Little Kids, Big Hearts

Latest Episodes:

Moving Time With Amir Arison Jul 07, 2023

Show notes

In "Moving Time," three kids with significant experience moving from country to country and home to home — Aurelia, Cris, and Henry — join host Todd Loyd to discuss their moves and to share some of the feelings they had before, during, and after moving. The kids and Todd then go on a journey to the Land of Qook-a-lackas to help a Qook-a-lacka friend, Kahmar, who's worried about how their Qook-a-leekies will cope with a big upcoming move.
The role of Kahmar is played by Amir Arison, an American actor, director, and producer, best known for his work as FBI tech expert Aram Mojtabai on NBC's The Blacklist for ten seasons. Last year, Amir starred in The Kite Runner on Broadway.
The role of the Qook-a-lacka Song Healer, Quasnick, is played by Benjamin Weiner, a composer and educator. The original song in the episode, "A Little Bit Better," was created (live!) by Benjamin with help from the three kid guests (Aurelia, Cris, and Henry), plus Amir.

The ukulele music in the episode is written and performed by Bill English. Bill is an actor, musician, and voiceover artist based in NYC.
Find extras and educator resources at playsparkler.org/podcast.

Winning & Losing With Bridget Regan Jun 02, 2023

Show notes

In "Winning & Losing," three kids who know a lot about winning and losing — Aiden (a chess player), Eliza (a soccer player), and Willa (a gymnast) — join host Todd Loyd to discuss winning and losing and to go on a journey to the Land of Qook-a-lackas to help a qook-a-leekie, Quinby, rethink a recent run of quibble losses.
The role of Quinby is played by Bridget Regan, an actor and producer. Her film credits include John Wick with Keanu Reeves, Devil’s Gate opposite Milo Ventimiglia, HBO’s The Leisure Class, The Best and the Brightest alongside Neal Patrick Harris, Sex and the City, Weak, The Babysitters and Blinders and the upcoming Canvas opposite Joanne Kelly and the queer rom-com Things Like This. In television, she presently appears on The Company You Keep, The Winchesters and The Rookie. She has MANY other TV credits. Originally from Carlsbad, California, Regan relocated to New York City to pursue her acting career. She originated the role of Cecile Leroux in the Broadway comedy Is He Dead opposite Norbert Leo Butz written by Mark Twain, adapted by David Ives and directed by Michael Blakemore. Regan has produced multiple productions Off Broadway and at the iconic LaMaMa Theater of the electro pop queer musical Camp Wanatachi written by Natalie Weiss and Bekah Brunstetter. She now has a feature film of of Camp Wantatachi in development with Zadan Meron Productions.

The original song “Do Your Best” and ukulele music in the episode is written and performed by Bill English. Bill is an actor, musician, and voiceover artist based in NYC.
Find extras and educator resources at playsparkler.org/podcast.

Everything PETS! — With Ashlie Atkinson May 08, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, four seven- and eight-year-old kids ( Evelyn, Ella, Chelsea, and Eliot) join Todd to discuss their best fur-riends: their pets! How do we care for our pets? How do pets make us feel? What do we learn from our pets? They then go on a journey to the Land of Qook-a-lackas, where they help a Qook-a-leekie, Quillion, who has lost their pet Quigley.

The role of Quillion is played by Ashlie Atkinson, an American actress who works in movies, television, and theater. She has a LONG list of credits including Peaches in the Netflix film Juanita, Rochelle Applebaum in the Martin Scorsese film The Wolf of Wall Street, Connie in the Spike Lee film BlacKkKlansman, and Janice in USA Network's Mr. Robot, and Mamie Fish in HBO's The Gilded Age. Ashlie is also the proud cat parent of two fur-babies, Mookie and Pearl.

Four in five of U.S. families with school-age children are estimated to have a pet — and pets can play a big role in children's development, helping them to learn responsible behavior, respect for living things, and the ability to provide comfort, love, and loyalty.

The ukulele music and original song, My Furry Friend, in this episode is written and performed by Bill English. Bill is an actor, musician, and voiceover artist based in NYC.
Find extras and educator resources at playsparkler.org/podcast.

