Talking About Kids

Episódios

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  How cooking activities benefit kids and families with Maegan Zelner 03.08.2026 28min

  Send us Fan Mail The benefits of preparing and sharing homecooked meals with kids are many. Unfortunately, our schedules and other pressures often prevent us from doing it deliberately and more frequently. My guest this episode, Maegan Zelner, is the Chief Operating Officer of Raddish Kids, a company committed to bringing cooking and baking activities to all families. Maegan and I discuss her perspective on the benefits of shared cooking and baking experiences, the obstacles that prevent some...
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  Summer Episode 4: What to watch or listen to this summer 27.07.2026 3min

  Send us Fan Mail This is the fourth and final summer vacation episode of Talking About Kids for 2026. For the second year in a row, I am devoting these mini episodes to movies, TV shows, or songs that inspire us as people who care about kids. Last year, I asked some previous guests for recommendations, but this year I asked listeners. This recommendation comes from Jeff Kirchler. A link to information about Jeff's recommendation is at talkingaboutkids.com.
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  Summer Episode 3: What to watch or listen to this summer 20.07.2026 4min

  Send us Fan Mail This is the third summer vacation episode of Talking About Kids. For the second year in a row, I am devoting these mini episodes to movies, TV shows, or songs that inspire us as people who care about kids. Last year, I asked some previous guests for recommendations, but this year I asked listeners. This recommendation comes from Jessica Flowers. Links to information about Jessica and her recommendation are at talkingaboutkids.com.
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  Summer Episode 2: What to watch or listen to this summer 13.07.2026 3min

  Send us Fan Mail This is the second summer vacation episode of Talking About Kids. For the second year in a row, I am devoting these mini episodes to movies, TV shows, or songs that inspire us as people who care about kids. Last year, I asked some previous guests for recommendations, but this year I asked listeners. This recommendation comes from Tom Reardon. Links to information about Tom and his recommendation are at talkingaboutkids.com.
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  Summer Episode 1: What to watch or listen to this summer 06.07.2026 2min

  Send us Fan Mail This is the first summer vacation episode of Talking About Kids, and, for the second year in a row, I am devoting these mini episodes to movies, TV shows, or songs that inspire us as people who care about kids. Last year, I asked some previous guests for recommendations, but this year I asked listeners. The first recommendation comes from Mary Arredondo. A link to it is at talkingaboutkids.com.
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  How to organize your photos to bring your family closer together with Megan O’Hare 29.06.2026 38min

  Send us Fan Mail Family photos can help build resilience in kids by connecting them with their heritages or reminding them of times when they felt competent, safe, and loved. In the digital age, we create more family photos than ever, but, ironically, we seem to be appreciating them less. My guest this episode, Megan O’Hare, teaches adults how to organize and keep their photos safe and how to convert them into formats that kids enjoy accessing and sharing. Megan and I discuss her tips for sta...
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  How 12 years of mentoring benefits kids with Jorie Das 22.06.2026 33min

  Send us Fan Mail Research shows that mentoring improves health, mental health, and other outcomes for mentees. But these outcomes can be compromised and even worsened when mentor relationships are brief, inconsistent, or inadequately supported. Jorie Das, my guest this episode, is the Executive Director of Friends LA. Like all Friends of the Children chapters, the mission of Friends LA is to provide every child involved in the child welfare system with a single, trained mentor for the entiret...
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  How to bring the benefits of camp experiences to more kids with Shawna Rosenzweig 15.06.2026 38min

  Send us Fan Mail It is Shawna Rosenzweig’s vision to bring the benefits of structured outdoor experiences to all kids. If she is seeing farther than some, it is because she stands on the shoulders of the benevolent 100-year-old giant that is Camp Fire. Shawna and I discuss how outdoor experiences boost self-efficacy and equality, Camp Fire’s pioneering legacy, the hallmarks of great outdoor programs, and how to bring those programs, or elements of them, to the kids in your life. More informat...
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  How correcting clubfoot improves the lives of kids with Daphne Sorensen 08.06.2026 37min

  Send us Fan Mail I have spent decades trying to help kids thrive. Unfortunately, the adversities children and youth face are varied and persistent, and the victories over them are few and far between. Consequently, when I encounter an intervention that dramatically improves the lives of kids efficiently and universally, I get excited because we all need a win sometimes. MiracleFeet provides technical and financial support to a network of local partners in 38 countries to provide best-in-class...
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  How executive functioning coaches help neurodivergent kids with Norrine Russell 01.06.2026 36min

  Send us Fan Mail Interest in executive functioning coaches for neurodivergent kids has grown considerably over the last five years, which is both exciting and worrisome. It is exciting because coaches promise to help students plan, organize, focus, and manage their emotions and tasks. It is worrisome because there are no degree, training, or licensing requirements to be an executive functioning coach. To help me parse this and to gain a better understanding of executive functioning coaches, h...
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  Memorial Day Episode: Poppies for remembrance 25.05.2026 4min

