Developing Curiosity Episodes

In this episode, special guest Melinda Mulcahy is sharing the pivotal role of language and curiosity in parenting young children. Listen in as she and DJ discuss the positive impact of tweaking language to align with the brain's understanding, fostering curiosity to enhance a child's life. And stay tuned! Melinda is highlighting the benefits of curiosity, including improved observation, mindfulness, and happiness… and providing practical examples, such as using curiosity to navigate challenging ...

In this podcast episode, Jena Ponti Jauchius, a landscape architect and nature play expert, joins DJ to discuss her approach to designing children's outdoor play and learning environments. Listen in as Jena talks about the importance of sensory-rich natural play and learning experiences to help them connect with nature and themselves. And stay tuned as Jena explains the seven sensory systems that go beyond the classic five senses and how they can be stimulated through outdoor play, engaging in w...

In this podcast episode, DJ invited author, publisher and educator, Terrie Sizemore to the show to discuss her new book, The Little Book of Big Ideas, Activities, Crafts, and Celebrations. We hope you’ll stay tuned as we have the privilege of delving into the world of early childhood development, exploring the magic of books and how they expand a child's knowledge, understanding and vocabulary. Terrie is not just an esteemed guest. She's also the publisher of DJ’s upcoming book titled Roman is ...

Want to nurture your child's sense of wonder? In this episode DJ and special guest, Debora Hollick dive into the captivating world of WOW, Wonder, Openness and Wisdom. Stay tuned as they explore the concept of WOW and why children are natural experts in seeing the WOW. Listen in to hear how we as parents can stay open to the inspiring moments that surround us, extract wisdom from those experiences and discover unexpected sources of knowledge that can truly amaze us. Debora J. Hollick is an Exec...

We all know there's more to parenting than simply bearing a child... and the most effective parents are the ones who actually lead. But what does that mean and how is it achieved? In this episode, DJ talked with Susan Husa, a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach, about leading as a parent and emulating love in the most personal and kind way. Listen as they discuss how encouraging curiosity, bringing in compassion and initiating parameters and boundaries within your family will create a collabo...

In this episode, DJ speaks with Dr. Danny Brassell about getting your children to read more, read better and actually love reading! Listen in as Dr. Danny explains why “Captain Underpants is the gateway drug to Shakespeare.” And stay tuned as he shares some of his proven techniques to incorporate reading outside of the classroom every day and how to flip the script to take it from teaching kids the misery of reading to sharing the wonder of reading. A highly-sought after speaker, trainer and co...

In this episode, DJ talks with parent, grandparent, retired educator and children’s author, Barbara Ann Mojica, about the importance of learning our history so we can have a sense of where we've come from, who we are and how we fit into the world. Listen in as Barbara shares suggestions for parents to introduce history to their children at a very young age and how she has made history come alive using the whimsical Little Miss History character to narrate her book series that makes learning hist...

In this episode, DJ talks with a Forbes ranked CEO, mother and author, Sherrie Barch, about experiencing the loss of a loved one and the terminology to use with smaller children about death and the grieving process. Listen in as they discuss the different vantage points for each family member when someone dies and how her book “Heaven's Bell” was written to help with difficult but healthy conversation starters so everyone can move forward in love, memory and compassion. Sherrie Barch is the CEO...

Is there something in school like music, art, woodshop, cheerleading or sports, that keeps your kids wanting to learn more? In this episode, DJ talks with Mark Taylor, a percussionist and instructor from the UK, about the classes and teachers that get kids excited about learning, and those that create an environment for them to grow, thrive, and be themselves. Listen in as they discuss how creativity is going to give rise to the skills, the understanding and the knowledge that we all need in the...

Do you think there are questions in faith that we just shouldn't ask… or should we be able to ask questions? My guest in this episode is Jay Aedo and he has written a “what if” story from the Bible… a familiar story with a twist. His book, The Conscious Bible Stories: Cain and Abel, examines the possibility and what it might have looked like if Cain was unable to kill Abel and they work things out and move forward. Listen in as we discuss having open ended conversations with our children and how...

In this episode, DJ talks with Natalie Silverstein, an author and passionate advocate for family and youth service. Stay tuned as they discuss how service comes into play in our families, in creating a positive attitude in our kids, and how it promotes the desire to make a difference. Listen in as they discuss raising grateful, grounded, empathetic and compassionate kids by broadening their horizons through volunteering and serving others in your community. Natalie Silverstein is an author, vol...

In this episode, DJ talks with Rabbi Manis Friedman about raising healthy children beyond the basic necessities, our own parenting fears and insecurities of raising them and how to find your parenting authority and confidence. Listen in as they discuss not judging, doing away with labels, giving yourself credit where it is deserved and how to remain an enthusiastic parent along the way. Rabbi Manis Friedman is a world renowned author, lecturer, counselor and philosopher. He was born in Prague, ...

