Podcasts about imagine neighborhood

Today on What's My Frame I'm joined by award-winning composer and sound designer Lindsay Jones. Lindsay's resume is extensive spanning mediums, genres and decades. He not only is a Tony nominee, a respected professor but an extremely passionate advocate for the arts and safe working conditions. Lindsay's Broadway credits include Slave Play, The Nap, Bronx Bombers and A Time To Kill; and a nomination for a Tony for Best Score and Best Sound Design of a Play. His off-Broadway work has been heard at Playwrights Horizons, The Public Theater, MCC, Primary Stages, and many others. International credits include works at Royal Shakespeare Festival (UK), Stratford Festival (Canada), and many others. Lindsay has created music and sound for over 500 productions in regional theatres across the US. Awards include seven Joseph Jefferson Awards and twenty-four nominations, 2 ASCAP Plus Awards, two Ovation Awards and three nominations, a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award, a San Diego Theatre Critics Circle Award and two nominations, as well as multiple nominations for Drama Desk Awards, Helen Hayes Awards, Barrymore Awards, and many others. In film/television, he has created original score for over 35 projects, including HBO Films' A Note Of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin, which won the 2006 Academy Award for Best Documentary, Short Subject. His work encompasses features like The View From Tall, Ash, and The Brass Teapot; TV shows such as Sony Pictures' series Family Practice for Lifetime Television, shorts such as The Follower, House Of Stairs, and Grace; and full-length documentaries such as Hearing Voices and Cleveland. In podcasts, Lindsay is the in-house composer/sound designer for the weekly podcast The Imagine Neighborhood, produced by the Committee For Children, and for the ongoing Play On series for Next Chapter Podcasts. Other podcast and audio drama work includes A Streetcar Named Desire (starring Audra McDonald) for Audible, Team Up (starring Susan Sarandon and Timothy Busfield) for Marvel, Wormwood (featuring Kevin Kline) for Real Jetpacks Productions, Hamlet for KPBS/The Old Globe, Soundstage for Playwrights Horizons, Twelfth Night and Measure For Measure for Chicago Shakespeare, and The Intersect for Micromass. In education and advocacy Lindsay is an adjunct professor of sound design at University of North Carolina School Of The Arts. Other universities where he's taught include Yale, Juilliard, Northwestern, Purdue, Depaul, NYU, UCLA, UCSD, UC Irvine, Rutgers, University of Illinois, and Chapman. He is a founding member and the co-chair of the executive board of Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association (TSDCA), and co-founded The Collaborator Party with John Gromada. He is also a founding member of NO MORE 10 Out Of 12's, an advocacy group dedicated to safe working environments in theatre. Now let's get to the conversation!! To learn more about Lindsay's work visit his site, here To get plugged in with TSDCA --- Hosted by Laura Linda Bradley Join the WMF creative community now! Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@whatsmyframe⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠@whatsmyframe⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠IMDb⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠What's My Frame? official site ⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Join our monthly newsletter!⁠⁠⁠ What's My Frame? merch⁠⁠⁠⁠ Proceeds will be donated to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation to support actors affected by the strikes. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/whats-my-frame/support

The Imagine Neighborhood just turned three this week, so we know how exciting birthdays can be! It reminds us of the time Princess Donnasaurus decided she couldn't wait another whole year for hers, and decreed that EVERY day would be her birthday!It seemed like a good idea at first, but it turns out that partying every day is exhausting, cake and ice cream aren't all that nutritious, and special days aren't so special when they never end. Luckily, Scotty was on hand to help PD learn patience, and that some things are worth waiting for!Get more at: IMAGINENEIGHBORHOOD.orgFriend and follow us!TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM

It's our birthday! The Imagine Neighborhood launched on this day in 2020, and now we have 5 seasons, 145 episodes, and over 1.3M downloads, all thanks to YOU!To celebrate we're sharing a brand-new remaster of our first-ever episode, "Count Vacula Feels Afraid." It's the story about the time Count Vacula was having some big feelings called separation anxiety. The babysitter was coming over, and even though Vac likes her a lot he suddenly felt very worried that I might never come back! But with a little encouragement, Vac was able to share his feelings with me—and together we learned that talking about the things that matter with the people that matter most can help you feel better about almost anything!