  Send us Fan Mail In this mini Memorial Day episode, I look at poppies as a symbol of remembrance that you can share with the kids in your life. A link to “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae is at talkingaboutkids.com. Full-length Talking About Kids episodes return next week (June 1, 2026).
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  How homeopathy can help families with Marcus Fernandez 18.05.2026 51min

  Send us Fan Mail The science is clear: A one-size-fits-all approach to education or mental health does not work. But what about physical health? I am hearing more and more parents complain about the healthcare their children receive. At the same time, I am being overwhelmed with ads for potions, diets and supplements that promise to cure everything instantly. This is why I was eager to speak with Marcus Fernandez. Marcus has spent three decades advocating for preventative, homeostatic approac...
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  How storytelling builds resilience in kids with Candace Lee and Eric Newman 11.05.2026 35min

  Send us Fan Mail The children’s middle grade action and adventure novel, George Goodwin, Dragon Slayer: A Scouting Legend, was written by long-term collaborators Candace Lee and Eric Newman. Bringing it to fruition was an act of resilience, so it is not surprising that resilience is theme in the book and a skill the authors hope the book fosters in its readers. Candace, Eric, and I discuss this, the importance of scouting and exploration, and the depth of the world they created. More informat...
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  What quality out-of-school-time programming does for kids with Kevin Cripe 04.05.2026 37min

  Send us Fan Mail Kevin Cripe changed the culture of his under-resourced school in Modesto, California, with an afterschool program devoted to…chess. Kevin and I discuss his motivation for starting the program, how he did it, and, importantly, why he chose chess. I believe the lessons Kevin learned in the process can benefit all out-of-school time (OST) programs. More information about Kevin – including information on his books, how to engage him as speaker, and a picture of one his many chess...
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  Why we need to rethink how we teach grammar with Patty McGee 27.04.2026 32min

  Send us Fan Mail Grammar. If the thought of it makes you anxious, you are not alone. My guest this episode, Patty McGee, wants to change that by changing how we teach the subject. The pedagogy that she prescribes in her excellent book, Not Your Granny’s Grammar, is not necessarily new (Patty bases her recommendations on evidence-informed practices). However, solid pedagogy, like Patty’s, is rarely applied to subject of grammar. Patty and I discuss this, her book, and tips for reducing grammar...
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  What you need to know about trends in childcare affordability with Meghan Salas Atwell 20.04.2026 30min

  Send us Fan Mail If we want to improve the economy, if we want to make the population healthier, or even if we want to reduce the deficit, leading economists tell us that we should invest in early childhood development. Unfortunately, the opposite is happening, and, as new research from National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) reveals, childcare providers are feeling pinched. My guest to discuss NAEYC’s most recent Early Childhood Education (ECE) Workforce Survey is NA...
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  How to redefine childcare practices with Antoinette Elliott 13.04.2026 38min

  Send us Fan Mail When it comes to programs and services for children and families, researchers and practitioners should work hand-in-hand: research should guide practice and, in turn, study what is working to inform the rest of the field. By all accounts, All Our Children Elite Childcare Academy, the beloved program founded by Antoinette Elliott, exemplifies this relationship. Antoinette incorporated best practices and input from expert consultants in the design of the academy, but, as you wi...
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  Why independent tutoring and assessment might benefit your neurodivergent kid with Kait Feriante 06.04.2026 40min

  Send us Fan Mail The research is conclusive: strong public education systems benefit individuals, communities, and, ultimately, society in myriad ways. Unfortunately, public education systems across the U.S.A. are facing pressures that, some believe, impede them from providing all the services that kids, and neurodivergent kids in particular, need. My guest this episode, Kait Feriante, supports public education, but she has seen too many kids with dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia fall th...
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  Why early reading interventions are important with Faye Bankler Casell 30.03.2026 47min

  Send us Fan Mail Faye Bankler Casell wants your child to read, and she is doing all she can to make that happen. Faye is a Special Educator, Certified Academic Language Therapist, and Dyslexia Therapist; she has a master’s degree from the Teachers College at Columbia University; she hosts the “Teach My Child to Read” YouTube Channel; and she is the founder of HomeReadingCoach.com. As you will hear, Faye is concerned that not everyone in our kids’ lives is as committed to helping them re...
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  How to bring dignity and hope to youth in foster care with Rob Scheer 23.03.2026 34min

  Send us Fan Mail The black garbage bag. You may or may not know its significance in the foster care system. Either way, my guest this episode will inspire you. Among other things, Rob Scheer is the author of A Forever Family: Fostering Change One Child at a Time and the founder of Comfort Cases, a nonprofit with the #BAGBUSTERS rallying cry and the mission to “inspire communities to bring dignity and hope to youth in foster care.” My hope is that you will never look at a black garbage bag the...