Rae Pica joins in the discussion this week to talk about her new book, Acting Out! Avoid Behavior Challenges with Active Learning Games and Activities.  The group enjoys a wide ranging conversation that touches on the negative consequences for children when adults have an inadequate understanding of child development. Rae wonders, what's gone wrong with this world in terms of expectations for children?  The group finds hope in the opportunities to partner with parents.  Rae offers resources to support this work. (https://www.raepica.com/product-category/reproducible-parent-letters/)

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Mike is inspired after listening to an interview with psychologist Barbara Tversky. He's all fired up to talk about how movement and physical experiences in the world create the foundation for children's cognitive abilities. The group is reminded of how remarkable and under-celebrated young children's mental capabilities are. 

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Ross believes that failure is necessary for learning, but he worries that many children (and adults) just stop trying when their efforts are met with failure.  The group wonders who defines failure?  Does the desire to be "the best" make children care less about learning than the final score? 

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Ross leads the group in a freewheeling conversation about a variety of sounds in the classroom--children's non-verbal conversations, sound effects, background noises, shrieks, whines, and excited yelling. What needs do these sounds reflect? How do we respond appropriately to the many sounds in our early childhood environments?

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Tom's grandchildren create their own "enrichment" activities on a family camping trip, and Tom observes that digging rocks is compelling work.  The group ponders children's seemingly endless drive to dig.

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Joey wonders what kinds of feelings do children get from feeling a frog? Handling vulnerable creatures like frogs and worms can be a powerful experience for many children. Ross and Mike share their stories of children's relationships with animals--in and out of the classroom.

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Mike opens up about his feelings related to princess play. Does this play reinforce ideas about gender, body image, and power? Tom's mind is blown by the parallels between the dynamics of princess play and gun play.

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Ross invites reflection as we round the corner on our 100th episode. Tom talks of his child-centered retirement party, Joey figures out full-speed running in the classroom, Mike connects the dots between swinging from the loft and pillow fights, and Ross celebrates our forum for reflective teaching. Let us play big, give us space and time and we may go on for another 100 years.

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In a follow-up conversation about early childhood culture and gender, a nerve gets struck when "cute" enters the conversation.  Is cute a meaningful attribute in creating environments for children? Is it how we would like to be described as professionals?

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