  Here in the Imagine Neighborhood, we love questions! We love to ask them, because that's how we learn about things, and we love to answer them because that's how we help other people learn about things. This week, Vac and I are answering questions from listeners like you, and they're great!      You wanted to learn about all kinds of fun things, like why does Macho always smash Scotty's window? How can the Burn Voyage sail on lava without catching fire? How does Princess Donnasaurus get ready in the morning, and how many attachments does Count Vacula have, and . . . well, you'll have to hear the episode to find out the rest!     A big thank you to Elyza, Levi, Maggie, Mara, Robin, Rosemary, Theo, and all of Mrs. Darley's first-grade class for writing in to us—that was very kind of you!   For more visit http://HowWereYouKind.today

BREAKING NEWS! This just in from WTIN Studios, The Imagine Neighborhood's top radio station: Reports indicate that many kinds of animals are having difficulty safely crossing the busy road in front of Princess Donnasaurus's castle! Her Royal Highness is personally taking action to assist them, but it seems she hasn't made sure that they all want her help.Is an act of kindness still kind, even if it's unwelcome? Let's join lead anchor Cardboard Scotty with Count Vacula live at Donnasaurus Castle to bring you all the answers. Over to you, Cardboard Scotty! . . . 

Has anyone ever dared you to do something? Maybe it was something silly, like hopping on one leg all day, or only talking Pig Latin at lunchtime. Or maybe it was something that felt dangerous, like petting a strange dog, or jumping off the swings. But no matter what it was—what if you just didn't want to do it?When someone dares us to do something—is it okay to say “no”? What if we already said yes, but then we change our minds? These are some of the questions Cap'n Marion is asking in this week's episode, “Reckless Ricardo”! Today, Scotty is at Lava Avenue, where a big crowd has gathered to watch Cap'n Marion perform three difficult stunts—stunts that only the legendary pirate Reckless Ricardo has ever accomplished! She completes the first two, but when the time comes to lava-ski down the side of boiling hot Mt. Infernus on just a pair of boat paddles, Cap'n Marion isn't so sure she wants to keep going. Her sailor-sense tells her that it's not a good idea, but everyone is watching and waiting! --Will we ever know why the Dread Pirate Cummerbund kept a vat of tuna salad in his backyard?–Will Scotty survive an entire afternoon of physical exercise?–Will Cap'n Marion learn that sometimes the bravest thing you can do is say “no”?For the answers to all these questions and a high seas adventure that's sure to shiver yer timbers, hoist yer anchor and set sail with The Imagine Neighborhood!

Has anyone ever dared you to do something? Maybe it was something silly, like hopping on one leg all day, or only talking Pig Latin at lunchtime. Or maybe it was something that felt dangerous, like petting a strange dog, or jumping off the swings. But no matter what it was—what if you just didn't want to do it?When someone dares us to do something—is it okay to say “no”? What if we already said yes, but then we change our minds? These are some of the questions Cap'n Marion is asking in this week's episode, “Reckless Ricardo”! Today, Scotty is at Lava Avenue, where a big crowd has gathered to watch Cap'n Marion perform three difficult stunts—stunts that only the legendary pirate Reckless Ricardo has ever accomplished! She completes the first two, but when the time comes to lava-ski down the side of boiling hot Mt. Infernus on just a pair of boat paddles, Cap'n Marion isn't so sure she wants to keep going. Her sailor-sense tells her that it's not a good idea, but everyone is watching and waiting! --Will we ever know why the Dread Pirate Cummerbund kept a vat of tuna salad in his backyard?–Will Scotty survive an entire afternoon of physical exercise?–Will Cap'n Marion learn that sometimes the bravest thing you can do is say “no”?For the answers to all these questions and a high seas adventure that's sure to shiver yer timbers, hoist yer anchor and set sail with The Imagine Neighborhood!

