Little Kids, Big Hearts

Last week, we joined with three kids — Roxy, Everly, and Charlie — who helped us explore the big idea of gratitude. 

Now, in this special new episode, our friend Benjamin Weiner, an educator and musician, shares the brand new song he created based on the words about gratitude that the children shared in "Gratitude PowerUp." 

Host Todd Loyd chats with Benjamin about his process and inspiration ... and then we hear the new song, "I'm Grateful." 

Benjamin taught young children in Brooklyn for a decade before becoming a full time writer and composer. Based in Brooklyn, New York, Benjamin is currently writing for Rosie’s Rules on PBS and Vida the Vet on Netflix. He’s written dozens of TV and podcast episodes for Nickelodeon, including the premiere of the new Dora series on Paramount+. His work has been featured by Tribeca Film Festival, the Today Show, and his kids music as “Princess Backpack and Benjamin” has been heard on kids radio stations worldwide. Learn more: www.BenjaminWeiner.com and www.PrincessBackpack.com.

Learn more and see the music video at at playsparkler.org/podcast.

Gratitude can be a big, abstract idea for most young children — but it is important! Feeling grateful can help to foster emotional wellbeing and resilience; it can reduce stress and anxiety, improve relationships, and promote a sense of belonging.

Welcome to Season 4 of Little Kids, Big Hearts! We are SO excited to spend more time with you exploring important themes related to children's social and emotional development. 

In this new episode of Little Kids, Big Hearts, three children (Charlie, Roxy, and Everly) discuss gratitude and what gratitude feels like. They then journey to the Land of Qook-a-lackas aboard magical hoverboards and help a Qook-a-lacka friend, Kwi-loh (played by Lauren Blumenfeld), power up the Gratitude Power Plant in the Land of Qook-a-lackas.

Our guest star is Lauren Blumenfeld, an actor, writer, and filmmaker, who has a long list of credits on stage and in movies and TV. Lauren's favorite theatre credits include POTUS (The Geffen Playhouse), The Assembled Parties (Broadway), We Are Proud To Present...(Soho Rep), Sailor Man (NYC Fringe Award) and numerous productions at Ars Nova. Lauren has performed abroad at The Old Vic (London) and regionally at The Williamstown Theatre Festival, The Old Globe (San Diego), The Pittsburgh Public, and The Virginia Stage Company. She was a series regular on the satirical comedy Nightcap and has played recurring roles on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Kevin (Probably) Saves the World, Limitless, Unforgettable, Doubt, Deadbeat, and Archibald’s Next Big Thing (Netflix). Lauren's shorts have played in festivals worldwide, including SXSW and SIFF. Learn more online.

Sound design and mixing is by Ryan Marth, and the ukulele music you hear is by actor and composer Bill English.

Please learn more about the episode online at playsparkler.org/gratitude-powerup-with-lauren-blumenfeld/

In this special bonus episode, host Todd Loyd interviews another Todd — the legendary author/illustrator of more than 50 children's books TODD PARR. 

Todd Parr is a three-time New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of more than 50 books for children, including The Thankful Book, The Earth Book and The I LOVE YOU Book, as well as The Kindness Book and the recently released The Spring Book and The Activity Book, all from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. 

He has inspired and empowered children around the world with simple, hopeful and powerful messages such as “be kind,” “love yourself,” and “be who you are,” all set with vibrant images utilizing eye-catching primary colors. His books have received numerous awards and are available in nearly 20 languages. He also is the co-creator of the popular three-time Daytime Emmy©-nominated animated TV series, ToddWorld with Gerry Renert of SupperTime Entertainment. Several short
films for Sesame Street have been based on Todd’s work.

A flight attendant before becoming a full-time author/illustrator, Todd’s first book, The Okay Book, was published in 1999. Todd devotes time to numerous philanthropic causes supporting pet adoption, children’s hunger, health, and literacy. He is a frequent reader and fund-raiser for The Ronald McDonald House, and he also currently serves on the board of directors for the Virginia Children’s Book Festival.

