Taking Care of Each Other

Early Childhood Nerdwork
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Education

Taking Care of Each Other is a podcast that believes play is the space where children claim freedom, rehearse democracy, and exercise agency.  To stand for play is to stand against control. To guard children's right to play is to declare that their liberation matters, even in a world that insists otherwise. And yet play is only the beginning. Child care is not just a space where adults care for children. Children can actively care for their community as well. Each week, Kisa Marx and Mike Huber have a casual but passionate conversation about how they put these ideas into action with young children. They're talking about a revolution but it sounds like a whisper.

  1. 3d ago

    TCEO 044 Taking Care of Each Other

    We changed our name to Taking Care of Each Other to reflect the thread that runs through our conversation. Child care is not just a space where adults care for children. Children can actively care for their community as well. When we take care of each other, we co-create a space with children where everyone can claim freedom, rehearse democracy, and exercise agency. To stand for play and collaborative care is to stand against control. To guard children's right to play is to declare that their liberation matters, even in a world that insists otherwise.    Kisa can be found at The Playlab Foundation and Mike at Inclusion Includes Us, on Instagram and Facebook. Their books are available at https://www.redleafpress.org/  Did you know you can support the hosting costs of The Early Childhood Nerdwork on Patreon, and get Discord access to talk nerdy with like-minded folks too? https://patreon.com/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd    Theme music by John's Black Dirt https://johnsblackdirt.bandcamp.com/album/horrible-moments-of-upness

  2. Oct 26

    LL043 Kujichagulia

    Kisa and Mike talk about the importance of allowing each child to name themselves, to decide who they are, following the principle of kujichaglia. We may come up with words to help us understand a child, but we must be careful not to define the child.  Things Mike forgot in this episode:  Mike talks about a picture book called: All We Need Is Love and a Really Soft Pillow! by Peter H. Reynolds and Henry Rocket Reynolds, and the memoir One Life by Megan Rapinoe and Emma Brockes.    Kisa can be found at The Playlab Foundation and Mike at Inclusion Includes Us, on Instagram and Facebook. Their books are available at https://www.redleafpress.org/  Did you know you can support the hosting costs of The Early Childhood Nerdwork on Patreon, and get Discord access to talk nerdy with like-minded folks too? https://patreon.com/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd    Theme music by John's Black Dirt https://johnsblackdirt.bandcamp.com/album/horrible-moments-of-upness

  3. Oct 19

    LL042 Belonging in the Outdoors

    Kisa and Mike continue their conversation with Mike Brown and Nick Terrones. Mike B. posits that the outdoors can be a source of knowledge that precedes and exceeds the school system, which was never designed for all children. Children learn by being in relationship with each other, with adults, with materials, and with nature. Early learning best practices cannot simply be a discussion in a college classroom. Teaching practices are liberated when they are practiced; Learning is social and environments matter.  Kisa can be found at The Playlab Foundation and Mike at Inclusion Includes Us, on Instagram and Facebook. Their books are available at https://www.redleafpress.org/  Did you know you can support the hosting costs of The Early Childhood Nerdwork on Patreon, and get Discord access to talk nerdy with like-minded folks too? https://patreon.com/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd    Theme music by John's Black Dirt https://johnsblackdirt.bandcamp.com/album/horrible-moments-of-upness

  4. Oct 12

    LL041 In the Gray Area

    Kisa and Mike continue their conversation with Mike Brown and Nick Terrones. Mike Brown states that “most of teaching is in the gray area, but we talk about it as if it’s black and white.” If we are going to talk about the gray areas, we must do the same thing we do to be an attuned educator: slow down, reflect, and revisit our ideas.   In this episode, we talk about Mike and Nick's podcast Napcast, episode 74: Guided by Plants: Stinging Nettle, The Sting Is Not the Story. https://open.spotify.com/episode/09RmCphJFW6cxY2paUWtf3  We also talk about the books:  Forest Euphoria: The Abounding Queerness of nature by Patricia Ononiwu Kaishian, https://patriciakaishian.com/forest-euphoria  1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles Mann, https://birchbarkbooks.com/products/1491    Kisa can be found at The Playlab Foundation and Mike at Inclusion Includes Us, on Instagram and Facebook. Their books are available at https://www.redleafpress.org/  Did you know you can support the hosting costs of The Early Childhood Nerdwork on Patreon, and get Discord access to talk nerdy with like-minded folks too? https://patreon.com/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd    Theme music by John's Black Dirt https://johnsblackdirt.bandcamp.com/album/horrible-moments-of-upness

