Teacher Tom's Podcast: Taking Play Seriously

Deeply passionate about early education, Denita Dinger promotes cultivating curiosity and autonomy in young learners by fostering environments rich in opportunities for play and natural growth—guiding principles she lives by to help ignite a love for lifelong learning in children. Denita discusses the often-misguided focus on kindergarten readiness and how it can detract from the truly valuable skills of perseverance, independence, and teamwork. She emphasizes the importance of going beyond traditional academic metrics — allowing children to lead their play, take risks, and naturally develop critical thinking and motor skills at their own pace. As Teacher Tom and Denita share their insights, they delve into the harmful impact of fear-mongering in education and the importance of creating learning environments that foster genuine curiosity and lifelong learning. Teacher Tom’s Podcast is all about taking play seriously. In each episode, Teacher Tom inspires early childhood educators, parents, and other listeners with information, techniques, and best practices to provide children an authentic play-filled childhood. “This idea of kindergarten readiness or school readiness is getting in the way of true readiness, of empowering children with the skills that they’re going to need much, much longer.”  — Denita Dinger Guest Bio: Denita Dinger has traveled the globe since 2009 leading empowering and inspiring keynotes and workshops to all sorts of adults with children in their lives. As her work with children in her former family child care program — and current, child-led, multi-age school — has evolved, so has her message. What began as her first consulting company, Play Counts, evolved to a name that better reflects her message: Listen to the Children. Denita’s work includes operating Kaleidoscope Play School (a three-morning-a-week, child-led, ages 2-10 school), coaching, keynotes, workshops, and online training. She doesn’t just talk the talk; she walks the walk. Her trainings are inspired by what she learns from children. She has co-authored three books: Let Them Play: An Early Childhood UNcurriculum, Let's Play, and Let's All Play. Host Bio: “Teacher Tom” Hobson is an early childhood educator, international speaker, education consultant, teacher of teachers, parent educator, and author. He is best known, however, for his namesake blog, Teacher Tom's Blog, where he has posted daily for over a decade, chronicling the life and times of his little preschool in the rain-soaked Pacific Northwest corner of the USA. For nearly two decades, Teacher Tom was the sole employee of the Woodland Park Cooperative School, a parent-owned and operated school knit together by Teacher Tom's democratic, progressive play-based pedagogy. Teacher Tom came into teaching through the backdoor, so to speak, having enrolled his own child in a cooperative preschool, where he began working daily in his daughter's classroom as an assistant teacher under the tutelage of veteran educators — although he'll be the first to tell you that most of what he learned came from the children themselves. When it was time for his daughter to move on, he “stayed behind.” Today, Teacher Tom shares his play-based pedagogy through online e-courses for early childhood educators; produces online early childhood conferences; consults with organizations about his “Family Schools” program; and inspires early-years audiences around the world (Greece, UK, Iceland, Australia, China, Vietnam, New Zealand, Canada, and across the US) both virtually and in-person with his engaging views on early childhood education, play, and pedagogy. He was pressured by his blog readers into authoring his first book, aptly named Teacher Tom’s First Book, and is thrilled about the 2023 release of Teacher Tom’s Second Book. Resources mentioned in this episode: Mirasee Teacher Tom’s website: TeacherTomsWorld.com Denita's website: Kaleidoscope Play SchoolDenita’s Facebook Page: Listen to the ChildrenDenita's Intagram Page: @listen.tothechildrenDenita's Linkedin Page: Denita DingerLet's Play: (Un)Curriculum Early Learning Adventures BookPeter GrayCredits: Host: Teacher Tom Hobson Producer: Michi Lantz Supervising Producer: Cynthia Lamb Audio Editor: Marvin del Rosario Executive Producer: Danny Iny Music Soundscape: Chad Michael Snavely Making our hosts sound great: Home Brew Audio Music credits: Track Title: Blueberry Jam Jam Artist: Simen Andreas Writer: Simen Knudsen Publisher: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTION Track Title: Childlike Wonder Artist: Reveille Writer: Brendan St. Gelais Publisher: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTION Track Title: Tick Tock Artist: Ivy Bakes Writer: Erick Pena Publisher: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTION Special effects credits: 24990513_birds-chirping_by_promission used with permission of the author and under license by AudioJungle/Envato Market. To catch the great episodes coming up on Teacher Tom’s Podcast, please follow us on Mirasee FM's YouTube channelor your favorite podcast player. And if you enjoyed the show, please leave us a comment or a starred review. It's the best way to help us get these ideas to more people. Episode transcript: Rethinking Kindergarten Readiness (Denita Dinger).