Bonus: Interview About the Research & Guide that Inspired the "Celebrating Our Differences" Episode With Dr. Colleen Russo Johnson and Makeda Mays Green Apr 14, 2023

Show notes

In our episode "Celebrating Our Differences," Todd joined with Makeda Mays Green to chat about identity, belonging, and race with four big-hearted kids. After the episode recording, Makeda and her colleague Dr. Colleen Russo Johnson stuck around to talk about their research and the resulting guide for families that inspired the episode.
In this bonus episode interview, Makeda (SVP, Digital and Cultural Insights at Nickelodeon) and Colleen (VP, Digital and Cultural Consumer Insights at Nickelodeon) talk about what they learned when they surveyed more than 15,000 families and conducted detailed parent-child interviews with more than 50 families. They also share the guide that resulted, "Discussing Race With Young Children: A Step-by-Step Activity Guide." And they reflect on what the kids share in the episode.
Parents, listen to this interview first before sharing with your little ones!
Learn more about the research and the guide online at www.BigHeartWorld.org/DiscussingRace.
Learn more about our podcast at www.PlaySparkler.org/podcast

Celebrating Our Differences with Krys Marshall Apr 05, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, six- and seven-year-old kids of different races/ethnicities (Elliott, Finley, Landon, and Sky) join Todd and a special friend, Makeda Mays Green, to discuss identity, belonging, race, and racism. They share their observations and experiences — and then go on a journey to the Land of Qook-a-lackas, where they advise a Qook-a-leekie, Qwee-co, whose friends have been excluded from a Moon Day party because of their queckles.

The role of Qwee-co is played by Krys Marshall, an actress who is currently playing the role of Danielle Poole, a NASA engineer and the agency's first African-American astronaut, on the Apple TV+ series "For All Mankind." Krys can also be seen on the CW's "Supergirl," CBS's "Bull," Showtime's "Shameless," "Criminal Minds," "NCIS," and "How I Met Your Mother," and NBC's Emmy-winning series "This Is Us."

The ukulele music in the episode is written and performed by Bill English. Bill is an actor, musician, and voiceover artist based in NYC.
The original song in the episode, "Puzzle Pieces," is by Brooklyn, NY-based musician and longtime educator Benjamin Weiner.
Find extras and educator resources at playsparkler.org/podcast.

Feeling Angry! — With Marjan Neshat Mar 03, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, three kids (Lauren, Esther, and Sam) join Todd to explore the feeling of anger — what it is, how it makes us feel, and what we can do about it! They share their experiences with anger and go on a journey to the Land of Qook-a-lackas where they advise a Qook-a-leekie, Kainaz, who is feeling very ... ANGRY.

The roles of Kainaz is played by Marjan Neshat, an Iranian-born, American actress, who's well known for her roles on stage, and in film & TV. (Please also listen to our special bonus interview with Marjan about how she's transforming her own anger about what's happening in her home country of Iran into advocacy.)
The ukulele music and the original song "Feelings are OK" are written and performed by Bill English. Bill is an actor, musician, and voiceover artist based in NYC.
Find extras and educator resources at playsparkler.org/podcast.

Let's Talk Siblings With Jenn Lyon and Henry Vick Feb 03, 2023

Show notes

There’s a good chance that a sibling relationship will last longer than most other relationships in life. Many times, siblings can help children to define what they value and look for in other relationships. Siblings can also help each other to develop self-regulation and emotional understanding as they grow up together. All relationships will have some conflict, and this can promote growth ... but it can be tough, especially when you live together, or even share a bunk bed!
In this episode, Todd talks with two groups of siblings (Eloise, Oliver, and Theo & Kettner and Reece) about what it's like to be siblings. Then they pile into a flying station wagon to visit the Land of Qook-a-Lackas, where they help a pair of Qook-a-leekie siblings, Kaiway and Kannon, sort through their conflict!
The roles of Kaiway and Kannon are played by Jenn Lyon and Henry Vick. Jenn is an actress/writer/producer who lives in Brooklyn and is currently shooting a new show for HBO in Vancouver called “Dead Boy Detectives” and most recently starred on “Claws” on TNT. Henry is an entertainer, writer and performer living and working in NYC.
The ukulele music and the original song "I'm Such a Lucky One" are written and performed by Bill English. Bill is an actor, musician, and voiceover artist based in NYC.