Hi there, Listeners!  Oh, um, I mean . . .LisTINers?  Listenersesessess? . . . Hmmm...Anyway, friends—this week on The Imagine Neighborhood™ we're doing a Q&A episode, which is where we answer (As!) questions (Qs!) sent in this season by YOU, our awesome Neighbors!  Or, eh . . . Should we call you "Neighborinos". . . or maybe "Neighborlings"?Well, we'll get back to that . . .As I was saying, today Vac and I got to go through all the mail we've received this season and decided to read your messages and answer some of your letters right here on the show!  You asked some really interesting  questions about us, and about Cap'n Marion and Princess Donnasaurus, too—wanting to know about our favorite animals, our friends, and even what we do to help ourselves calm down when we feel worried!  We hope you like today's episode, and if your question didn't get answered this time, don't worry—we'll have more listener-questions in an upcoming show . . . er, um, I mean . . . listenarian-questions?  Hey, I know! How about you tell us what you'd like to be called?!Have your grown-up email us at kind@imagineneighborhood.org—or leave us a comment on our Instagram or Facebook page—and tell us what name you think friends of The Imagine Neighborhood should be called! We can't wait to read all the cool suggestions you come up with!Special thanks to Florence, Travis, Harper, and Kobe for being part of today's show. We loved getting your letters and being able to answer your questions, and most of all, we loved when you told us—how were you kind today?Have a great week, everybody, and watch out for those draggers!Scotty

Hi there, Listeners!  Oh, um, I mean . . .LisTINers?  Listenersesessess? . . . Hmmm...Anyway, friends—this week on The Imagine Neighborhood™ we're doing a Q&A episode, which is where we answer (As!) questions (Qs!) sent in this season by YOU, our awesome Neighbors!  Or, eh . . . Should we call you "Neighborinos". . . or maybe "Neighborlings"?Well, we'll get back to that . . .As I was saying, today Vac and I got to go through all the mail we've received this season and decided to read your messages and answer some of your letters right here on the show!  You asked some really interesting  questions about us, and about Cap'n Marion and Princess Donnasaurus, too—wanting to know about our favorite animals, our friends, and even what we do to help ourselves calm down when we feel worried!  We hope you like today's episode, and if your question didn't get answered this time, don't worry—we'll have more listener-questions in an upcoming show . . . er, um, I mean . . . listenarian-questions?  Hey, I know! How about you tell us what you'd like to be called?!Have your grown-up email us at kind@imagineneighborhood.org—or leave us a comment on our Instagram or Facebook page—and tell us what name you think friends of The Imagine Neighborhood should be called! We can't wait to read all the cool suggestions you come up with!Special thanks to Florence, Travis, Harper, and Kobe for being part of today's show. We loved getting your letters and being able to answer your questions, and most of all, we loved when you told us—how were you kind today?Have a great week, everybody, and watch out for those draggers!Scotty

Everyone makes mistakes, and that's okay. What's important is what we do after the mistake to help make things right! One of the very first things someone can do to help make things right is to apologize. But what if the person apologizing doesn't really mean it? Is it enough to just say the words, “I'm sorry”? And do you have to accept an apology even if it isn't sincere?Evil Billionaire Hamster Tantrumus Maximus sure thinks so! In this week's episode, Tantrumus is feeling very frustrated. He thinks that because he's rich he should get attention and power, so he's decided to trick Princess Donnasaurus into making him ruler of the Neighborhood! He's also decided that he can get away with hurting people's feelings and doing unkind things just as long as he says “I'm sorry” afterwards—even if he isn't the least bit sorry at all!Will Scotty be able to scrape all the jam and birdseed off himself before the local sparrows decide it's lunchtime?Will Princess Donnasaurus have to go live with Harry and Meghan?Will Tantrumus ever learn about the importance of empathy?To find out the answers to these questions (and whether we all have to start calling Tantrumus “Your Highness”), sneak past the cream-pie Palace Guards and tune in to this week's fantastic fable of forgiveness from The Imagine Neighborhood! 