Welcome to Teacher Tom’s Podcast, which is all about taking play seriously. In each episode, Teacher Tom inspires early childhood educators, parents, and other listeners with information, techniques, and best practices to provide children an authentic play-filled childhood.Kisha Reid is an educational consultant and advocate of developmentally appropriate play-based education for young children.“I don’t want you thinking your child’s gonna sit down and do worksheets all day. I don’t want you thinking you’re gonna get report cards or anything that looks like what our school system looks like.”  — Kisha ReidKisha Reid has been in the early-childhood field for 28 years. She’s a true veteran and continues to actively work in the classroom. She’s been a tenacious advocate of developmentally appropriate play-based education for young children for decades and has collaborated with the Campaign for Commercial-Free Childhood, Explorations Early Learning, and many other initiatives. She sits on the board of Defending the Early Years, which is an early-childhood advocacy group. “Teacher Tom” Hobson is an early childhood educator, international speaker, education consultant, teacher of teachers, parent educator, and author. He is best known, however, for his namesake blog, Teacher Tom's Blog, where he has posted daily for over a decade, chronicling the life and times of his little preschool in the rain-soaked Pacific Northwest corner of the USA.For nearly two decades, Teacher Tom was the sole employee of the Woodland Park Cooperative School, a parent-owned and operated school knit together by Teacher Tom's democratic, progressive play-based pedagogy. Teacher Tom came into teaching through the backdoor, so to speak, having enrolled his own child in a cooperative preschool, where he began working daily in his daughter's classroom as an assistant teacher under the tutelage of veteran educators — although he'll be the first to tell you that most of what he learned came from the children themselves. When it was time for his daughter to move on, he “stayed behind.”Today, Teacher Tom shares his play-based pedagogy through online e-courses for early childhood educators; produces online early childhood conferences; consults with organizations about his “Family Schools” program; and inspires early-years audiences around the world (Greece, UK, Iceland, Australia, China, Vietnam, New Zealand, Canada, and across the US) both virtually and in-person with his engaging views on early childhood education, play, and pedagogy.He was pressured by his blog readers into authoring his first book, aptly named Teacher Tom’s First Book, and is thrilled about the 2023 release of Teacher Tom’s Second Book.Resources mentioned in this episode:MiraseeTeacher Tom’s website: TeacherTomsWorld.comKisha’s website: DiscoveryNaturalLearning.comFor show notes, visit The Power of Play (Kisha Reid)Credits:Host: Teacher Tom HobsonProducer: Michi LantzSupervising Producer: Cynthia LambAudio Editor: Marvin del RosarioExecutive Producer: Danny InyMusic Soundscape: Chad Michael SnavelyMaking our hosts sound great: Home Brew AudioMusic credits:Track Title: Blueberry Jam JamArtist: Simen AndreasWriter: Simen KnudsenPublisher: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTIONTrack Title: Childlike WonderArtist: ReveilleWriter: Brendan St. GelaisPublisher: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTIONTrack Title: Tick TockArtist: Ivy BakesWriter: Erick PenaPublisher: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTIONSpecial effects credits:24990513_birds-chirping_by_promission used with permission of the author and under license by AudioJungle/Envato Market.To catch the great episodes coming up on Teacher Tom’s Podcast, please follow us on Mirasee FM's YouTube channelor your favorite podcast player. And if you enjoyed the show, please leave us a comment or a starred review. It's the best way to help us get these ideas to more people.Episode transcript: The Power of Play (Kisha Reid) coming soon.

Ari Iny is the Director of Growth at Mirasee and co-host of the podcast Course Lab on Mirasee FM.“Often we’ll get something across our desks that feels urgent, that you feel like, okay, I really need to respond to this as soon as possible … when maybe you don’t.”— Ari InyAri Iny started at Mirasee in 2014 as the company’s Facebook ad coordinator. Since then, he has grown through working numerous roles in the organization, including head of human resources, mastermind facilitator, partner liaison, and head of strategy for Mirasee’s ACES business acceleration program. Today, he is Mirasee’s Director of Growth and co-host of the podcast Course Lab on Mirasee FM.Dr. Irena O'Brien teaches coaches and care professionals how to achieve better results for their clients through neuroscience.She is the founder of Neuroscience School, which helps practitioners understand and apply insights from cutting-edge neuroscience research. She loves seeing her students gain confidence in their ability to evaluate neuroscience findings and use them successfully in their own practices. Her Certificate Program in Neuroscience is certified by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) for Continuing Coaching Education credit.Dr. O'Brien has studied neuroscience for 25 years and holds a Ph.D. in the field from the Université du Quebec à Montréal (UQAM), where she did brain-imaging studies. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the Centre for Language, Mind, and Brain at McGill University.Resources mentioned in this episode:MiraseeDr. Irena O'Brien website: The Neuroscience SchoolAri’s podcast: Mirasee.com/podcast/course-labFor show notes, visit Presenting Neuroscience of Coaching (Ari Iny)Credits:Host: Dr. Irena O’BrienProducer: Cynthia LambAudio Editor: Marvin del RosarioExecutive Producer: Danny InyMusic Soundscape: Chad Michael SnavelyMaking our hosts sound great: Home Brew AudioMusic credits:Track Title: Sneaker SmeakerArtist: Avocado JunkieWriter: Sander KalmeijerPublisher: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTIONTrack Title: Coo CoosArtist: Dresden, The FlamingoWriter: Matthew WigtonPublisher: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTIONTrack Title: In This LightArtist: Sounds Like SanderWriter: Sander KalmeijerPublisher: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTIONSpecial effects credits:24990513_birds-chirping_by_promission used with permission of the author and under license by AudioJungle/Envato Market.To catch the great episodes coming up on Neuroscience of Coaching, please follow us on Mirasee FM's YouTube channelor your favorite podcast player. And if you enjoyed the show, please leave us a comment or a starred review. It’s the best way to help us get these ideas to more people.Episode transcript: Presenting Neuroscience of Coaching coming soon.

