Today, I'm joined again by educator, author, speaker, and founder of The Play Lab Foundation, Kisa Marx, for a conversation inspired by her new book, We Are Who We're Waiting For. Together, we explore what it means to become keepers of children's dreams, how the stories adults tell about children shape who they believe themselves to be, and why meaningful change in education begins with seeing the humanity of the child right in front of us.

Highlights:

1. Becoming Keepers of Dreams: Kisa shares how being surrounded by people who protected her own dreams shaped the educator she became. We discuss what it means to notice children's dreams, take them seriously, and make choices that preserve rather than diminish them.
2. Seeing the Child Before the System: We talk about the pressure educators experience from standards, curriculum, behavior expectations, and systems that can make it difficult to truly see the child in front of us. Kisa challenges educators to recognize the agency they still have and the power of changing their own minds first.
3. Looking Beneath "Behavior": What if the behaviors that challenge us are actually showing us what children need? Kisa invites us to move beyond controlling children and instead consider what they may be communicating, what warmth they may be seeking, and what we still need to learn.
4. Learning From the Children We Didn't Get It Right For: Laura reflects on children from her own teaching career whom she understands differently now. Together, we talk about regret, repair, unlearning, and how doing better for the children in front of us can honor the children we weren't yet equipped to support.

If you've ever looked back at your teaching and wished you knew then what you know now, this episode is an invitation to keep learning rather than look away. Kisa reminds us that we can say the hard things out loud, learn from them, and use what we know now to see children more fully, preserve their dreams, and do better moving forward.

Connect with Laura:
Instagram: @little.stories.that.stick
Website: Little Stories That Stick

Connect with Kisa:
Instagram: @iam_still_learning
Book: We Are Who We're Waiting For

On this episode, I'm joined by registered early childhood educator, pedagogical consultant, and founder of Curious Educator Collective, Jessica Karpathios, for a conversation about small world play and why it's so much more than tiny figurines and Pinterest-worthy invitations. Together, we explore how children use small world play to build stories, make meaning, and invite us into the worlds they're creating. This episode challenges us to slow down, ask better questions, and respond to children's ideas with curiosity rather than control.

Highlights:

1. Small World Play as Storytelling: Jess shares her definition of small world play as bringing stories to life in three-dimensional ways. We discuss how these stories don't have to come from books. They can emerge from children's play, documentation, observations, and everyday experiences.
2. Looking Beyond the Behavior: Instead of reacting to what children are doing, what if we asked, “What story are they telling?” We explore how shifting from assumptions to questions helps us better understand children's intentions, interests, and ideas before jumping in to redirect.
3. Honoring Children's Imaginary Worlds: From classroom fairies and hidden treasures to tiny rocks tucked into pockets, we talk about the importance of valuing the worlds children create. These seemingly small moments reveal imagination, identity, problem-solving, and deep meaning-making when adults choose to notice them.
4. Creating Invitations That Grow from Observation: Jess shares practical ways educators can use children's stories to inspire meaningful provocations. From documenting conversations at snack time to collaboratively building small worlds, revisiting stories through play, and using literacy in authentic, child-led ways.

If you've ever thought of small world play as just another classroom center, this conversation will expand your perspective. You'll leave with new ways to see children's play, honor their stories, and create environments that invite curiosity, wonder, and imagination.

Connect with Laura:
Instagram: @little.stories.that.stick
Website: Little Stories That Stick

Connect with Jess:
Instagram: @curiouseducatorcollective
Website: Curious Educator Collective

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On this episode, I'm joined by educator, workshop facilitator, and founder of The Intentional Educator, Cathy Belgrave, for a thoughtful conversation about expanding the way we think about stories. While many of us associate storytelling with books or oral narratives, Cathy invites us to consider a much broader perspective. Together, we explore how children communicate through play, art, conversation, movement, and everyday interactions and what happens when educators slow down enough to truly notice.

Highlights:

1. Stories Are Everywhere: Cathy shares why stories aren't limited to books or "once upon a time." From dramatic play and conversations to artwork and loose parts, children are constantly communicating their ideas, identities, questions, and understandings of the world.
2. Shifting Our Lens as Educators: We discuss the importance of slowing down, observing with curiosity, and looking beyond surface-level behaviors. Rather than asking, "What are they making?" we explore questions like, "What are they trying to understand?" and "What story is unfolding here?"
3. Art as Communication and Meaning-Making: Cathy explains how children's artwork tells stories long before it resembles recognizable images. Together we unpack process art, mark-making, sensory exploration, and how relationships with materials evolve over time as children develop.
4. Trusting Children and Ourselves: Throughout our conversation, we return to the importance of trusting children's natural drive to learn while also giving ourselves grace as educators. Cathy shares practical ways to create the time, space, and flow that allow children's stories to emerge authentically.

If you've ever wondered how to better understand what children are communicating through their play, artwork, conversations, or everyday experiences, this episode offers a fresh perspective that will shift the way you observe and support young learners.

Connect with Laura:
Instagram: @little.stories.that.stick
Website: Little Stories That Stick

Connect with Cathy:
Instagram: @theintentionaleducator_yvr
Websites: theintentionaleducator.ca