Dr. Diane's Adventures in Learning
🎧 Adventures in Learning with Dr. Diane 🎧
Inspire curiosity. Spark creativity. Fuel a lifelong love of learning.
Are you an educator, librarian, parent, or STEM/STEAM enthusiast looking to make learning come alive for kids? Adventures in Learning with Dr. Diane is your go-to podcast for hands-on, joyful learning that connects STEM/STEAM education, multicultural children's literature, and real-world exploration.
Join Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor, educator and explorer, as she travels the world (literally and virtually!) to bring you conversations with award-winning authors, illustrators, educators, scientists, and STEM leaders. Each episode delivers fresh ideas, engaging stories, and practical tips to inspire early childhood and elementary learners—in the classroom, the library, or at home. Wonder, curiosity, connection, and play -- we bring the world to you!
🌎 Featuring:
- Innovative STEM/STEAM experiences
- Diverse children's book recommendations
- Strategies for inquiry-based, joyful learning through play
- Voices from around the globe that inspire the WOW
🧠Perfect for:
Early childhood & elementary educators | School librarians | Homeschoolers | Caregivers | STEM/STEAM champions
đź”— Explore featured books: bookshop.org/shop/drdianeadventures
đź“ť Read full show notes: drdianeadventures.com/blog
đź’Ś Have an idea or guest suggestion? Email: diane@drdianeadventures.com
👉 Subscribe, rate, and review to support more Adventures in Learning!
Dr. Diane's Adventures in Learning
Let Them Play: Rae Pica on Joyful Learning and Reclaiming Early Childhood
What if the most powerful thing we could give young children is time to play?
Early childhood expert Rae Pica joins Dr. Diane for a candid conversation about why play, movement, and joy are essentials, not extras -- and how rushing children into academics is doing real harm.
🎧 Episode Summary
In this episode of the Adventures in Learning podcast, Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor welcomes author, keynote speaker, and longtime advocate for developmentally appropriate early childhood education Rae Pica.
Together, they explore what’s gone wrong in early childhood education—from scripted teaching and excessive seat time to the loss of play—and what the research actually tells us about how young children learn. Rae explains why play builds problem-solving, empathy, language, and executive function, how parents can become powerful allies, and why small acts of advocacy can help educators reclaim joy and reduce burnout.
This is a hopeful, practical conversation for educators, families, and anyone who believes childhood should be honored, not hurried.
⏱️ Highlights & Chapters
- 00:00 — Meet Rae Pica + why early childhood matters
- 02:22 — What’s gone wrong: rushed academics & ignored research
- 07:01 — Why play is “everything” to young children
- 10:32 — What block play teaches (SEL, STEM, critical thinking)
- 16:14 — Why movement fuels the brain
- 19:07 — Rae’s vision of a joyful early childhood classroom
- 25:16 — Research on play, joy, and how the brain learns
- 38:07 — Rae’s magic wand: follow child development
- 39:38 — Advocacy, burnout, and teacher empowerment
- 43:37 — Hope: signs the tide is turning
đź”— Links & Resources
- Rae Pica's free resources
- Rae Pica's online courses
- Rae Pica's books
- Dr Diane's 365 Day Picture Book Read Aloud Calendar
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*Disclosure: I am a Bookshop.org. affiliate.
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