Welcome to Teacher Tom’s Podcast, which is all about taking play seriously. In each episode, Teacher Tom inspires early childhood educators, parents, and other listeners with information, techniques, and best practices to provide children an authentic play-filled childhood.               “We learn from having the time, space, and autonomy to question, explore, and experiment. We learn when we find ourselves in stimulating environments, especially those we are free to manipulate.”  — Teacher Tom Hobson“Teacher Tom” Hobson is an early childhood educator, international speaker, education consultant, teacher of teachers, parent educator, and author. He is best known, however, for his namesake blog, Teacher Tom's Blog, where he has posted daily for over a decade, chronicling the life and times of his little preschool in the rain-soaked Pacific Northwest corner of the USA.For nearly two decades, Teacher Tom was the sole employee of the Woodland Park Cooperative School, a parent-owned and operated school knit together by Teacher Tom's democratic, progressive play-based pedagogy. Teacher Tom came into teaching through the backdoor, so to speak, having enrolled his own child in a cooperative preschool, where he began working daily in his daughter's classroom as an assistant teacher under the tutelage of veteran educators — although he'll be the first to tell you that most of what he learned came from the children themselves. When it was time for his daughter to move on, he “stayed behind.”Today, Teacher Tom shares his play-based pedagogy through online e-courses for early childhood educators; produces online early childhood conferences; consults with organizations about his “Family Schools” program; and inspires early-years audiences around the world (Greece, UK, Iceland, Australia, China, Vietnam, New Zealand, Canada, and across the US) both virtually and in-person with his engaging views on early childhood education, play, and pedagogy.He was pressured by his blog readers into authoring his first book, aptly named Teacher Tom’s First Book, and is thrilled about the 2023 release of Teacher Tom’s Second Book.Resources mentioned in this episode:MiraseeTeacher Tom’s website: TeacherTomsWorld.comEducation reformer John DeweyJohn C. Yiannoudis–Co-founder & Director at Dorothy Snot preschool & kindergartenFor show notes, visit Unpacking Life’s Curriculum (Teacher Tom Hobson)Credits:Host: Tom HobsonProducer: Michi LantzSupervising Producer: Cynthia LambAudio Editor: Marvin del RosarioExecutive Producer: Danny InyMusic Soundscape: Chad Michael SnavelyMaking our hosts sound great: Home Brew AudioMusic credits:Track Title: Blueberry Jam JamArtist: Simen AndreasWriter: Simen KnudsenPublisher: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTIONTrack Title: Childlike WonderArtist: ReveilleWriter: Brendan St. GelaisPublisher: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTIONTrack Title: Tick TockArtist: Ivy BakesWriter: Erick PenaPublisher: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTIONSpecial effects credits:24990513_birds-chirping_by_promission used with permission of the author and under license by AudioJungle/Envato Market.To catch the great episodes coming up on Teacher Tom’s Podcast, please follow us on Mirasee FM's YouTube channelor your favorite podcast player. And if you enjoyed the show, please leave us a comment or a starred review. It's the best way to help us get these ideas to more people.Episode transcript: Unpacking Life’s Curriculum (Teacher Tom Hobson).

Welcome to Teacher Tom’s Podcast, which is all about taking play seriously. In each episode, Teacher Tom inspires early childhood educators, parents, and other listeners with information, techniques, and best practices to provide children an authentic play-filled childhood.Kelsie Olds is an occupational therapist best known online as “The Occuplaytional Therapist.”“The push for inclusion in schools is a magnificently, societally important counterbalance to prior strategies of: Take all the kids with any problems and ship them off to a facility and never see them again.”  — Kelsie OldsKelsie Olds, “The Occuplaytional Therapist,” shares passionately every day online with thousands of parents, teachers, and professionals — adults simply seeking to heal childhood wounds in their own selves — about the healing and power in play as the core meaningful occupation that underlies childhood. Kelsie works as an occupational therapist on an Air Force Base in England, which gives them a unique perspective on both the US and UK systems of healthcare and education that intersect and affect the children they work with every day.“Teacher Tom” Hobson is an early childhood educator, international speaker, education consultant, teacher of teachers, parent educator, and author. He is best known, however, for his namesake blog, Teacher Tom's Blog, where he has posted daily for over a decade, chronicling the life and times of his little preschool in the rain-soaked Pacific Northwest corner of the USA.For nearly two decades, Teacher Tom was the sole employee of the Woodland Park Cooperative School, a parent-owned and operated school knit together by Teacher Tom's democratic, progressive play-based pedagogy. Teacher Tom came into teaching through the backdoor, so to speak, having enrolled his own child in a cooperative preschool, where he began working daily in his daughter's classroom as an assistant teacher under the tutelage of veteran educators — although he'll be the first to tell you that most of what he learned came from the children themselves. When it was time for his daughter to move on, he “stayed behind.”Today, Teacher Tom shares his play-based pedagogy through online e-courses for early childhood educators; produces online early childhood conferences; consults with organizations about his “Family Schools” program; and inspires early-years audiences around the world (Greece, UK, Iceland, Australia, China, Vietnam, New Zealand, Canada, and across the US) both virtually and in-person with his engaging views on early childhood education, play, and pedagogy.He was pressured by his blog readers into authoring his first book, aptly named Teacher Tom’s First Book, and is thrilled about the 2023 release of Teacher Tom’s Second Book.Resources mentioned in this episode:MiraseeTeacher Tom’s website: TeacherTomsWorld.comKelsie’s website: Occuplaytional.comKelsie’s Facebook page: Facebook.com/occuplaytionalKelsie’s Instagram: Instagram.com/occuplaytionalThe book Tom mentions: Patrick House - Nineteen Ways of Looking At ConsciousnessFor show notes, visit Rethinking “Normal” in Child Development (Kelsie Olds) Credits:Host: Teacher Tom HobsonProducer: Michi LantzSupervising Producer: Cynthia LambAudio Editor: Marvin del RosarioExecutive Producer: Danny InyMusic Soundscape: Chad Michael SnavelyMaking our hosts sound great: Home Brew AudioMusic credits:Track Title: Blueberry Jam JamArtist: Simen AndreasWriter: Simen KnudsenPublisher: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTIONTrack Title: Childlike WonderArtist: ReveilleWriter: Brendan St. GelaisPublisher: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTIONTrack Title: Tick TockArtist: Ivy BakesWriter: Erick PenaPublisher: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTIONSpecial effects credits:24990513_birds-chirping_by_promission used with permission of the author and under license by AudioJungle/Envato Market.To catch the great episodes coming up on Teacher Tom’s Podcast, please follow us on Mirasee FM's YouTube channelor your favorite podcast player. And if you enjoyed the show, please leave us a comment or a starred review. It's the best way to help us get these ideas to more people.Episode transcript: Rethinking “Normal” in Child Development (Kelsie Olds) coming soon.