Everyone makes mistakes, and that's okay. What's important is what we do after the mistake to help make things right! One of the very first things someone can do to help make things right is to apologize. But what if the person apologizing doesn't really mean it? Is it enough to just say the words, “I'm sorry”? And do you have to accept an apology even if it isn't sincere?Evil Billionaire Hamster Tantrumus Maximus sure thinks so! In this week's episode, Tantrumus is feeling very frustrated. He thinks that because he's rich he should get attention and power, so he's decided to trick Princess Donnasaurus into making him ruler of the Neighborhood! He's also decided that he can get away with hurting people's feelings and doing unkind things just as long as he says “I'm sorry” afterwards—even if he isn't the least bit sorry at all!Will Scotty be able to scrape all the jam and birdseed off himself before the local sparrows decide it's lunchtime?Will Princess Donnasaurus have to go live with Harry and Meghan?Will Tantrumus ever learn about the importance of empathy?To find out the answers to these questions (and whether we all have to start calling Tantrumus “Your Highness”), sneak past the cream-pie Palace Guards and tune in to this week's fantastic fable of forgiveness from The Imagine Neighborhood! 

It's the season for tricks and treats, and here in the Neighborhood, we love to celebrate Halloween with scary decorations and all kinds of spooky fun! But what makes something scary? Is everybody scared by the same things? Scotty and Vac thought so, until they invited Alakazambra over to see the cool haunted house they made last year. It had monsters, and alien eggs, and bowls of eyeballs . . . and Alakazambra wasn't frightened at all! It turns out that when you've been battling demons for thousands of years, a mummy made of toilet paper just isn't very exciting.At first Scotty and Vac were a little disappointed. But when Alakazambra invited them over to visit her haunted house, they couldn't wait to find out what kinds of chills and thrills a powerful sorceress puts together when she wants to have some frightening fun! Would they discover demons? Hordes of howling banshees? Gruesome ghosts? Or, um . . . is that a kitten?!Did Alakazambra learn that different people can feel differently about things, and that's okay?Did Scotty survive the tiny tot talent show?Are we sure that not everyone is afraid of Nickelback?To find out, grab your most ghoulish getup and get ready to revisit one of the eeriest episodes ever of The Imagine Neighborhood! 

It's the season for tricks and treats, and here in the Neighborhood, we love to celebrate Halloween with scary decorations and all kinds of spooky fun! But what makes something scary? Is everybody scared by the same things? Scotty and Vac thought so, until they invited Alakazambra over to see the cool haunted house they made last year. It had monsters, and alien eggs, and bowls of eyeballs . . . and Alakazambra wasn't frightened at all! It turns out that when you've been battling demons for thousands of years, a mummy made of toilet paper just isn't very exciting.At first Scotty and Vac were a little disappointed. But when Alakazambra invited them over to visit her haunted house, they couldn't wait to find out what kinds of chills and thrills a powerful sorceress puts together when she wants to have some frightening fun! Would they discover demons? Hordes of howling banshees? Gruesome ghosts? Or, um . . . is that a kitten?!Did Alakazambra learn that different people can feel differently about things, and that's okay?Did Scotty survive the tiny tot talent show?Are we sure that not everyone is afraid of Nickelback?To find out, grab your most ghoulish getup and get ready to revisit one of the eeriest episodes ever of The Imagine Neighborhood! 

If you wanted a glass of juice, you wouldn't ask for a glass of moose, would you?If you wanted to go to the park, you wouldn't ask to go to the shark, would you?Using the correct name for things is important—and using the correct name for a person is even more important! Because if you call your juice a moose, no one's feelings will get hurt. But a person's name is a big part of their identity, and saying their name wrong can make them feel very sad . . . in fact, in this week's episode, calling someone by the wrong name can even make them turn invisible!This week, we finally get to meet Alakazambra's wizard boyfriend, Bandersnatch Countyseat! It's Bandersnatch's birthday, and a monster surprise party is in the works—but Bandersnatch isn't really in a party mood. Everyone keeps saying his name wrong, and every time they do, a little piece of him fades away. And if the gang can't fix the problem in time, Bandersnatch may disappear completely!Will Scotty ever learn to say Bandersnatch Countyseat's name right?Will the multiplication table run out of treats before the party starts?Will Alakazambra and Bandersnatch ever stop grossing us out with their lovey-dovey whispering?To find out, put on your party hat and get ready to belt out “Happy Birthday” to Butternut . . . um, Bandicoot . . . um, Bandersnatch Countyseat in today's transparently terrific tale from The Imagine Neighborhood!

