I learn something new each episode, and I get some laughs too! -Cherishing Childhood: The Low-Tech Parenting Podcast

I have been teaching for 25 years and every episode I learn something new or reflect on something I’m doing and wonder how I can improve on my interactions with the children in my care. This podcast is also entertaining and interesting to listen to...even when the topic seems to have nothing to do with children and everything to do with dogs, I end up learning something I can apply to my teaching by the end! :-)

I was so excited to find this podcast! I just finished some online training that featured Lisa Murphy, among others, and I couldn’t wait to hear more from her! While I can appreciate the casual conversation between the participants, I was disappointed at some of the language, specifically the f bomb being dropped so often. It just seems unprofessional and not necessary. I’ll still devour Lisa Murphy’s wisdom, just through different avenues, lol.

I love love love the show! It not only reflects my philosophy as an early childhood educator, but also pushes the envelope of my perspective in the classroom. My only issue is the sound quality is very poor, I have to have the volume all the way up whenever listening and it’s still difficult to hear. I normally wouldn’t comment on this sort of thing, since the content is so wonderful, however it does hinder my listening experience. Beyond that, 100% recommended!! Keep it up!

As a fellow daycare provider, I definitely appreciate the honesty of this podcast. Not many people truly understand, these people do!!!

“It’s only a flesh wound..” 😂👋 hahaha I’m one of the 19!! I adore you peoples!! Thank you 😍

I’m a nanny. I listen to this while I get ready in the morning, in the car on my way to work, while the kiddo is napping, on my way home, and in the shower. These folks keep me present and remind me how to be a better childcare provider. They’re funny, real, and offer such good advice at a fundamental level (what are we doing, why are we doing it, and who is it for; is it a rule or a personal preference; etc). Thanks so much.

When this group is actually talking about ECE, this podcast is top notch. They're educated, articulate, funny, and armed with research. Lately, it seems more and more of the episodes are spent chatting about personal experiences (often unrelated to children). If you want to listen to autobiographical stories from Jeff and Lisa, this is for you. If you're looking for info about ECE to motivate you, educate you, and give you ideas to reflect on, be prepared to fast-forward a LOT, or even skip entire episodes.

Wonderful inspiring and informative podcast! I listen all the time and even listen to episodes multiple times. Great for all educators and parents!

I love the Child Care Bar and Grill podcast! I am a former teacher and nanny who is in the process of opening my own family child care. I have thought a lot about the information and ideas shared in the podcasts as I've been formulating my program. I do have just one suggestion. I feel that many of the podcasts tell what not to do but don't spend much time telling what to do. There are generalizations of what doesn't work but not much focus on concrete ideas of what does work. I would love to learn more about child-led play-based learning and what that actually looks like (maybe a day in the life type of podcast) with specific examples. Keep up the great work! I'm learning a ton!

Let me start by saying I have been a fan of Lisa Murphy, aka the Ooey Gooey Lady, for years. I have watched her on YouTube, follow her Facebook page, and wholeheartedly support her message and philosophy of following the child and opening our hearts and minds when we teach. She is a powerful woman with brilliant insights into the world of early childhood education. So five stars for the message. And -2 stars for the judgmental delivery and lack of focus. To explain, sometimes the delivery of the message on this podcast can be a little off putting. The show is often frought with what feels like judgment and shaming of the other side, those that remain steadfast in their belief that teachers should teach and lead, while children should follow. Even though I agree with Lisa and Jeff and Denita (the show hosts) emphatically, I don’t believe that the best way to affect change is to get self-righteous and judgmental toward people who aren’t doing it our way. When I listen to the show, I notice that Lisa often makes efforts to choose her words carefully, and I appreciate this level of tact and thoughtfulness. I am challenged by Jeff’s delivery as it sometimes feels a little pompous and egoic. As a teacher, this podcast often opens my mind and heart and inspires me in new directions, as long as I can get past the occasional sting of feeling insulted because there are still things I do in my program that they don’t necessarily support. Every so often, Lisa talks about her journey, and the process of growth and change that she has gone through as a teacher, and Denita brings this up from time to time as well, which feels useful. Then it feels like we are all in this together, evolving and becoming better advocates for the children in our lives as we learn more and expand our awareness. But sometimes, we (the podcast audience) are not “there” yet. And the first step toward change really is in allowing and accepting where we are right now. As a teacher in a parent participation school, I must be mindful and sensitive to the needs and capacities of all of my families, and make compromises for the greater good. So blanket statements about what teachers should and shouldn’t do are hard for me to swallow. Instead, I prefer to hear about what they love and what works for them as high quality, inspired teachers, instead of the incessant bashing of the opposing way. And to be clear, the bashing can sometimes be subtle. It exists in the form of laughing at, mocking, making fun of, screeching, etc. What I wonder sometimes is where is the compassion? It is so very strong and present for the children, but where is it for the teachers and parents who aren’t “there” yet? Why not just focus on the positive? The lack of focus gets sort of difficult to deal with, too. Sometimes things happen in the studio and the hosts get distracted and it becomes hard to follow. It’s not the tangents that I mind—I sort of love tangents—it’s when someone drops something or is doing something in the studio and instead of just rolling with it and moving on like it never happened, there is some stopping and focusing on it for a longer time than feels necessary, which is distracting from the show’s purpose. Writing this review was really tricky for me, because I admire and respect the work that Lisa and Jeff and Denita with ferocity. And I have been hungry for a podcast for ece teachers for a very long time. But after thinking about it for a while, I realized that it is exactly for these reasons that it feels important to share my honest feedback. I will probably go back and listen some more--they had great insights about the importance of letting go of our agenda, thought provoking perspectives on circle times, and explorations of what it means to be a facilitator of play. I am grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow from their experience. To be fair, I have not listened to the show in several weeks, so some of this may have changed. I still recommend the podcast to others in the field, but I do it less wholeheartedly than I would if these issues were not so persistent.