Welcome to Teacher Tom’s Podcast, which is all about taking play seriously. In each episode, Teacher Tom inspires early childhood educators, parents, and other listeners with information, techniques, and best practices to provide children an authentic play-filled childhood.Lisa Murphy is the founder and CEO of Ooey Gooey, Inc., a frequent lecturer, and the author of five books. She has been involved in early childhood education for more than 35 years.“A lot of younger adults didn't get open-ended, process-oriented art in early childhood experiences. Many of them are reporting to me that they're not getting creative art, music, finger play, songs, classes in college.”— Lisa MurphyLisa Murphy has been involved in early childhood education for more than 35 years. She has written five books, produced numerous training videos, serves on several early childhood advisory boards, lectures both domestically and internationally, is a frequent guest on various early childhood podcasts, and is the founder and CEO of Ooey Gooey, Inc.In 2013 she received a Masters in Early Childhood Education from Champlain College; in 2018 she received the Patricia Monighan Nourot Award for Play Advocacy; in 2020 her book, Lisa Murphy On... Being Child Centered, was nominated for “Best in Education” by Midwest Book Awards; and in 2022 she was awarded the “Doctor of Play” award by the U.S. affiliate of the International Play Association. She is currently awaiting notice of acceptance from Hollins University to begin her second Master’s degree, this time in Children’s Literature.Lisa presents hundreds of workshops a year and is forever grateful knowing her presentations have been called humorous, energetic, content rich, and inspiring. She currently resides in Central Florida where she continues to be an outspoken advocate who is committed to protecting a child’s right to play.“Teacher Tom” Hobson is an early childhood educator, international speaker, education consultant, teacher of teachers, parent educator, and author. He is best known, however, for his namesake blog, Teacher Tom's Blog, where he has posted daily for over a decade, chronicling the life and times of his little preschool in the rain-soaked Pacific Northwest corner of the USA.For nearly two decades, Teacher Tom was the sole employee of the Woodland Park Cooperative School, a parent-owned and operated school knit together by Teacher Tom's democratic, progressive play-based pedagogy. Teacher Tom came into teaching through the backdoor, so to speak, having enrolled his own child in a cooperative preschool, where he began working daily in his daughter's classroom as an assistant teacher under the tutelage of veteran educators — although he'll be the first to tell you that most of what he learned came from the children themselves. When it was time for his daughter to move on, he “stayed behind.”Today, Teacher Tom shares his play-based pedagogy through online e-courses for early childhood educators; produces online early childhood conferences; consults with organizations about his "Family Schools" program; and inspires early-years audiences around the world (Greece, UK, Iceland, Australia, China, Vietnam, New Zealand, Canada, and across the US) both virtually and in-person with his engaging views on early childhood education, play, and pedagogy.He was pressured by his blog readers into authoring his first book, aptly named Teacher Tom’s First Book, and is thrilled about the 2023 release of Teacher Tom’s Second Book.Resources, people, and websites mentioned in this episode:MiraseeTeacher Tom’s website: TeacherTomsWorld.comLisa’s website: OoeyGooey.comAn Immense World (book) by Ed Yong: Goodreads.com/book/show/59575939-an-immense-worldbell hooks (educator and author): Wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_hooksAntonia Damaso’s TED Talk: https://www.ted.com/speakers/antonio_damasioFor show notes, visit Mind-Body Learning in Kids (Lisa Murphy)Credits:Host: Teacher Tom HobsonProducer: Michi LantzSupervising Producer: Cynthia Lamb Audio Editor: Marvin del RosarioExecutive Producer: Danny InyMusic Soundscape: Chad Michael SnavelyMaking our hosts sound great: Home Brew AudioMusic credits:Track Title: Blueberry Jam JamArtist: Simen AndreasWriter: Simen KnudsenPublisher: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTIONTrack Title: Childlike WonderArtist: ReveilleWriter: Brendan St. GelaisPublisher: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTIONTrack Title: Tick TockArtist: Ivy BakesWriter: Erick PenaPublisher: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTIONSpecial effects credits:24990513_birds-chirping_by_promission used with permission of the author and under license by AudioJungle/Envato Market.To catch the great episodes coming up on Teacher Tom’s Podcast, please follow us on Mirasee FM's YouTube channelor your favorite podcast player. And if you enjoyed the show, please leave us a comment or a starred review. It's the best way to help us get these ideas to more people.Episode transcript: Mind-Body Learning in Kids (Lisa Murphy)