If you wanted a glass of juice, you wouldn't ask for a glass of moose, would you?If you wanted to go to the park, you wouldn't ask to go to the shark, would you?Using the correct name for things is important—and using the correct name for a person is even more important! Because if you call your juice a moose, no one's feelings will get hurt. But a person's name is a big part of their identity, and saying their name wrong can make them feel very sad . . . in fact, in this week's episode, calling someone by the wrong name can even make them turn invisible!This week, we finally get to meet Alakazambra's wizard boyfriend, Bandersnatch Countyseat! It's Bandersnatch's birthday, and a monster surprise party is in the works—but Bandersnatch isn't really in a party mood. Everyone keeps saying his name wrong, and every time they do, a little piece of him fades away. And if the gang can't fix the problem in time, Bandersnatch may disappear completely!Will Scotty ever learn to say Bandersnatch Countyseat's name right?Will the multiplication table run out of treats before the party starts?Will Alakazambra and Bandersnatch ever stop grossing us out with their lovey-dovey whispering?To find out, put on your party hat and get ready to belt out “Happy Birthday” to Butternut . . . um, Bandicoot . . . um, Bandersnatch Countyseat in today's transparently terrific tale from The Imagine Neighborhood!

Do you call it a see-saw, or a teeter-totter? Do you call it soda, or pop? Do you say wash, or warsh? Do you call them sneakers, or tennis shoes, or maybe kicks?  Do you “get ready” to do something, or “fix” to do it?  The way that people speak is called their “dialect,” and these are all examples of various dialects. Your dialect can reflect a lot of things about your identity—like your ethnic or cultural heritage, what part of the country you live in, and even where your neighborhood is.  Fun fact! We all learned to speak in ways that are a little bit different from each other, which means that everyone has at least one dialect—yes, even you! And some people learn to speak in more than one dialect, which can come in very handy. In fact, this week, having different dialects saves the day in The Imagine Neighborhood!  Today, Scotty, Alakazambra, and Miss Mamas are on an Epic Quest to find the enchanted spellbook The Glamoire. But the book is hidden deep inside the diabolical Temple of 'Do, which is filled with tricky booby traps . . . and Scotty falls into all of them! Miss Mamas and Alakazambra take turns casting wizarding spells in each of their own dialects, and together they save Scotty, get The Glamoire, and learn that the way everybody speaks is magical! Will Scotty be able to tootsie-roll his way out of the bottomless pit?Will Alakazambra and Miss Mamas uncover the speech secrets of The Glamoire?Why did it have to be snakes? For all the answers, grab thine magic wand, your curling wand, or whatever enchanting accessory reflects your identity, and get ready to get caught up in today's spellbinding episode of The Imagine Neighborhood! 

Have you ever done something good, and it made you feel great about yourself? That happy feeling is called being proud. Maybe you felt proud of yourself for picking up your toys before someone asked you to, or when you learned something difficult like riding a bike or doing subtraction. We often feel proud when we do something special—but did you know you can also just be proud of all of the things that make you who you are? You can be proud of your family's heritage, and where you come from. You can be proud of liking to read, or how much you care about your friends. You can be proud of being someone who always tries their best. You can be proud of all the different parts of your identity, because they are what make you, you!In today's episode of The Imagine Neighborhood, Count Vacula isn't sure if it's okay to just feel proud of who he is. In fact, Vac's worried that he might need a secret superhero identity before he can feel proud. And when bossy Queen Hastabee kidnaps Scotty to teach him a lesson about how cereal “hastabee,” Vac decides that the only way to save him is to put on a cape and become Captain Vactacular!Will Scotty finish eating his Choco-berry Marshmallow Bransplosion before Queen Hastabee takes it away from him?Will Vac learn that he's always been a hero, and that the things he can be proud of are already part of his own identity? Will Queen Hastabee ever get the Crunchulator sugar frosting out of her Supervillain outfit?To find out, grab a bowl and spoon and get ready to enjoy your recommended daily allowance of The Imagine Neighborhood! 