This interview — which follows the "Magic of Stories" episode of the Little Kids, Big Hearts podcast — helps parents/caregivers learn from one of the most influential author/illustrators of children's books of our time. They discuss what inspires his books — as well as how his books make an impact on young children around the world.

Learn more at playpsarkler.org/podcast

#interview #bonus

Stories are magical! They are gateways to new people, places, and ideas ... and they help children to build empathy and understanding — allowing them to see the world from different perspectives. As kids step into the roles of different characters, they gain insights into emotions, relationships, and the diverse experiences that make up our shared world. This helps them grow into compassionate and thoughtful individuals! Stories also have MANY other amazing powers — like helping children build language and literacy skills and helping to grow the bond between parents and children.

In this episode of Little Kids, Big Hearts — The Magic of Stories — three children (Olivia, Anusha, and Moses) explore the power of stories. They discuss some of their favorite stories and characters and then they travel to the Land of Qook-a-lackas to help a Qook-a-lacka friend, Quimmel, write a story that they title "The Cat Gets Wet" to meet an upcoming deadline for the Qook-a-lacka Summer Story Festival! 

The guest star in this episode is Nick Blaemire, a writer, actor, and director based in Brooklyn, NY. Fun fact: at 23, Nick became the youngest person to ever have written a Broadway musical (Glory Days) while also performing in another Broadway musical (Cry-Baby). He has since written six more original musicals, and he has a long list of acting credits on Broadway, Off Broadway, and nationally, as well as roles on TV and film. He has also released three EPs of original songs.

The original song in the episode, "Cat Gets Wet," was written by educator/composer Benjamin Weiner — based on the story that Olivia, Anusha, and Moses told during the episode — and performed by our multitalented podcast host, Todd Loyd. 

Sound design and mixing is by Ahmed Ashour, and the ukulele music you hear is by actor and composer Bill English.

In this episode three children, Donovan, Layla, and Ruby, explore the idea of resilience — being able to move through the hard things we face and bounce back or recover afterward. They share times they have had to practice resilience, and then they help a Link-a-deedle friend, LaLeek, who lives in the Land of Qook-a-lackas, learn about resilience. 

The guest star in this episode is Marc Grapey, an actor, director, writer and producer, with credits on stage, as well as in movies and TV. Marc has been a fixture of the Chicago Theatre community for the last 25 years, often appearing at Victory Gardens, The Goodman, Steppenwolf, and Writer’s Theatre. He made his Broadway debut in 2005 opposite Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick in the hit revival of Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple. His numerous films include SuperBad, Adventureland, The Day Trippers, While You Were Sleeping, At Any Price, Keeping up with the Joneses, and the upcoming Steven Spielberg produced Captive State. He has made over 60 guest appearances on television. 

The original song in the episode, "On With The Show," was written and performed by educator/composer Benjamin Weiner. 

Sound design and mixing is by Ahmed Ashour, and the ukulele music you hear is by actor and composer Bill English.

Find more resources and activities to keep the learning going online at https://playsparkler.org/little-kids-big-hearts-resilience/.

During the most recent episode of Little Kids, Big Hearts, "Celebrating Learning Differences with Q. Smith," one of our kid guests, Oliver, mentioned how meaningful it was to him to see How to Dance in Ohio on Broadway. How to Dance in Ohio is a new musical based on a true story about Dr. Emilio Amigo helping a group of autistic high school students prepare for a formal end-of-year dance.

In this special bonus interview, Oliver joins Little Kids, Big Hearts host Todd Loyd to interview Caesar Samayoa, who played the role of Dr. Amigo in the Broadway production.

Cesar talks about the history-making show — in which autistic actors played the roles of the autistic characters — and shares inspiration and insight that we hope will help our audience dive in deeper to some of the issues we discussed in our learning differences episode.

Caesar Samayoa has been seen on Broadway, off Broadway, and in regional theaters, as well as on TV. In addition to How to Dance in Ohio, Caesar's Broadway credits include: Come From Away, Sister Act, The Pee Wee Herman Show. Select off-Broadway includes Love's Labour's Lost (Delacorte Theater) and Shakespeare's R&J, Bernstein's Mass (Carnegie Hall).