Welcome to Teacher Tom’s Podcast, which is all about taking play seriously. In each episode, Teacher Tom inspires early childhood educators, parents, and other listeners with information, techniques, and best practices to provide children an authentic play-filled childhood.“Teacher Tom” Hobson is the host of this podcast, the founder of Teacher Tom’s Blog and Teacher Tom’s World, and a fierce advocate of play-based pedagogy.“A cooperative [preschool] becomes a community of families — not unlike a tribe, or a village, or a neighborhood.”  — Teacher Tom“Teacher Tom” Hobson is an early childhood educator, international speaker, education consultant, teacher of teachers, parent educator, and author. He is best known, however, for his namesake blog, Teacher Tom's Blog, where he has posted daily for over a decade, chronicling the life and times of his little preschool in the rain-soaked Pacific Northwest corner of the USA.For nearly two decades, Teacher Tom was the sole employee of the Woodland Park Cooperative School, a parent-owned and operated school knit together by Teacher Tom's democratic, progressive play-based pedagogy. Teacher Tom came into teaching through the backdoor, so to speak, having enrolled his own child in a cooperative preschool, where he began working daily in his daughter's classroom as an assistant teacher under the tutelage of veteran educators — although he'll be the first to tell you that most of what he learned came from the children themselves. When it was time for his daughter to move on, he “stayed behind.”Today, Teacher Tom shares his play-based pedagogy through online e-courses for early childhood educators; produces online early childhood conferences; consults with organizations about his “Family Schools” program; and inspires early-years audiences around the world (Greece, UK, Iceland, Australia, China, Vietnam, New Zealand, Canada, and across the US) both virtually and in-person with his engaging views on early childhood education, play, and pedagogy.He was pressured by his blog readers into authoring his first book, aptly named Teacher Tom’s First Book, and is thrilled about the 2023 release of Teacher Tom’s Second Book.Resources mentioned in this episode:MiraseeTeacher Tom’s website: TeacherTomsWorld.comFor show notes, visit Cooperative Preschool As Community (Tom Hobson) Credits:Host: Teacher Tom HobsonProducer: Michi LantzSupervising Producer: Cynthia LambAudio Editor: Marvin del RosarioExecutive Producer: Danny InyMusic Soundscape: Chad Michael SnavelyMaking our hosts sound great: Home Brew AudioMusic credits:Track Title: Blueberry Jam JamArtist: Simen AndreasWriter: Simen KnudsenPublisher: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTIONTrack Title: Childlike WonderArtist: ReveilleWriter: Brendan St. GelaisPublisher: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTIONTrack Title: Tick TockArtist: Ivy BakesWriter: Erick PenaPublisher: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTIONSpecial effects credits:24990513_birds-chirping_by_promission used with permission of the author and under license by AudioJungle/Envato Market.To catch the great episodes coming up on Teacher Tom’s Podcast, please follow us on Mirasee FM's YouTube channelor your favorite podcast player. And if you enjoyed the show, please leave us a comment or a starred review. It's the best way to help us get these ideas to more people.Episode transcript: Cooperative Preschool As Community (Tom Hobson) coming soon.

Welcome to Teacher Tom’s Podcast, which is all about taking play seriously. In each episode, Teacher Tom inspires early childhood educators, parents, and other listeners with information, techniques, and best practices to provide children an authentic play-filled childhood.Suzanne Axelsson works as a pedagogical consultant to guide creating democratic learning and play spaces in early childhood education.“I felt incredibly frustrated about this dichotomy of teaching and play… that you could either only be play based or you were teaching an academic, and there was nothing in between.”  — Suzanne AxelssonSuzanne Axelsson works as a pedagogical consultant using experience, inspiration, and research in listening, philosophy with children, and Indigenous Knowledge to guide creating democratic learning and play spaces in early childhood education. She holds seminars on intersectional approaches to inclusive play as part of the Preschool Teacher Programme at BUV, Stockholm University. Suzanne is published in books and articles in English, Swedish, Turkish, Hebrew, Italian, and Croatian, covering topics such as risky play, art, and the Reggio Emilia Approach™. She has also written two books — The Original Learning Approach: Weaving Together Play, Learning, and Teaching and Risky Play and Teaching (in Swedish).“Teacher Tom” Hobson is an early childhood educator, international speaker, education consultant, teacher of teachers, parent educator, and author. He is best known, however, for his namesake blog, Teacher Tom's Blog, where he has posted daily for over a decade, chronicling the life and times of his little preschool in the rain-soaked Pacific Northwest corner of the USA.For nearly two decades, Teacher Tom was the sole employee of the Woodland Park Cooperative School, a parent-owned and operated school knit together by Teacher Tom's democratic, progressive play-based pedagogy. Teacher Tom came into teaching through the backdoor, so to speak, having enrolled his own child in a cooperative preschool, where he began working daily in his daughter's classroom as an assistant teacher under the tutelage of veteran educators — although he'll be the first to tell you that most of what he learned came from the children themselves. When it was time for his daughter to move on, he “stayed behind.”Today, Teacher Tom shares his play-based pedagogy through online e-courses for early childhood educators; produces online early childhood conferences; consults with organizations about his "Family Schools" program; and inspires early-years audiences around the world (Greece, UK, Iceland, Australia, China, Vietnam, New Zealand, Canada, and across the US) both virtually and in-person with his engaging views on early childhood education, play, and pedagogy.He was pressured by his blog readers into authoring his first book, aptly named Teacher Tom’s First Book, and