Sometimes the best way to connect with your child is when you join in the childish fun yourself. In this episode, DJ talks with James Heppner, a Results Coach and Podcast Host, about letting perfection go (because you don’t have to have it all figured out at this point) and how taking the time to relate to your child(ren) and expanding on your own point of view can make all the difference in the world. Listen in to hear them talk about the beauty of being a child, letting your own inner child re...

In this episode, DJ talks with special guest, Timothy Stuetz, a prolific children’s book author, about teaching values, inspiring courage, and bringing curiosity to the lives of our children through fairy tales. Listen in as they discuss ways to incorporate fairy tales to spark your child’s imagination and empower them to achieve their full mental, physical, emotional and heart-filled potential! Timothy Stuetz is one of the most prolific children’s authors of all time, having just completed his...

In this episode, DJ talks with Bailey Olsen about how to inspire our children to be curious about the world around them, encourage them to ask questions, form their own opinions and think independently. Listen in as they discuss some of the ways they’ve inspired children’s curiosity by creating fun fact finding missions and how Bailey has used a list of free activities to connect with her children and create random teaching moments to make the kids curiouser and curiouser. Bailey is a second an...

Do you think a 2 or 3 year old is too young for science? Actually, they aren’t! In this episode, DJ talks with Dr. Stephanie Ryan, who specializes in understanding how children learn different topics, especially math and science. Stephanie explains that children as young as two and three are ready to begin learning the skills that will give them a head start in understanding how to learn STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics). STEM is a teaching philosophy that integrates all four...

Our children absorb, internalize and regurgitate our behaviors and actions. If you’re so busy trying to stay perfect and inside the lines with your parenting techniques, what do you think that creates in your children? Stay tuned for this episode! DJ speaks with parenting book author, radio host & nationally syndicated humor columnist, Lisa Sugarman, about finding humor and positivity in parenting perfectly imperfect children and about skills you can utilize when you screw up, have a loss or di...

In this episode, DJ talks with dietician Jessica Setnick about picky eaters. Do you have picky eaters… only eating the same 5 things? Have the battles over eating ever resulted in tears at your dinner time table? Stop what you’re doing and listen to this episode! Jessica explains that individuals actually taste things differently and that we're undoubtedly creating a bigger dilemma by actually forcing a child to eat something they don't like. She goes on to tell us about her own approach in how...

In this episode, DJ was joined by Craig Parks whose own son is on the autism spectrum and taught him a lot about parenting, patience and love. Craig shares with us specific ways and things that we can do to find joy in parenting and he dished up some great advice on how to keep things engaged and positive, while still helping children understand there are expectations and boundaries. Craig Parks is a dad of two kids and has been a camp director for 25 years as well as being a professional music...

In this episode, DJ spoke with Neo Positivity about the law of attraction. What is the law of attraction? Neo describes it like this: Have you ever thought of someone, and they ended up contacting you soon after? Think about that for a second. Your thought is triggering a series of events, convincing/forcing someone to act. That's some next level stuff right there! Well that "magic" can be used to get more than just a phone call. DJ and Neo discuss how an obsession with the law of attraction led...

In this episode, DJ talks with Max & Deanna Maxwell of Movin’ With The Maxwell’s about their “Little Drummer” course developed for young children to learn the basics of drumming while simultaneously gaining skills needed to be successful in school. Tune into this episode to hear how to inspire and hone your child’s comprehension, fine motor skills, hand eye coordination and focus through online enrichment activities and engaging and fun videos that teach your preschool and early elementary aged...

Don’t miss this episode! DJ talks with Maayan Malka, a product designer and developer, son and father, about how his own journey to develop a better relationship with his father led to his creation of a conflict resolution app for children called Felt by The Catbears that is designed to give kids the right tools to express what they feel and what they need. Have you had experience using the Felt by The Catbears app? Please share your experience with us and tag us on Facebook or Instagram @littl...

HALLOWEEN is coming! And it is an exciting time of year for our children. In this episode, DJ is breaking down the pros and cons of “All Hallows Eve” and how we can turn this spooky and sugar-filled occasion into a beautiful relationship building and teaching moment for our little moppets! BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU’LL UNDERSTAND how to utilize the Halloween holiday as an enriching teaching moment for your child and create lasting memories. Tell us how you have capitalized on the Ha...

The first day of school can be a little daunting whether you are sending your precious child to preschool, kindergarten or higher grades. There are many changes with each year and with the uncertainty of containing and new COVID restrictions that seem to be changing daily, it can be hard to prepare your child for what they will be experiencing. By the end of this episode you will learn: How to create a plan that will meet the needs and personality of your child. How your own attitude is refle...