What are the things that make you, you? Some parts of who you are come from where you live or what culture you grew up in. Some of your identity can be physical, like how tall or short you are. Some of who you are includes the things you enjoy doing, like making art or playing sports. Your identity is full of unique and interesting things that make you the person that you are!But what happens when you tell someone who you are, and they don't believe you?In this week's installment of The Imagine Neighborhood, Princess Donnasaurus has sent her Poll-a-Keet out to make sure that the Royal Records are up to date on important things like everyone's birthdays, favorite colors, and gender. But when Count Vacula says he's a boy, the Poll-a-Keet insists that anyone who looks like a vacuum can't be a boy.That makes Vac wonder—What makes someone a boy? Is it the things that you like to do? Is it what your friends say? How does someone know for sure if they are a boy or not?It'll take an Epic Quest, sardine pancakes, and macho manicures for Vac to learn that there's no one right way to be a boy, or a girl, or anything else, and that the person who knows you best—is you!For activities based on this episode, have your grown-up sign up for our weekly Wednesday newsletter—but right now, get ready to find out who likes lemonade, who can do a thousand-and-one pushups, and who's a pretty bird on today's exciting episode of The Imagine Neighborhood™! Further reading:https://allstatefoundation.org/https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2780234Everymom

Hi there, listeners!Summer's almost over, but (buuuu-uuuuuut!) that's good news—because it means that a brand new season of The Imagine Neighborhood is right around the corner!Everyone here is so excited to share all of our exciting new adventures, and introduce you to all of our awesome new friends!  In Season Five we'll ride roller coasters, find wizard treasure, talk to space chickens, steal tiny spoons, do feats of daring, throw birthday parties, stop a royal rout, and of course, eat lots and lots and LOTS of cereal—so ask your grownup to get on our mailing list and get ready to spend some time with us in The Imagine Neighborhood!

Avast, ye landlubbing listeners!It be I, Cap'n Marion, sendin' ye a piratey postcard direct from the deck of the Burn Voyage! Are ye havin' a swashbucklin' summer? I surely be! For I be spendin' me summer tellin' me friends—and even me enemies!—"I love you!" And how does a scurvy sailor such as myself say "I love you"? Why, with compliments, o' course! Just this mornin' I told one o' the Fire Pirates that his hook glittered like a dolphin in the sun. And I told me adoptive mother that her laugh makes me happier than a treasure chest full o' gold!How do ye say "I love you"? Let me know! Put yer message in a bottle and send it to kind@imagineneighborhood.org, and I'll make sure that Scotty rewards each and every one of ye beautiful buccaneers with a sticker!Well mateys, keep yer sails to the wind and yer booty off the barnacles, and I'll see you soon back at The Imagine Neighborhood!PS: If ye be sailin' near Madison, Wisconsin on August 18th, drop anchor at the Alicia Ashman Library where they be hostin' a kids' podcast listenin' pARRRty all about The Imagine Neighborhood!PPS: AYE love you!!

Greetings, my Royal Subjects! It is I, Princess Donnasaurus, wishing you a most resplendent summer! I have been making sure that my summer is resplendent by bestowing Royal Hugs upon all of my friends. That is a very good way to say “I love you!” Of course, I only give Royal Hugs to my friends if they want them. If someone says they do not want a hug right now (even one from a Regal Personage such as myself!), another majestic way to say “I love you” is to save your hug for another time. I would be delighted to offer you a Royal Hug, but unfortunately, we are too far apart. Instead, may I suggest that you have your grown-up help you write me to tell me—how were you kind today, and then I decree that Scotty shall send you a sticker!Have a stately summer, my friends, and I shall see you soon in The Imagine Neighborhood! PS: I love you!! 