is thrilled about the 2023 release of Teacher Tom’s Second Book.Resources, people, and websites mentioned in this episode:MiraseeTeacher Tom’s website: TeacherTomsWorld.comSuzanne Axelsson website: Interaction ImaginationFor show notes, visit Dare to Trust Play (Suzanne Axelsson)Credits:Host: Teacher Tom HobsonProducer: Michi LantzSupervising Producer: Cynthia LambAudio Editor: Marvin del RosarioExecutive Producer: Danny InyMusic Soundscape: Chad Michael SnavelyMaking our hosts sound great: Home Brew AudioMusic credits:Track Title: Blueberry Jam JamArtist: Simen AndreasWriter: Simen KnudsenPublisher: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTIONTrack Title: Childlike WonderArtist: ReveilleWriter: Brendan St. GelaisPublisher: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTIONTrack Title: Tick TockArtist: Ivy BakesWriter: Erick PenaPublisher: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTIONSpecial effects credits:24990513_birds-chirping_by_promission used with permission of the author and under license by AudioJungle/Envato Market.To catch the great episodes coming up on Teacher Tom’s Podcast, please follow us on Mirasee FM's YouTube channelor your favorite podcast player. And if you enjoyed the show, please leave us a comment or a starred review. It's the best way to help us get these ideas to more people.Episode transcript: Dare to Trust Play (Suzanne Axelsson) coming soon.

Welcome to Teacher Tom’s Podcast, which is all about taking play seriously. In each episode, Teacher Tom supports early childhood educators, parents, and other listeners with information, techniques, and best practices to provide children with an authentic play-filled childhood.Dr. Denisha Jones is the Executive Director of Defending the Early Years, an education justice advocacy and activist organization.“Something has gone wrong that we've made kids ‘uncurious’ — from kindergarten to twelfth grade. And that's what the entire schooling is.”  — Dr. Denisha JonesDr. Denisha Jones is the Executive Director of Defending the Early Years. She is a former kindergarten teacher and preschool director who has spent the past 20 years in teacher education. Denisha is an education justice advocate and activist working with various grassroots organizations to dismantle the neoliberal assault on public education. She is a part-time faculty member in the Art of Teaching program at Sarah Lawrence College and the School of Education at Howard University. Since 2017, she has served on the steering committee for the national Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action. Her first co-edited book, Black Lives Matter at School: An Uprising for Educational Justice, was published in December 2020 by Haymarket Books.Tom “Teacher Tom” Hobson is an early childhood educator, international speaker, education consultant, teacher of teachers, parent educator, and author. He is best known, however, for his namesake blog, Teacher Tom's Blog, where he has posted daily for over a decade, chronicling the life and times of his little preschool in the rain-soaked Pacific Northwest corner of the USA.For nearly two decades, Teacher Tom was the sole employee of the Woodland Park Cooperative School, a parent-owned and operated school knit together by Teacher Tom's democratic, progressive play-based pedagogy. Teacher Tom came into teaching through the backdoor, so to speak, having enrolled his own child in a cooperative preschool, where he began working daily in his daughter's classroom as an assistant teacher under the tutelage of veteran educators — although he'll be the first to tell you that most of what he learned came from the children themselves. When it was time for his daughter to move on, he “stayed behind.”Today, Teacher Tom shares his play-based pedagogy through online e-courses for early childhood educators; produces online early childhood conferences; consults with organizations about his "Family Schools" program; and inspires early-years audiences around the world (Greece, UK, Iceland, Australia, China, Vietnam, New Zealand, Canada, and across the US) both virtually and in-person with his engaging views on early childhood education, play, and pedagogy.He was pressured by his blog readers into authoring his first book, aptly named Teacher Tom’s First Book, and is thrilled about the 2023 release of Teacher Tom’s Second Book.Resources, people, and websites mentioned in this episode:MiraseeTom’s website: TeacherTomsWorld.comDenisha’s website: DEY.orgFor show notes, visit How Did We Get Uncurious Kids? (Dr. Denisha Jones)Credits:Host: Tom HobsonProducer: Michi LantzSupervising Producer: Cynthia LambAudio Editor: Marvin del RosarioExecutive Producer: Danny InyMusic Soundscape: Chad Michael SnavelyMaking our hosts sound great: Home Brew AudioMusic credits:Track Title: Blueberry Jam JamArtist: Simen AndreasWriter: Simen KnudsenPublisher: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTIONTrack Title: Childlike WonderArtist: ReveilleWriter: Brendan St. GelaisPublisher: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTIONTrack Title: Tick TockArtist: Ivy BakesWriter: Erick PenaPublisher: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTIONSpecial effects credits:24990513_birds-chirping_by_promission used with permission of the author and under license by AudioJungle/Envato Market.To catch the great episodes coming up on  Teacher Tom’s Podcast , please follow us on Mirasee FM's YouTube channelor your favorite podcast player. And if you enjoyed the show, please leave us a comment or a starred review. It's the best way to help us get these ideas to more people.Episode transcript: How Did We Get Uncurious Kids? ( Dr. Denisha Jones) coming soon.