This podcast has been with me around the world and many times I have laughed out loud on train, planes and buses! It keeps me connected to the field, inspired and validated. Lisa, Jeff, Denita and Tasha are awesome...cheers!

I thoroughly enjoy these podcasts and being emerged into this world these creative souls call their own. I had the opportunity to hear and meet Denita at a conference last weekend. I cannot get enough of Denita and her colleagues. Monday morning we began making lite changes in all of our classrooms and have seen wonderful things happening. This podcast is one more entertaining way to get ideas and get that spark back into a classroom and into dim teachers :) Thank you for all of your time and dedication to our children!

If you listen to any podcast, make it this one. By the leaders of the play base revolution, each episode will make you laugh, ponder and change how you approach early childhood education. Did I mention laugh?

I have had the privilage of seeing both Lisa in Casper WY & Chadron NE) and Jeff (in Grand Island NE, Chadron NE, and Scottsbluff NE) action mulitple time and excited to finally get to see Denita in October in Rapid City SD! Love each of you and the what you bring to the table of Early Childhood!

I heard Lisa Murphy last at the Indiana AEYC conference and got do much from her. I am so excited to get to know the other two. I had to take a star away because I have had a few podcast that would not let me listen to them. All I got was an error message when I tried.

Love the podcasts! Stress did a number on my heart. We were preparing for NAEYC accreditation and I had a heart attack! Docs couldn't find the physical cause. But my professional opinion is: stress! We achieved accreditation with 100% in almost every area so the following year I thought we will sail in glory. Sadly I felt more stressed. Staff had been so focused on the program, children and families....we forgot about each other. So this year is the year about staff! Thanks for another great topic.

Thank you for doing this. I am like a dry sponge ready to absorb all this info. It is great!!!

Awesome! Thanks for creating these podcasts. They are like therapy sessions.

Thank you for being our voices! This is so inspiring and makes me want to do more.

Love it! Can't wait too hear more! The weekly podcasts are like a booster in between workshops! Reminders, a new way to look at things. Thank-you

I have enjoyed the first few episodes, it's great hearing about things that are so familiar and to feel like there are people out there that can relate to you. I'm going to play your introductory episode at my next provider support group meeting. I'm looking forward to the next podcast, thank you guys!

Lisa Murphy made me laugh so hard at the houston ecmc conference I had tears rolling down my face.

I have had the oppertunity to meet both Jeff and Lisa at the Iowa AEYC confrence a few years ago. They are just as fun and entertaining now as they where then. :)

I have had the honor of seeing each f these fine speakers and authors at Conferences. This is a must listen show for ANYONE in the early childhood field

This trio rocks!

Love it already and it's just the promos!!

These three are the GURU's of child care!!! They will take the "play is best for children" idea and help you really put into place in your program no matter if you are in home child care, group child care, or center care. They will make you think, laugh, and make you the best you can be!!! This will be the best podcast for child care professionals!!!