Neuroaffirming Microschool KC

04/08/2026

Activity and Play - two different things.

Loving this succinct distinction from Clare Caro and TimberNook.

Can adult-led activities be playful? Yes, but they are not play when they are adult directed.

Can children and adults play together? Yes, if the adult really knows how to play and lets the child lead and/or co-construct the play.

So many thoughts... but sometimes simple reflections are the most powerful.

Image description - timber nook image with the words "Let's be clear here. There is a big difference between PLAY, where an adult has exactly in mind wha t the child will be doing (also known as an ACTIVITY), and PLAY where the adult watches what unfolds for a child. Play. Activity. Two different things. Clare Caro.

03/26/2026

03/12/2026

This… 🙏🏼💜💙

Our young people rarely, if ever have 100% capacity, even if well rested.

Patsy x💜💙

01/16/2026

Please read this, it matters so much! 🥺 WOW - JUST WOW. 💞 ✍️ 💯

Beautiful poetry from her book Deep In My Feels via Jennae Cecelia.

✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️
✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️
✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️

01/16/2026

Deeply disturbing how much I feel this in my bones. People need to be kind, it is not hard, and yet our ND kids are being abused & neglected nearly universally. Thanks Blue Sky Learning for the compilation. 💙

01/16/2026

And here's a gem! Thank you Kelly Mahler for this. 🥰

Behaviorism is abusive & neglectful, it's time for us adults to CHOOSE BETTER for our kids who don't have the power to choose for themselves. Thanks for coming to my TED Talk! ☕️

Adults Don’t Actually Know the “Why.”

Behaviorism is built on a dangerous assumption:
the adult knows the why or “function” behind a behavior.

Based on often vague or inaccurate interpretations
“attention seeking,”
“escape/avoidance”
the focus quickly becomes changing the behavior.

Interoception is built on a different truth:
the adult doesn’t know the why… and is willing to be curious together.

That not-knowing is vulnerable.
But it’s also where real understanding begins.

One approach centers authority.
The other centers relationship.

Only one creates the belief and validation needed to build regulation, communication, and change that actually lasts.



Image Description: Orange and pink tile that says, “Behaviorism assumes the adult knows the why. Interoception begins by admitting we don’t, and being curious together.”

01/16/2026

Important!!! Thanks The PDA Space for asking the questions that matter.

01/07/2026

Most of us were taught to rush children past wonder. To push toward answers, outcomes, and productivity.

But what if learning didn’t begin with control… what if it began with relationship?

In this live Learning With the Land Webinar, Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer and Dr. Candace Manitopyes (RIW) come together and bring their lived experience, Indigenous scholarship, and ceremonial values to guide a different way forward.

One where plants become teachers, children learn responsibility through care and reciprocity, and adults finally slow down enough to listen.

If you work with children or raise them, and feel something is missing in how we teach, this conversation is for you.

Not more curriculum. Not more pressure.

But a return to learning that feels alive, ethical, and rooted in Land.

-

Wednesday, January 28
6 PM MST (8 PM EST)
Zoom

To join us, sign up for Patreon Tier 3 (Webinar Circle):

patreon.com/u71040194
[or link in bio]

You’ll get access to:

- Live Q&A with Dr. Robin Kimmerer and Dr. Candace Manitopyes
- The accompanying mini-toolkit
- Replay access
- All other monthly teachings in the Webinar Circle

01/07/2026

We're excited to partner with KC Futures Commission and Focus KC for the inaugural KC Futures Youth Summit, giving Kansas City’s youth a platform to share their opinions and ideas for the future. Learn more with link ⬇️