Welcome to Teacher Tom’s Podcast, which is all about taking play seriously. In each episode, Teacher Tom supports early childhood educators, parents, and other listeners with information, techniques, and best practices to provide children with an authentic play-filled childhood.Maggie Dent is an author, educator, and parenting and resilience specialist with a particular interest in the early years and adolescence.“Because play is the best teacher to raise a capable, competent, resilient kid.”  — Maggie DentMaggie Dent is an author, educator, and parenting and resilience specialist with a particular interest in the early years and adolescence. Commonly known as the “queen of common sense,” she is also an undisputed “boy champion.”Maggie’s experience includes teaching, counselling, and working in palliative care/funeral services and suicide prevention. She is an advocate for the healthy, common-sense raising of children in order to strengthen families and communities. She is a passionate, positive voice for children of all ages.Maggie is the host of the Listnr podcast The Good Enough Dad and the award-winning ABC podcast Parental As Anything. She is the author of nine major books, plus several e-books and other resources for parents, adolescents, teachers and early childhood educators, and others who are interested in quietly improving their lives. Maggie is the mother of four sons and a very grateful grandmother who resides near Sydney, Australia. “Teacher Tom” Hobson is an early childhood educator, international speaker, education consultant, teacher of teachers, parent educator, and author. He is best known, however, for his namesake blog, Teacher Tom's Blog, where he has posted daily for over a decade, chronicling the life and times of his little preschool in the rain-soaked Pacific Northwest corner of the USA.For nearly two decades, Teacher Tom was the sole employee of the Woodland Park Cooperative School, a parent-owned and operated school knit together by Teacher Tom's democratic, progressive play-based pedagogy. Teacher Tom came into teaching through the backdoor, so to speak, having enrolled his own child in a cooperative preschool, where he began working daily in his daughter's classroom as an assistant teacher under the tutelage of veteran educators — although he'll be the first to tell you that most of what he learned came from the children themselves. When it was time for his daughter to move on, he “stayed behind.”Today, Teacher Tom shares his play-based pedagogy through online e-courses for early childhood educators; produces online early childhood conferences; consults with organizations about his “Family Schools” program; and inspires early-years audiences around the world (Greece, UK, Iceland, Australia, China, Vietnam, New Zealand, Canada, and across the US) both virtually and in-person with his engaging views on early childhood education, play, and pedagogy.He was pressured by his blog readers into authoring his first book, aptly named Teacher Tom’s First Book, and is thrilled about the 2023 release of Teacher Tom’s Second Book.Resources, people, and websites mentioned in this episode:MiraseeTom’s website: TeacherTomsWorld.comMaggie’s website: MaggieDent.comMaggie’s podcast, Parental As Anything:https://www.maggiedent.com/blog/category/maggie-in-the-media/radio-podcasts/abc-radio/parental-as-anything-podcast/The Gardener and the Carpenter (book) by Alison Gopnik:https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/28595855For show notes, visit Playing It Too Safe (Maggie Dent)Credits:Host: Tom HobsonProducer: Michi LantzSupervising Producer: Cynthia LambAudio Editor: Marvin del RosarioExecutive Producer: Danny InyMusic Soundscape: Chad Michael SnavelyMaking our hosts sound great: Home Brew AudioMusic credits:Track Title: Blueberry Jam JamArtist: Simen AndreasWriter: Simen KnudsenPublisher: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTIONTrack Title: Childlike WonderArtist: ReveilleWriter: Brendan St. GelaisPublisher: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTIONTrack Title: Tick TockArtist: Ivy BakesWriter: Erick PenaPublisher: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTIONSpecial effects credits:24990513_birds-chirping_by_promission used with permission of the author and under license by AudioJungle/Envato Market.To catch the great episodes coming up on Teacher Tom’s Podcast, please follow us on Mirasee FM's YouTube channel or your favorite podcast player. And if you enjoyed the show, please leave us a comment or a starred review. It's the best way to help us get these ideas to more people.Episode transcript: Playing It Too Safe (Maggie Dent) coming soon.

