of Young Children

Challenging behaviors seem to be on the rise in preschool classrooms. Prerna Richards, of Together We Grow, specializes in supporting educators with a behavior coaching program. In this episode, she shares what she believes is behind this increase, and what can be done to better help our youngest learners. Find Show Notes : https://notjustcute.com/podcast/episode73

Once upon a time..... ...Happily ever after. These are common fairy tale phrases. But they're more than just staid story stems. These common phrases -- and the stories in between -- hold not only a recipe for imagination and fantasy but also for resilience. Stephanie Goloway (EdD) is a powerful advocate for the importance of imagination, play, and storytelling. As a now-emeritus professor, she’s taught young children as well as college students and has focused her research on how fairy tales align with and support child development. She’s written a book called, Happily Ever Resilient, where she shares how the ordinary magic of resilience is woven into the extraordinary magic of fairy tales, supporting all children as they face the challenges of life. Show Notes: https://notjustcute.com/podcast/episode72

Most people associate the library with silence. But what if we associated it with play? In this episode, I’m talking with Tammie Benham, Youth Services Consultant for the Southeast Kansas Library System. Tammie believes that where libraries, children, and families intersect, magic is possible. And she’s set out to make that magic through a family engagement program focused on using play to teach, encourage, and support families in the communities she serves. Find Show Notes: https://notjustcute.com/podcast/episode71

We started this series with the overall argument for why play is essential for human development. The next three episodes dug deep into three main themes: Why we need play for mental health and wellness, for brain development and real learning, and for soft skill development. Then, we shifted to several shorter episodes, touching on specific types of play and how they contribute to development. In this final episode, I’m talking about why ALL children need play, even when others may think it’s time to help children “catch up” instead. Show Notes: https://notjustcute.com/podcast/episode70

What does fingerpainting have to do with the Space Race? In this episode, we're talking about art and creative play and their role in learning, thinking, and innovating. Show Notes: https://notjustcute.com/podcast/episode69

This episode’s focus is the dress-up area and dramatic play. We’ll talk about the powerful developmental support that comes from preschoolers dressing up and playing pretend. Show Notes: https://notjustcute.com/podcast/episode68

This episode’s focus is sensory play. We’ll take a look at why these bins full of rice, water, goop, and other media aren’t just a big mess waiting to happen, they’re a really important key to supporting healthy child development. Find Show Notes: https://notjustcute.com/podcast/episode67

This episode’s focus is the block area. We look at what’s going on in those busy building centers of the early childhood classroom, and why it’s important to keep those big spaces open for construction, even when there’s pressure to move the blocks out to make room for “real school”. Don’t underestimate the simple nature of a collection of rectangles, squares, and triangles made out of hardwood maple. When children play with construction toys (which include the ever-present unit blocks, of course, but also other open-ended building toys like Legos, magnet tiles, bristle blocks, architectural blocks etc.) they get hands-on experience that simply can’t be replaced by virtual imitations. Find show notes at https://notjustcute.com/podcast/episode66

While some schools may claim they’re moving away from play and toward more direct academic instruction as a way to prepare children for their future careers, business leaders repeatedly share that soft skills are becoming increasingly relevant in the workplaces of today and of the future. In this episode, we’ll talk about how pushing out play also pushes out prime opportunities for building essential soft skills. Soft skills that not only enhance careers, but improve life. FInd show notes at: https://notjustcute.com/podcast/episode65

This is the third episode in a nine-episode series! (Find them all here.) In this episode, we’re digging into why we play for brain development and real learning. There are many people who say they support play for young children, but question whether or not we need play in school, or who might argue that play is important, as long as we get the work of learning done first. So today, we’ll talk about why play and learning aren’t as separate as people might think. Find show notes at https://notjustcute.com/podcast/episode64

In this episode, we’re digging into why we play for mental health. It’s not just something we think is true or that sounds nice, it’s a claim that’s backed up by science and statistics. There’s something about play that is essential to developing and maintaining our mental health. We’ll dig into those findings and what they mean for our youngest learners. Find show notes at https://notjustcute.com/podcast/episode63

I’m excited to be kicking off something special today. For years, I’ve been speaking at workshops and conferences about the power of play in the early learning environment, which sparked the series of parent letters I’ve written, called Why We Play. This month, I’ll be sharing a special podcast series with the same name: Why We Play. Every Tuesday and Thursday in February, you’ll find a new episode sharing the science and stories behind why we play, evidence that play is not just cute, it’s incredibly powerful. This Why We Play podcast series is long overdue – I’m so excited to jump into a topic I’m SO passionate about and to share some fascinating, compelling research that I absolutely love nerding out on. I hope you’ll join me for the whole month of February. Whether you’re a champion for play or a playful learning skeptic, this series is just for you. Find Show Notes at https://notjustcute.com/podcast/episode62

