MINI EPISODE with strategies and practical ideas for supporting messy play.

Joey wants to talk about the delightfully messy and immersive sensory experiences that accompany summertime play.  The "yes" tends to come easier when clean up and safety concerns are reduced. Mike and Ross advocate for those who are challenged...

Mike notices that children's need for movement is overlooked during an early childhood education conference.  If physical needs are constant, why do we keep forgetting to talk about them?  What are the unconscious implications when the need...

Moving and acting in synchronicity can create a feeling of "collective effervescence" within a group.  When have we experienced these moments in our work with young children?  Can adults create conditions to promote these feelings of unity...

Tom recalls a transcendent moment during play where talk turned into action.  Children taking action can cause a chain reaction of play and create serendipity.  

Conversations from the margins of our "why school" discussion.

Ross wants to talk paradigm shift.  What lessons will we learn from the current disruption to our educational system?  Joey asks the dangerous question, why school? Tom advocates for the privilege of being at school.  Everyone agrees...

Joey asks the group to help her reflect on the new "classroom environment" she's inhabiting while teaching through the internet.  How should we manage the challenges of teaching through the screen?  How can we find ways to give children...

Ross wonders if we are doing harm when we don't let children experience boredom. Is there a connection between boredom and creativity?  The group wonders what it really means when children say they're bored.  Is there a connection between...

Tom's feeling conflicted about his enjoyment of action movies that depict violence. What draws us to fantasy entertainment that includes scary, thrilling, and violent aspects? Are there parallels to fantasy children's play? It's murky territory....