Learn more online at: https://playsparkler.org/little-kids-big-hearts-learning-differences/

In the United States, about 15% of students receive special education or related services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Learning differences aren’t all alike, but they can all affect how people process, store, and retrieve information — and they can have an impact on many parts of life, from learning to memory to how people express themselves and how people develop relationships with one another.

In this episode, Todd talks with four children — Reese, Willa-Kate, Oliver, and Alessio — all of whom have diagnosed learning differences. They share their experiences and feelings related to their learning differences and go on a journey to the Land of Qook-a-lackas to help a Qook-a-lacka friend, Professor Kimpton, reconsider how to support a Qook-a-leekie student. This episode is for ALL children and families. It can help them to understand — and rethink — their own differences and their friends’ and classmates’ differences. It can also help children and families think of strategies they can use to persevere through challenges. 

The guest star in this episode is Q. Smith, a Broadway actor and a passionate educator.  Q. created the role of Hannah and others in the Tony Award winning musical Come From Away. She is also in the film version on AppleTV+. Q. has toured with the North American Broadway show A Night With Janis Joplin, playing the roles of Aretha Franklin and Nina Simone. Before Come From Away, Q. closed the Broadway production of Mary Poppins. She was the first African American to have a leading role in the history of Mary Poppins. (Read Q.'s full bio on our website.)

The original song in the episode, "Super Superpower," was written by educator/composer Benjamin Weiner and performed by Q. Smith. 

Sound design and mixing is by Ahmed Ashour, and the ukulele music you hear is by actor and composer Bill English.

Find more resources and activities to keep the learning going online at https://playsparkler.org/little-kids-big-hearts-learning-differences/.

Taking responsibility is an important part of social and emotional learning. When children take responsibility for their words and actions, acknowledge their mistakes, and help others in their community, they are building empathy, independence, and other important skills. 

In this episode, three children (Leo, Edie, and Aiden) talk about responsibility and then help Quazzilyn (a Qook-a-lacka friend) to rally the Qook-a-lackas to take responsibility and save their gummy bear crops!

The guest star in this episode is Natalie Gold, an actress who has appeared in film, television, and stage productions. She's currently playing Rachael in APPROPRIATE on Broadway. 

The original song in the episode, "Put Up My Hand," was written and performed by educator/composer Benjamin Weiner. 

Sound design and mixing is by Ahmed Ashour, and the ukulele music you hear is by actor and composer Bill English.

Find more resources and activities to keep the learning going online at https://playsparkler.org/responsibility.

What do you do when you're feeling angry or sad, or when you're facing something new and scary? In this special episode — which is reimagined and reworked from a Season 1 episode of Little Kids, Big Hearts — Todd and his puppet friend Rainbow join four kids (Anaya, Eleanor, Raffaele, and Wilder) to explore big feelings, where they come from, and what to do with them. 

At the end of the episode, dance along to "Dance Your Feelings," an original song written and performed by educator/composer/performer extraordinaire Benjamin Weiner. 

The new sound design and mixing is by Ahmed Ashour. Thank you also to Ryan Allais for his original sound design of the episode in Season 1! The ukulele music you hear in the background is by Royer Bockus. Wow! It's been a LONG time! 

Find more resources and activities to keep the learning going online at https://playsparkler.org/what-can-you-do-with-big-feelings.

Grandparents, or older friends and family members, can play pivotal roles in children's lives, acting as caregivers, mentors, and friends. Whether grandparents live in a child’s neighborhood or far away, the love and emotional support they provide can significantly contribute to the healthy social and emotional growth of their grandchildren.

In this episode, Todd interviews his own 96-year-old grandmother, as well as his sister and niece about their family memories and relationships. He then chats with two other grandparent-grandkid duos: Brenda and her granddaughter Kailah, followed by Marvin and his granddaughter Melanie. 

Sound design and mixing is by Ahmed Ashour, and the ukulele music you hear is by actor and composer Bill English.

Find more resources and activities to keep the learning going online at https://playsparkler.org/grandparentrelationships.