Join Lorrie and Anne Marie as they talk with incredible guests who are out there doing brave, thoughtful and often quiet revolutionary work. Thought-leaders, authors, teachers, dreamers. Together we’ll learn that doing little things across the field of early childhood can have a big impact on the world around us.
If you’d like to receive email reminders for new episodes and exclusive subscriber only resources, sign up to the Storypark mailing list at https://lp.storypark.com/sa/podcast
In this special one-year anniversary episode of Little Big Ideas, Anne Marie and Lorrie reflect on a year of ideas that have shaped how they think, teach, and show up, in their work and at home with their families.
What themes resurface when you spend a year in conversation with early childhood education's most thoughtful practitioners? What does it take to build a classroom, and a life, around democracy rather than conformity? And what have Anne Marie and Lorrie learned about themselves along the way?
They trace the threads woven through every episode this year: the rights of children, care as something we practice rather than feel, inclusion in the classroom and what it might look like to build with children's ideas rather than just around them.
Join us as they explore some of these conversations further and celebrate the beautiful folks who have chatted with them on the pod so far.
Thank you to everyone who's been listening from the beginning or who have joined more recently, sharing episodes in team meetings, and bringing these ideas into your own communities.
Watch our podcast episodes on YouTube: @StoryparkApp
__________________________________________________
STORYPARK: Putting the child at the heart of childcare management
Storypark is an all-in-one childcare management platform built to empower quality-focused early learning services to streamline operations, so they can focus on what matters most: nurturing every child’s unique potential. With all the tools you expect in a childcare management software, what makes Storypark special is our sector-leading family engagement and learning documentation tools that are at the heart of our platform. Shaped by early childhood education experts, and the only childcare software endorsed by the Canadian Child Care Federation, Storypark delivers proven impact you can depend on.
Find out more on our website: https://ap1.hubs.ly/H015rtl0
30 Apr 2026
09. Do we really know the meaning of play? - Suzanne Axelsson
In this episode of Little Big Ideas, Anne Marie and Lorrie sit down with Suzanne Axelsson — author, pedagogical consultant, and one of the most generative thinkers in early childhood education, for a conversation that quietly dismantles everything we assume about children’s play, and rebuilds it into something far more profound. Learning to walk or playing to walk? What is the purpose of play in education? What is the purpose of the educator in play?
Joining from Stockholm, Suzanne explores the schoolification of play and what it really means to prepare children not just for school, but for life. She introduces the idea of deep pocket pedagogy (we'd not heard of that one either): the difference between equipping children with the exact tools for right now, and filling their pockets so deeply that they'll keep pulling from them for the rest of their lives.We hope this one stays with you.Watch our podcast episodes on YouTube: @StoryparkApp __________________________________________________________________________
STORYPARK: Putting the child at the heart of childcare management
Storypark is an all-in-one childcare management platform built to empower quality-focused early learning services to streamline operations, so they can focus on what matters most: nurturing every child’s unique potential. With all the tools you expect in a childcare management software, what makes Storypark special is our sector-leading family engagement and learning documentation tools that are at the heart of our platform. Shaped by early childhood education experts, and the only childcare software endorsed by the Canadian Child Care Federation, Storypark delivers proven impact you can depend on.Find out more on our website: https://ap1.hubs.ly/y0PBZq0
18 Mar 2026
08. Re-learning the work of inclusion - Dr Shelly Moore
More here: https://lp.storypark.com/sa/podcast
In this episode Dr. Shelley Moore unpacks what it really means to be an inclusive educator. Drawing on research, her own lived experience, and a wry sense of humor, she challenges myths about inclusion, highlights the stress and conditioning educators face, and reframes inclusion as a practice that benefits the whole community. Shelley talks openly about disability as identity, the evolving nature of her own learning and offers practical, hopeful ways to move from pressure and performance toward meaningful, sustainable inclusion - all with the honesty, charm, and humour that makes learning from her feel like a conversation with a trusted friend.
STORYPARK: Putting the child at the heart of childcare management Storypark is an all-in-one childcare management platform built to empower quality-focused early learning services to streamline operations, so they can focus on what matters most: nurturing every child’s unique potential. With all the tools you expect in a childcare management software, what makes Storypark special is our sector-leading family engagement and learning documentation tools that are at the heart of our platform. Shaped by early childhood education experts, and the only childcare software endorsed by the Canadian Child Care Federation, Storypark delivers proven impact you can depend on.
17 Dec 2025
07. Care in community: A Live conversation
More here >> https://lp.storypark.com/sa/podcast <<
Live from The Home Child Care Association of Ontario (HCAAO) annual conference, this episode is a rich conversation about the beauty and necessity of care work. We explore the requirements and practices of quality care: humility, curiosity, community, and the willingness to slow down. Naming these practices strengthens our ability to stand firmly in the value of what we do. Together in a room filled with passionate in-home carers, we recognized the complexity and skill of this work. With thoughtful questions and insights from the audience, the conversation returned to something essential: when we can articulate the value of our work, we expand our capacity to advocate for care in all its forms. This episode affirms the work of caregiving, the wisdom it requires, and the collective strength it takes to build caring communities.