Welcome to Teacher Tom’s Podcast, which is all about taking play seriously. In each episode, Teacher Tom supports early childhood educators, parents, and other listeners with information, techniques, and best practices to provide children with an authentic play-filled childhood.Lenore Skenazy is the accidental pioneer of the “free-range kids movement” and literally wrote the book on the subject. Following that, she co-founded Let Grow, a nonprofit promoting childhood independence and resilience.“The real problem is that our culture has insisted that adults always be supervising kids.”  — Lenore SkenazyAfter her newspaper column “Why I Let My 9-Year-Old Ride the Subway Alone” created a media firestorm, Lenore Skenazy got the nickname “America’s Worst Mom.” (Google it!) She went on to write Free-Range Kids, the book-turned-movement that basically says OUR KIDS ARE SMARTER AND SAFER THAN OUR CULTURE GIVES THEM CREDIT FOR!Lenore has lectured everywhere from DreamWorks to Microsoft to Harvard Med School, Yale Child Study Center — and the Bulgarian Happiness Festival! (For real.) On TV, you may have seen her on The Today Show, The Daily Show, or her own reality show, World’s Worst Mom. Now Lenore is co-founder and president of Let Grow, the nonprofit promoting childhood independence and resilience. She lives in New York City with her husband and beloved computer. Her children are gainfully employed. (Phew!) And for the record, she used to write for Mad Magazine. Yep. MAD. But now she's so serious that here is her piece on "Independence as Therapy" in The New York Times.“Teacher Tom” Hobson is an early childhood educator, international speaker, education consultant, teacher of teachers, parent educator, and author. He is best known, however, for his namesake blog, Teacher Tom's Blog, where he has posted daily for over a decade, chronicling the life and times of his little preschool in the rain-soaked Pacific Northwest corner of the USA.For nearly two decades, Teacher Tom was the sole employee of the Woodland Park Cooperative School, a parent-owned and operated school knit together by Teacher Tom's democratic, progressive play-based pedagogy. Teacher Tom came into teaching through the backdoor, so to speak, having enrolled his own child in a cooperative preschool, where he began working daily in his daughter's classroom as an assistant teacher under the tutelage of veteran educators — although he'll be the first to tell you that most of what he learned came from the children themselves. When it was time for his daughter to move on, he “stayed behind.”Today, Teacher Tom shares his play-based pedagogy through online e-courses for early childhood educators; produces online early childhood conferences; consults with organizations about his “Family Schools” program; and inspires early-years audiences around the world (Greece, UK, Iceland, Australia, China, Vietnam, New Zealand, Canada, and across the US) both virtually and in-person with his engaging views on early childhood education, play, and pedagogy.He was pressured by his blog readers into authoring his first book, aptly named Teacher Tom’s First Book, and is thrilled about the 2023 release of Teacher Tom’s Second Book.Resources, people, and websites mentioned in this episode:MiraseeTom’s website: TeacherTomsWorld.comLenore’s nonprofit, Let Grow: LetGrow.orgLenore’s email: Lenore@LetGrow.orgFor show notes, visit Free to Be, Free to Grow (Lenore Skenazy)The Let Grow Experience (a free independence-building curriculum for teachers/schools): https://letgrow.org/program/experience/The Let Grow Play Club (free implementation guide for schools, homeschools, YMCAs, churches, synagogues, etc., to create a "free play" program for kids): https://letgrow.org/program/play-club/Independence Therapy Manual (free manual for therapists and counselors on how to use independence to combat or prevent childhood anxiety):https://letgrow.org/program/independence-therapy/Pledge of Independence (pledge parents can take to receive one activity a week for 10 weeks to help them get comfortable giving their kids more independence, free): https://letgrow.org/program/pledge/Let Grow Kid License (free "license" kids can carry around when out and about on their own that says, "I'm not lost or neglected!" and gives the parents' phone number): https://letgrow.org/printable/letgrowlicense/Free-Range Kids book: https://amzn.to/3FT7bEwFree-Range Kids book, free chapter for educators: https://letgrow.org/free-chapter/

“Teacher Tom” Hobson is an early childhood educator, international speaker, education consultant, teacher of teachers, parent educator, and author. He is best known, however, for his namesake blog, Teacher Tom's Blog, where he has posted daily for over a decade, chronicling the life and times of his little preschool in the rain-soaked Pacific Northwest corner of the USA.For nearly two decades, Teacher Tom was the sole employee of the Woodland Park Cooperative School, a parent-owned and operated school knit together by Teacher Tom's democratic, progressive play-based pedagogy. Teacher Tom came into teaching through the backdoor, so to speak, having enrolled his own child in a cooperative preschool, where he began working daily in his daughter's classroom as an assistant teacher under the tutelage of veteran educators — although he'll be the first to tell you that most of what he learned came from the children themselves. When it was time for his daughter to move on, he “stayed behind.”Today, Teacher Tom shares his play-based pedagogy through online e-courses for early childhood educators; produces online early childhood conferences; consults with organizations about his “Family Schools” program; and inspires early-years audiences around the world (Greece, UK, Iceland, Australia, China, Vietnam, New Zealand, Canada, and across the US) both virtually and in-person with his engaging views on early childhood education, play, and pedagogy.He was pressured by his blog readers into authoring his first book, aptly named Teacher Tom’s First Book, and is thrilled about the 2023 release of Teacher Tom’s Second Book.Resources, people, and websites mentioned in this episode:MiraseeTom’s website: TeacherTomsWorld.comFor show notes, visit Trailer: Teacher Tom’s PodcastCredits:Host: Tom HobsonProducer: Michi LantzSupervising Producer: Cynthia LambAudio Editor: Marvin del RosarioExecutive Producer: Danny InyMusic Soundscape: Chad Michael SnavelyMaking our hosts sound great: Home Brew AudioMusic credits:Track Title: Blueberry Jam JamArtist: Simen AndreasWriter: Simen KnudsenPublisher: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTIONTrack Title: Childlike WonderArtist: ReveilleWriter: Brendan St. GelaisPublisher: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTIONTrack Title: Tick TockArtist: Ivy BakesWriter: Erick PenaPublisher: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTIONSpecial effects credits:24990513_birds-chirping_by_promission used with permission of the author and under license by AudioJungle/Envato Market.To catch the great episodes coming up on Teacher Tom’s Podcast, please follow us on Mirasee FM's YouTube channel or your favorite podcast player. And if you enjoyed the show, please leave us a comment or a starred review. It's the best way to help us get these ideas to more people.Episode transcript: Trailer: Teacher Tom’s Podcast coming soon.