Parenting Pickup

New Horizon Academy | Cara Johnson-Bader & Dr. Aimee Fearing
  • 5.0 (6)
  • Kids & Family
  • Monthly

Welcome to the Parenting Pickup Podcast. With over 50 years of experience in early child care and education, we're here to share all things child-related. Every episode is designed for families' education and support from parenting tips and tricks, trending topics, fun activities, child development, and so much more! Special guests in early childhood and education will join our host, Dr. Aimee Fearing, to share their expertise and help answer some of the most challenging questions.

  1. Oct 12

    Season 4 Episode 7: 'Mindful Screen Time Ideas: Childcare and Family Practice Round Table' with Laina Nast & Danielle Richards

    Send us Fan Mail 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 usageImaginative play and boredomHigh stimulus vs low stimulus screen timeUsing media technology for language acquisition Lower-lift alternatives to screen timeBelow are resources our expert guests recommend for parents, guardians, educators and caretakers:  The Library Project | One Book at a TimeSpark & Stitch Institute - Parenting for Courage and ConnectionUnplugged Activities to Minimize Your Child's Screen Time - New Horizon AcademyFor 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 TokEmail us at parentingpickup@nhacademy.netCheck out our website to learn more!Thanks for listening!

    Season 4 Episode 7: 'Mindful Screen Time Ideas: Childcare and Family Practice Round Table' with Laina Nast & Danielle Richards

  2. Aug 17

    Season 4 Episode 6: 'Creating Spaces for Playful Learning' with Michelle Blodgett & Bob Ingrassia from Minnesota Children's Museum

    Send us Fan Mail 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 TokEmail us at parentingpickup@nhacademy.netCheck out our website to learn more!Thanks for listening!

    Season 4 Episode 6: 'Creating Spaces for Playful Learning' with Michelle Blodgett & Bob Ingrassia from Minnesota Children's Museum

  3. Jun 15 ·  Bonus

    Season 4 Episode 5: 'Pursuing Excellence in Early Childhood Education' with Dr. Aimee Fearing

    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 yearsA deeper understanding of the role tech may play in affecting our children's ability to develop healthy emotional regulationA look into the importance of facilitating environments for imaginative playA 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 TokEmail us at parentingpickup@nhacademy.netCheck out our website to learn more!Thanks for listening!

    Season 4 Episode 5: 'Pursuing Excellence in Early Childhood Education' with Dr. Aimee Fearing

  4. May 18

    Season 4 Episode 4: 'Introducing Children to the Topic of Mental Health' with Dr. Katie Lingras

    Send us Fan Mail Dr. Katie Lingras is a multi-talented guest -- she's a child psychologist, associate professor, author of 'A Kids Book about Mental Health', and the Director of Inclusiveness and Excellence at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. Today she joins us to discuss how we can introduce the topic of mental health to kids how that topic intersects with her writing and pursuit of equity.  Today's episode answers these questions: What do we mean when we use the term "mental health" in the context of children?What are the most natural ways to start conversations about mental wellness with children?What can children's books do to further conversations about mental health?How can we help children deal with changing circumstances in their community and home environment?What are everyday ways to promote understanding of mental health? How do we discuss mental illness within our friend and family circles? Below are resources Dr. Katie recommends for parents, guardians, educators and caretakers to continue their learning journey on mental health!  The Minnesota Association for Children's Mental HealthThe University of Minnesota Early Childhood Mental Health ToolkitTalking to Children about Immigration Enforcement Immigrant Family ResourcesOrder 'A Kids Book about Mental Health' here Contact New Horizon Academy  Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Tik TokEmail us at parentingpickup@nhacademy.netCheck out our website to learn more!Thanks for listening!

    Season 4 Episode 4: 'Introducing Children to the Topic of Mental Health' with Dr. Katie Lingras

  5. Apr 27

    Season 4 Episode 3: 'Becoming a Behavior Detective: Emotional Co-Regulation' with Kim Hughes

    Send us Fan Mail Kim Hughes, a Conscious Discipline certified instructor, joins us to discuss how parents, guardians and caretakers can become better "behavior detectives". Kim demonstrates how through treating tricky behavior as a form of communication, and using emotional co-regulation as a tool to get us back to square one, we can set the children in our care up for long-term success.   In this episode we discuss: Conscious Discipline as a practiceThe brain state modelMoving from controlling to connecting (modeling)Naming feelingsSeeing mistakes as future opportunitiesArming children with alternative modes of expressing needs Attached are links Kim recommends for furthering our education on emotional literacy: The Brain State Model https://consciousdiscipline.com/methodology/brain-state-model/ Cliffs notes for the skills of conscious discipline https://consciousdiscipline.com/e-learning/webinars/parent-cliff-notes-for-the-skills-of-conscious-discipline/ 'Easy to Love, Difficult to Discipline' (Dr. Becky Bailey, 2001) https://www.harpercollins.com/products/easy-to-love-difficult-to-discipline-becky-a-bailey?variant=32128336232482 Contact New Horizon Academy  Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Tik TokEmail us at parentingpickup@nhacademy.netCheck out our website to learn more!Thanks for listening!