Salutations! It is I, Alakazambra Tyesha Morganis, sending you greetings from Flutterbudge Lake Summer Camp where I am saying “I love you” by teaching Charms and Crafts to all the campers! This year, camp is extra special. Wanteth to know why? Because Count of Vacula is here as well! He has never been to camp before, so I thought sharing this experience with him wouldst be a terrific way to say, “I love you!”We are having a spellbinding summer, and Vac is even helping me write a love letter to my boyfriend, Bandersnatch Countyseat. That is, Vac might help me as soon as he calms down from all the goblin glitter he hath eaten off the floor . . . rby the Eye of Greldar, that stuff really makes him excited!I shall see you all again in a few weeks back at The Imagine Neighborhood™, but in the meantime, I hope you are finding all kinds of magical methods for telling your family and friends “I love you!” Sendeth me a letter to tell me about it, and of course, I wouldst be delighted to know—how wast thou kind today?PS: And remember—pixie wings do NOT go in thine mouth!

Helloooo out there you radical rockers, and happy summer! It's me, Doctor Apocalypso, coming to you live from the Doc Apocapalooza music festival where ten thousand fans are having an awesome time jamming out to my newest song “The Way I Say I Love You!”  You heard a short version of the song in the Great Breakfast Mess episode, but today we're sharing the whole entire thing, so crank up the volume and get ready to shout I LOVE YOU!I'll see you back at The Imagine Neighborhood in a couple weeks, and until then, keep rockin' . . . and don't forget to write in and tell us—how were you kind today?Ps: I LOVE YOU!!!!

Everybody makes mistakes. Sometimes they're small mistakes, like forgetting our jacket or dropping a fork on the floor. Sometimes they're bigger mistakes, like breaking a rule or being unkind to someone. But whether the mistake is big or little, we might feel embarrassed, upset, or even scared about it. What if the mistake makes someone angry? What if they yell at us? What if we can't figure out how to make things right? . . . These are the questions that Doctor Apocalypso is asking herself in this week's story.It's Father's Day, and Doc wants to let her dads know how much she loves them, so she plans a very special breakfast-in-bed—maybe one that's a little too special! And when Doc's turbocharged breakfast catapult makes a mess in the house, her Papa gets very upset. He shouts at Doc in such a scary voice that she thinks he might not love her anymore, and so she runs away to live in Scotty's cupboard!Will one bite of Scotty's Choc-o-Berry Marshmallow Bran Explosion send Doc hurrying home?Will Papa's apology help Doc understand that it's okay to make mistakes, because they help us learn how to do better next time?Will Doc's new song “Ways to Say I Love You” be the world's next huge hit?For all the answers, agarra a alguien que amas and get ready to hit the dance floor for some heart-pounding headbanging on today's rockin' episode of The Imagine Neighborhood!

What's something you really like about the way you look? Is it your smile? Your funny little pinky toes? The cool T-shirt you always wear on Wednesdays? Maybe it's your freckles or your strong legs that can run really fast. There are a lot of unique and beautiful things about the way every one of us looks!But what if someone was mean to you because of something about your appearance? What if people excluded you just for the way you wear your hair? That's what happened to Alakazambra, and that's what this week's story is about.Today Vac is super excited, because Alakazambra is taking him to a fancy new roller-skating rink! But first, she's getting a beautiful brand-new hairdo. And Alakazambra's not visiting just any old salon—she's seeing magical Miss Mamas, owner of The Enchanted Haus of Coils, Curls, and Charms!After Miss Mamas gives Alakazambra the most bewitching braids we've ever beheld, she feels happy, confident, and ready to roll! But when we get to the rink, there's trouble. A bunch of troller skaters show up and make fun of Alakazambra's hairstyle. They tell her they won't let her skate until she takes her braids out.Will Vac give himself a tummyache eating candy off the floor of the Golden Rink Deluxe?  Will Miss Mamas teach Alakazambra to stand up against discrimination and let her inner light shine bright? Will Scotty ever stop looking in the mirror at his fancy new fade?To find out, tighten up those laces and get ready to rock the rink on today's exciting episode of The Imagine Neighborhood (and if you have a minute between songs, remind your grown-up to get on our newsletter list for awesome episode activities)!  Ready? Set?ALL SKAAAAAAAAAATE!