  5. Oct 5

    LL040 Magick and Intention

    This week, Kisa and Mike talk with Mike Brown and Nick Terrones about magick in the classroom. Liberated teaching is about being in the moment, but that can take years to achieve. There are countless skills to use, but over time you discover that you can't force these skills on children. Often, the best thing you can do is nothing except be reflective and responsive to what is happening.   We talk about Mike and Nick's podcast Napcast, episode 75: Guided by Plants: Bay Leaf and the Things We Teach Without Saying a Word. https://open.spotify.com/episode/2pTEhPLlgggLliaoez1aZn  Kisa can be found at The Playlab Foundation and Mike at Inclusion Includes Us, on Instagram and Facebook. Their books are available at https://www.redleafpress.org/  Did you know you can support the hosting costs of The Early Childhood Nerdwork on Patreon, and get Discord access to talk nerdy with like-minded folks too? https://patreon.com/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd    Theme music by John's Black Dirt https://johnsblackdirt.bandcamp.com/album/horrible-moments-of-upness

  6. Sep 28

    LL039 Pre-Primary Sources Crossover/ Racial Identity Development

    This week, we share an episode of Pre-Primary Sources where Lizz Nolasco talks to Kisa and Mike about racial identity development.   Anti-Racist and Anti-Bias education are (should be) part of all educator training; but what do we know about how children develop positive racial identity? Kisa Marx and Mike Huber (Liberated Learning podcast) join Lizz Nolasco to talk about a small piece of racial identity development. Bonus XL episode because it turns out there's a lot to unpack!  Kisa can be found at The Playlab Foundation and Mike at Inclusion Includes Us, on Instagram and Facebook. Their books are available at https://www.redleafpress.org/  Did you know you can support the hosting costs of The Early Childhood Nerdwork on Patreon, and get Discord access to talk nerdy with like-minded folks too? https://patreon.com/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd    Theme music by John's Black Dirt https://johnsblackdirt.bandcamp.com/album/horrible-moments-of-upness

  7. Sep 21

    LL038 Ethos and Culture

    When children and adults can show up as their authentic selves, it fundamentally changes the culture of the group, both when they are part ot the group and when they leave. Each cohort will develop its own culture whether that means the painters, the searchers for dinosaur bones, or the donkey-kickers. The way they get down—the ethos--stays the same. The way the rock out—the culture—changes as the members change.  Things mike forgot: Fred Rogers mentor was Margaret MacFarland, a child psychologist who focused on the meaning of interactions between children and mothers. She co-founded the Arsenal Center with Benjamin Spock and Erik Erikson.  Kisa can be found at The Playlab Foundation and Mike at Inclusion Includes Us, on Instagram and Facebook. Their books are available at https://www.redleafpress.org/  Did you know you can support the hosting costs of The Early Childhood Nerdwork on Patreon, and get Discord access to talk nerdy with like-minded folks too? https://patreon.com/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd    Theme music by John's Black Dirt https://johnsblackdirt.bandcamp.com/album/horrible-moments-of-upness

  8. Sep 14

    LL037 This Is a Gift

    Interdependence is a part of liberation. So is autonomy. Kisa and Mike return to an issue they first discussed in episode LL021. The balance of interdependence and autonomy requires ongoing discussion. We don't have to choose one over the other but rather power with a child whenever possible and power for a child when it is needed. By focusing on each child's agency, children become active in their interdependence. They learn to see the needs of others and learn to support each other. It's more than just sharing. Before a child can share, they have to feel that something belongs to them. Then they have a gift to give.    Kisa can be found at The Playlab Foundation and Mike at Inclusion Includes Us, on Instagram and Facebook. Their books are available at https://www.redleafpress.org/  Did you know you can support the hosting costs of The Early Childhood Nerdwork on Patreon, and get Discord access to talk nerdy with like-minded folks too? https://patreon.com/EarlyChildhoodNerdworkbyThatEarlyChildhoodNerd    Theme music by John's Black Dirt https://johnsblackdirt.bandcamp.com/album/horrible-moments-of-upness

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Taking Care of Each Other is a podcast that believes play is the space where children claim freedom, rehearse democracy, and exercise agency.  To stand for play is to stand against control. To guard children's right to play is to declare that their liberation matters, even in a world that insists otherwise. And yet play is only the beginning. Child care is not just a space where adults care for children. Children can actively care for their community as well. Each week, Kisa Marx and Mike Huber have a casual but passionate conversation about how they put these ideas into action with young children. They're talking about a revolution but it sounds like a whisper.

Information

  • Creator
    Early Childhood Nerdwork
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    44
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Taking Care of Each Other

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