    Season 4 Episode 3: 'Becoming a Behavior Detective: Emotional Co-Regulation' with Kim Hughes

  6. Mar 16

    Season 4 Episode 2: 'Fostering Equity in Childcare' with Nikki Graf

    Send us Fan Mail On this episode of The Parenting Pickup Podcast, Nicolette Graf, a consultant and leader in equity, joins us to discuss how we can identify and pursue more equitable solutions for early childhood caretaking, both for parents and educators.  During this episode we discuss: - How Nikki started her advocacy and career in equity work - The fundamentals of pursuing cultural experiences for children and building empathy, using the metaphors of mirrors, windows and sliding glass doors - Easy ways to incorporate mirrors, windows and sliding glass doors - How to advocate for equity in your school and community - How to be okay without obvious answers or solutions for children when they're encountering new cultures Below are some resources Nikki recommends for parents and teachers to continue their learning journey about equity in and out of the classroom: Paddington Station's DEI Family Toolkit https://www.paddingtonstation.org/dei-family-toolkit.html CDA Council 'How to Talk to Kids Under 5 About Racial Equity' https://www.cdacouncil.org/en/how-to-talk-to-kids-under-5-about-racial-equity/ Early Risers Podcast, featuring Dianne Haulcy and Andre Dukes https://www.littlemomentscount.org/earlyriserspodcast Contact New Horizon Academy  Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Tik TokEmail us at parentingpickup@nhacademy.netCheck out our website to learn more!Thanks for listening!

    Season 4 Episode 2: 'Fostering Equity in Childcare' with Nikki Graf

  7. Feb 16

    Season 4 Episode 1: 'Beyond First Words: Early Childhood Communication' with Lindsay Morgan

    Send us Fan Mail Lindsay Morgan, a pediatric speech language pathologist with M Health Fairview, brings her expertise to discuss milestones for language development in early childhood, as well as tips, tricks and behaviors to observe for parents & guardians trying to raise a communicative child.  During this episode, we discuss: An overview of the field of speech pathology and the pediatric application of this practiceA general timeline for childhood language developmentActivities to promote learning new words and conceptsRaising a bilingual childHow delays might develop and when to reach out to a professionalFind Lindsay's professional profile here: Lindsay Morgan, SLP - Burnsville, MN - Pediatric Speech-Language Pathology  Resources Lindsay recommends for families looking to gain more knowledge about childhood language development: Help me Grow MN -- Refer a Child - Help Me Grow MNHelping Your Child Develop Early Language Skills https://www.fvfiles.com/522058.pdfHelping Your Child to Communicate https://www.fvfiles.com/520998.pdf   Contact New Horizon Academy  Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Tik TokEmail us at parentingpickup@nhacademy.netCheck out our website to learn more!Thanks for listening!

    Season 4 Episode 1: 'Beyond First Words: Early Childhood Communication' with Lindsay Morgan

  8. 12/30/2024

    Season 3 Episode 8: 'Your (Not So) Social Child: Navigating Early Childhood Friendships' with Amanda Woodward

    Send us Fan Mail Amanda Woodward, Assistant Teaching Professor at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, joins us this episode to discuss and explain social behavior in children younger than school age.  During this episode, we discuss: Differentiating typical social behavior between age groupsKey findings in recent research about early childhood social behaviorActivities that foster greater social-emotional developmentSocial exclusion and tools families may use to avoid antisocial patternsResources Amanda recommends for families looking to gain more knowledge about early childhood relationships: Learning through Play- the Lego Foundation : https://learningthroughplay.com/  National Institue for Play : https://nifplay.org/  Contact New Horizon Academy  Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Tik TokEmail us at parentingpickup@nhacademy.netCheck out our website to learn more!Thanks for listening!

    Season 3 Episode 8: 'Your (Not So) Social Child: Navigating Early Childhood Friendships' with Amanda Woodward
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

Welcome to the Parenting Pickup Podcast. With over 50 years of experience in early child care and education, we're here to share all things child-related. Every episode is designed for families' education and support from parenting tips and tricks, trending topics, fun activities, child development, and so much more! Special guests in early childhood and education will join our host, Dr. Aimee Fearing, to share their expertise and help answer some of the most challenging questions.

Information

  • Creator
    New Horizon Academy | Cara Johnson-Bader & Dr. Aimee Fearing
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    32
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Parenting Pickup
  • Show Website
    Parenting Pickup