Lisa Murphy, author of Play: The Foundation of Children's Learning and founder and CEO of Ooey Gooey, Inc. joins us for Part 2 of our discussion on the importance of play and how to incorporate into the daily lives of children.

Rae Pica returns for a conversation with Mike about her new book, Acting Out: Avoid Behavior Challenges with Active Learning Games and Activities. They discuss why children need movement and play, and the positive effects they have on learning and behavior. Show Notes: www.discoverychilddevelopmentcenter.comFacebook: Facebook.com/preschoolandbeyond

North Carolina Senator Jeff Jackson joins us to discuss why it is important for parents, educators, and community members to advocate for early childhood education. We talk about ways to bring awareness to the issue and how to help influence policy at the state and local level.

Lisa Murphy, author of Play: The Foundation of Children's Learning and founder and CEO of Ooey Gooey, Inc, joins us to discuss why play should be an essential element of every child's day. In Part 1, we discuss what playful learning looks like and the many ways it benefits children.

Authors Darlene Sweetland and Ron Stolberg join us to talk about their book Teaching Kids to Think: Raising Confident, Independent, and Thoughtful Children in an Age of Instant Gratification. We discuss ways families can begin to implement the strategies and recommendations from the book to help them raise children to become independent, thoughtful, and able to solve their own problems. Show Noteswww.discoverychilddevelopmentcenter.comFacebook: facebook.com/preschoolandbeyond

Blaire Malkin, an attorney at Mountain State Justice, joins us to talk about the legal rights of students and their families. We discuss how to advocate for your child, what types of services and supports are available, and how to access them and more.

Dr. Gail Joseph joins us to discuss the importance of helping build your child's emotional vocabulary during the preschool years. Dr. Joseph is the Bezos Family Foundation Distinguished Professor in Early Learning at the University of Washington.Show Page:www.discoverychilddevelopmentcenter.comFacebook: facebook.com/preschoolandbeyond

Author and education consultant, Rae Pica, discusses topics from her book,What If Everybody Understood Child Development?: Straight Talk About Improving Education and Children’s Lives. Topics including the importance of active learning and play, learning through failure. and developing intrinsic motivation.

Ashley Steel joins us to share tips for successful family travel. Ashely and her husband, Bill Richards, are the authors of "Family on the Loose: The Art of Traveling with Kids," and "100 Tips for Traveling with Kids in Europe."Topics discussed include:* Preparing your child for the trip* Airplane tips* Planning your itinerary* Eating and sleeping on vacation* Creating a travel journalShow Page: www.discoverychilddevelopmentcenter.com/podcastfacebook: facebook.com/preschoolandbeyond

Jen Lumanlan, host of the Your Parenting Mojo podcast, joins us to discuss ways parents can help prepare their child for school. Topics discussed include:* Common challenges transitioning to school* Developing self-regulation skills* Parent participation at school* Encouraging intrinsic motivation* Research on student learningShow Page: www.discoverychilddevelopmentcenter.comFacebook: facebook.com/preschoolandbeyond