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Thank you for tuning in for another episode of the Parenting Pickup! This episode we’re hoping to gain a deeper understanding of screen time, its effects on our children, and setting up good boundaries around it. We’ll be joined by Danielle Richards, a School Director at New Horizon Academy in St. Paul, and Laina Nast, a Registered Public Health Nurse who specializes in at-home family care.

Here are some topics we'll touch upon and hope to tackle to give you, your family and your childcare community some practical tools to implement healthier relationships with screens.

The ways screen time is affecting the practice of childcare

• Boundaries around screen usage
• Imaginative play and boredom
• High stimulus vs low stimulus screen time
• Using media technology for language acquisition
• Lower-lift alternatives to screen time

Below are resources our expert guests recommend for parents, guardians, educators and caretakers:

• The Library Project | One Book at a Time
• Spark & Stitch Institute - Parenting for Courage and Connection
• Unplugged Activities to Minimize Your Child's Screen Time - New Horizon Academy

For another in-depth conversation on screentime and more educational media options, please give a listen to our podcast episode with Momo Hayakawa, the Director of Children's Media and Research at Twin Cities PBS.

Contact New Horizon Academy

• Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Tik Tok
• Email us at parentingpickup@nhacademy.net
• Check out our website to learn more!

Thanks for listening!

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We are joined by two special guests from the Minnesota Children's Museum: Michelle Blodgett, Director of Experiences, and Bob Ingrassia, Vice President of External Relations. In this discussion, Michelle and Bob share their insights on designing play spaces and exhibits at the Museum, and the power of open-ended play in developing critical life skills.

Today's episode answers these questions:

• How are play and learning intertwined?
• What role does play have in developing language skills?
• What are examples of exhibits at the Museum that help children develop essential skills?
• How can play spaces encourage positive social interaction between children?
• How can parents incorporate ideas of playful learning at home?
• How can parents incorporate more nature-based play?
• What are ways of encouraging and identifying age-appropriate learning?
• How does "risky play" support learning and development?

Resources:

Ideas for how to embody Playful Parenting:

Playful Parenting - Minnesota Children's Museum

Child Care & Early Learning Activities- New Horizon Academy

All Play - Minnesota Children's Museum's income-qualified program:

All Play Membership - Minnesota Children's Museum

NAEYC- The Power of Playful Learning:

The Power of Playful Learning in the Early Childhood Setting | NAEYC

Michigan State University - The Value of Open-Ended Play:

https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/the_value_of_open_ended_play

Contact New Horizon Academy

• Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Tik Tok
• Email us at parentingpickup@nhacademy.net
• Check out our website to learn more!

Thanks for listening!

Send us Fan Mail

Meet our new host, Dr. Aimee Fearing, the Vice President of Education and Staff Development at New Horizon Academy.

This episode marks a bittersweet milestone. Cara Johnson-Bader has been a luminary for countless shared stories, hours of expert analysis, and deep connections with our guests and school families. But the meaningful discussions and insightful interviews won't end here.

Here's what we can look forward to as Cara passes the torch to Dr. Aimee:

• An emphasis on how early care and education make long-term impacts and the reverberations families may see in the K-12 years
• A deeper understanding of the role tech may play in affecting our children's ability to develop healthy emotional regulation
• A look into the importance of facilitating environments for imaginative play
• A celebratory attitude and approach directed towards all caretakers

Thank you for joining us on this learning journey. You won't want to miss what's next.

Contact New Horizon Academy

• Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Tik Tok
• Email us at parentingpickup@nhacademy.net
• Check out our website to learn more!

Thanks for listening!