Find extras and educator resources at playsparkler.org/podcast.

Bonus: Interview About Transforming Anger Into Advocacy with Marjan Neshat Jan 16, 2023

Show notes

This weekend, Little Kids, Big Hearts recorded a new episode about one feeling that ALL of us have — anger! The guest Qook-a-leekie in our episode was played by a friend, Marjan Neshat, an amazing actress who has recently been channeling her own anger by amplifying the voices of people in her home country of Iran. After recording the episode, Marjan stayed on for a one-on-one conversation about her recent experiences and advocacy related to what’s happening in Iran. We wanted to release it today because it’s about current events and seemed like a perfect discussion to share on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. We believe deeply in having difficult conversations and not shying away from topics that may not be comfortable for everyone to discuss. Parents don’t always have a choice about what kinds of conversations they have with their children. Children see, hear, and read everything around them, and they have questions.

Parents, you might want to listen alone first before sharing this with your children.

We hope that you have a meaningful Martin Luther King Jr. Day and we are excited to share the full episode with you soon!

Cultivating Sweet Kindness — With Meredith Holzman, Matt Malloy, Pablo Castelblanco, and Nadiyah Dorsey Jan 13, 2023

Show notes

In this special fictional episode we learn how one small act of kindness can spread through a whole community. The story is the origin story of gummy bears in the Land of Qook-a-Lackas. But it is also about community and inclusiveness! Every single person in a community plays an important role and has the power to help others.
In this episode, LKBH Host, Todd Loyd, reads the parts of Kenley (a parent Qook-a-Lacka) and Qwintin (a neighbor Qook-a-Lacka). We were excited to be joined by real-life friends, who bring this special fictional episode to life. You'll hear the voices of some friends who are currently part of ABC's Alaska Daily — Meredith Holzman, Matt Malloy, and Pablo Castelblanco — as well as the voice of Nadiyah Dorsey, a veteran of stage and screen, and the voice of Christy Pusz-Decatur, long-time Broadway actress and the creative producer of the Little Kids, Big Hearts podcast. Also enjoy the original song, "Spread the Love" by Bill English.
Listen to the episode and keep the learning going with our free, fun education resources, available online at playsparkler.org/podcast!

Trying New Things With Christine Pedi Nov 04, 2022

Show notes

When was the last time you tried something new? Was it hard? Was it scary? Was it fun? Trying new things can take us outside of our comfort zones and into places of uncertainty, which can be a bit scary ... for kids AND grown-ups. Trying new things requires a certain level of confidence that most people are not born with — we have to work at it!

In this episode of Little Kids, Big Hearts, Todd talks with River, Taylor, and Leo about trying new things. They go on an imaginary journey to the Land of Qook-a-Lackas where they meet Crayton the Dragon, who's learning how to fly!

Please find more info and educational extension activities online at playsparkler.org/podcast. These extension activities will help you to support children (Pre-K to Grade 3) as they share their feelings about what it is like when they try new things and build persistence and resilience.

Two special guests join us in this episode, and we are so grateful to them:
Christine Pedi plays the role of Crayton the Dragon. She is a television and theater comedic actress, Drama Desk nominee for FORBIDDEN BROADWAY, Sirius XM radio personality "Lady of a Thousand Voices" and Award-Winning Cabaret Performer. On Broadway, she appeared in CHICAGO as Mama Morton, LITTLE ME with Martin Short and Faith Prince, directed by Rob Marshall, and in Eric Bogosian's TALK RADIO with Liev Schreiber, directed by Robert Falls.
The ukulele music and the original song "Try" are written and performed by Bill English. Bill is an actor, musician, and voiceover artist based in NYC who has appeared on Broadway in Twentieth Century starring Alec Baldwin and Anne Heche and Anything Goes with Sutton Foster and Joel Grey. TV credits include The Good Wife, Madam Secretary, Elementary, Cavemen, Family Guy, and more.

Find extras and educator resources at playsparkler.org/podcast.

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