STORYPARK
Putting the child at the heart of childcare management Storypark is an all-in-one childcare management platform built to empower quality-focused early learning services to streamline operations, so they can focus on what matters most: nurturing every child’s unique potential. With all the tools you expect in a childcare management software, what makes Storypark special is our sector-leading family engagement and learning documentation tools that are at the heart of our platform. Shaped by early childhood education experts, and the only childcare software endorsed by the Canadian Child Care Federation, Storypark delivers proven impact you can depend on.
5 Nov 2025
06. Roots, resistance and possibility - Rukia Rogers
In this episode of Little Big Ideas, we sit down with our dear friend Rukia Rogers—early childhood educator, activist, and founder of The Highlander School in Atlanta, Georgia. This single-site school stands as a beacon of hope, possibility, and social justice, nurturing empathy and critical consciousness in children while deeply honoring the histories and struggles of its community. Inspired by the legacy of the Highlander Folk School and the civil rights movement, Rukia has built an early learning community that is both a hub of activism and a sanctuary of care—a place where children, families, and the land are interconnected and valued. Rukia’s vision reminds us what’s possible when education, community, and justice come together. Her leadership offers a powerful example of how even a small early childhood program can become a space of resistance, hope, and transformative change. This is a conversation you won’t want to miss.STORYPARK: Putting the child at the heart of childcare management Storypark is an all-in-one childcare management platform built to empower quality-focused early learning services to streamline operations, so they can focus on what matters most: nurturing every child’s unique potential. With all the tools you expect in a childcare management software, what makes Storypark special is our sector-leading family engagement and learning documentation tools that are at the heart of our platform. Shaped by early childhood education experts, and the only childcare software endorsed by the Canadian Child Care Federation, Storypark delivers proven impact you can depend on.
17 Sept 2025
05. Exploring seasonal pedagogies: Learning with the rhythm of the land - Dr Hopi Martin
Talking with Dr. Hopi Martin feels like slowing down enough to hear the earth breathe. Every time we hear him speak, something new lands in our hearts. In this episode, he shares his path back to his ancestors, the land, and the seasonal rhythms that guide his work with children. He invites us to step out of the clock and into the natural cycles of learning. It’s a gentle reminder that when we bring children to the earth, she knows what to do and so do they. STORYPARK: Putting the child at the heart of childcare management Storypark is an all-in-one childcare management platform built to empower quality-focused early learning services to streamline operations, so they can focus on what matters most: nurturing every child’s unique potential. With all the tools you expect in a childcare management software, what makes Storypark special is our sector-leading family engagement and learning documentation tools that are at the heart of our platform. Shaped by early childhood education experts, and the only childcare software endorsed by the Canadian Child Care Federation, Storypark delivers proven impact you can depend on.
20 Aug 2025
04. Supporting practice through pedagogical documentation | Susan Stacey
We sit down with author and educator Susan Stacey to explore what happens when educators move from simply following children's interests to co-constructing meaning with them. Together, we unpack how curiosity, uncertainty, and the voice of the educator can shape truly responsive curriculum.
23 Jul 2025
3. The art and ethics of care - Carol Garboden Murray
What if care isn’t just something we do—but the most important part of how we show up for children? In this episode, Carol Garboden Murray invites us to rethink care as both an art and a science, full of rhythm, connection, and intention. We explore how everyday routines can become meaningful care rituals, and why relational care deserves to be taken seriously. It’s a powerful and hopeful conversation for educators ready to reimagine what it means to truly care.
STORYPARK: Putting the child at the heart of childcare management. Storypark is an all-in-one childcare management platform built to empower quality-focused early learning services to streamline operations, so they can focus on what matters most: nurturing every child’s unique potential. With all the tools you expect in a childcare management software, what makes Storypark special is our sector-leading family engagement and learning documentation tools that are at the heart of our platform. Shaped by early childhood education experts, and the only childcare software endorsed by the Canadian Child Care Federation, Storypark delivers proven impact you can depend on.
18 Jun 2025
02. Children teach us about our inherently social nature - Deb Curtis
Early childhood educator Deb Curtis discusses the inherently social nature of children and how relationships drive early development in this interview.
19 May 2025
01. A radical vision for children's right to participate and be heard - Marc Battle
Marc Battle discusses a radical vision for children's rights, exploring how to ensure children's voices shape their early learning programs in this interview.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 5 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
11
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
0
Contact Little Big Ideas
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of Little Big Ideas?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