Find Show Notes Here Dr. Dale Farran has spent the better part of the last 50 years researching early childhood education. But some of her most famous research has come about rather recently, as she directs the evaluation of the Tennessee Voluntary PreK Program. This study is one of the most fascinating pieces of recent research in early childhood education. With a randomly controlled trial, Farran's team found that after an initial PreK year, children who participated scored higher than children who didn’t. After the two groups converged for their kindergarten year, however, that difference disappeared. That’s not too surprising – a “fade out” effect is often observed in early childhood research. Where this study really started making waves was with the follow-up data. After the participating children completed their third-grade year, Farran and her team found that the PreK group actually scored *below* the other children on the math and science sections of their standardized tests - and by statistically significant margins. By the sixth-grade year, more alarm bells sounded. The PreK participants were scoring below the nonparticipants on not only math and science (and by a greater factor than was seen in third grade) but now, also on English language arts as well. Perhaps more concerning, they were also getting in more trouble at school and receiving more expulsions. While some may have been tempted to bury unexpected results, Dr. Farran and her team decided to get curious and ask what could be learned. The rest of us get to make the same choice – ignore the research, or get curious and find something to learn. Show Notes: https://notjustcute.com/podcast/episode61

Challenging behaviors are nothing new in early childhood education. And yet, there’s something different going on. For a variety of reasons, challenging behaviors seem to be increasing both in intensity and frequency. Dayna Abraham is no stranger to challenging behaviors. As a board certified teacher and a mom to 3 neuro-divergent children, Dayna has sat on both sides of the table when it comes to these challenges. She’s developed a compassionate approach based on science and experience to help bring peace and calm to homes and classrooms. Dayna is the author of Calm the Chaos: A Failproof Roadmap for Parenting Even the Most Challenging Kids, which can be preordered now ahead of it’s release on August 15. And I’m so excited to have her share what she’s discovered. Find Shownotes at notjustcute.com/podcast/episode60

I’m talking to someone I’ve wanted to share with you for a long time. One of my best friends from grad school, Kelli Barker. She’s now the director of the Adelle and Dale Young child development lab school at Utah State University. She’s sharing what a lab school is as well as what she’s learned about helping college students and preservice teachers understand human development and apply that to their personal and professional lives. I think you’re going to love Kelli’s insight on preparing young professionals and on applying human development principles to life. Find show notes at https://notjustcute.com/podcast/episode59

Malia Hollowell is the author of The Science of Reading in Action and the creator of the site Playdough to Plato. She’s a National Board Certified educator who’s helping to put the science of reading into action with playful, hands on experiences. Her book, website, and Instagram are full of fantastic examples and resources. Her primary focus is grades K-2, but depending on where your littles are skill-wise, you may find loads of great activities that are appropriate for preK as well. Find show notes at https://notjustcute.com/podcast/episode58

Have you been asked how your preschool room aligns with the Science of Reading? Or maybe you’ve seen videos of two year olds reading and the sales page headlines saying that simply applying the *science* can give all toddlers the advantage they deserve? Well, in this episode, we’re adding on to the basic background and history of the science of reading found in the previous episode, and digging deeper into what all this science means in the preschool classroom. Show notes: www.notjustcute.com/podcast/episode57

I’ve talked and written a lot about early literacy over the years, but I’ve avoided one very popular term: The Science of Reading. I decided to keep my head down and my work research-based and just stay out of the fray of nailing down the specific jargon. But with more and more states and districts requiring “Science of Reading compliant curriculum," it’s important for early childhood educators to know what that means, what it doesn’t mean, and how it impacts our practice. If The Science of Reading is not a familiar term to you, no worries, we’re going to walk through it and some of the terms associated with it….and if you ARE familiar with the term, I hope you’ll bring whatever background knowledge you have and be ready to find some new perspectives here. Shownotes: www.notjustcute.com/podcast/episode56

Rae Pica is a force. As a speaker, consultant, and the author of over 20 books in addition to articles in many popular publications, Rae Pica has been an outspoken voice for children and childhood for more than 4 decades. Constant in that career has been her passion for protecting childhood and calling others to action. In this episode, she’s talking with me about her newest book on advocating for children and for the early childhood profession, and also giving us a peek into her writing process. Whether you’ve been wondering about speaking up in your educational community or about taking your message to a wider audience in book form, you’re in the right place. Find Show Notes at https://notjustcute.com/podcast/episode55

Childcare Resources of Indian River in Vero Beach, Florida began with three tenacious educators going out of their way to create something better for 25 children. Today, the ripple effect of their efforts has grown into something that impacts 3000 children and still growing. In this episode I’m talking with Childcare Resources’ executive director, Shannon McGuire Bowman as well as the director of the school that has grown out of that early program, Tara Beard. They’re sharing how one simple idea has grown into a robust community effort to serve children and families who would likely otherwise slip through the cracks. This is one big story about taking the next small step. Show Notes: https://notjustcute.com/podcast/episode54