Award-winning producer and director of innovation at The Imagine Neighborhood,Scotty Iseri, talks about the limited series: Imagine Equity: Six New Stories About Race,Identy and Making Things Right, for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month ! We also talk about KINDNESS!

Hello, listeners! This week we're delighted to bring you—YOU!  You've been writing in all year with really thoughtful questions for your friends in The Imagine Neighborhood™, and today we're going to try to track everybody down and get the answers you're looking for!Wondering about wizard powers, or musing over why Macho needs to know if things are macho?Curious why we confronted Rick Fryer in “Doc Apoc Has a Beef”, or hoping for help on how to handle feeling bad when you make a mistake?Want to know if I can eat an extra-large mushroom bacon green pepper pizza all by myself and not get a terrible tummyache . . . ?If so—we've got your show! I'm really excited for you to tune in today and join Vac, Alakazambra, Macho, and me as we read and reply to letters from listeners just like you.   And hey, did you know that getting your messages and questions is our very favorite thing? Well, it is! So, if there are things you'd like to ask us—about the Neighborhood, or about big feelings, or about anything at all—you can email us, or you can have your grown-up post your questions in the reviews section of your podcast provider. We can't wait to read what you have to say, and don't forget to tell us—how were you kind today?Talk to you again soon!Scotty

Hello, listeners! This week we're delighted to bring you—YOU!  You've been writing in all year with really thoughtful questions for your friends in The Imagine Neighborhood™, and today we're going to try to track everybody down and get the answers you're looking for!Wondering about wizard powers, or musing over why Macho needs to know if things are macho?Curious why we confronted Rick Fryer in “Doc Apoc Has a Beef”, or hoping for help on how to handle feeling bad when you make a mistake?Want to know if I can eat an extra-large mushroom bacon green pepper pizza all by myself and not get a terrible tummyache . . . ?If so—we've got your show! I'm really excited for you to tune in today and join Vac, Alakazambra, Macho, and me as we read and reply to letters from listeners just like you.   And hey, did you know that getting your messages and questions is our very favorite thing? Well, it is! So, if there are things you'd like to ask us—about the Neighborhood, or about big feelings, or about anything at all—you can email us, or you can have your grown-up post your questions in the reviews section of your podcast provider. We can't wait to read what you have to say, and don't forget to tell us—how were you kind today?Talk to you again soon!Scotty

Hi, friends! It's me, Count Vacula, sharing my newest No Filter—and my newest friend—with you!This week I got to meet Molly Birnbaum! If her name sounds familiar, it might be because she was in The Imagine Neighborhood™ just a few weeks ago, helping Macho and Mitsy understand each other better in “The Gourmetborhood.” But today, she and I got to just hang out and make friends!Something Molly and I have in common is that we both have podcasts! Molly hosts Mystery Recipe, where you can learn how to make tasty treats at home. But even though we both really like to try new foods, something we don't have in common is that she has never eaten lint from underneath the couch! Not even the tiniest piece. Can you believe it?!Molly really loves to cook delicious food, and her favorite thing is helping kids learn how to be creative and safe in the kitchen, so that they can cook delicious food too. She also likes cardboard creations, and drawing treasure maps, and reading. Plus, she's super kind, and she told me a very sweet true story about hugging her son when he was feeling frustrated, and a very sweet made-up story about whales and all their big feelings!I really liked getting to know Molly and learning about the things that interest her—and after you listen to this episode, I think you might feel the same way!With all this practice, I'm starting to get pretty good at meeting new people. Have you had the chance to try making friends with someone new and different yet? Email me to let me know how it's going. Maybe your new friend can be my new friend, too!See you soon!Vac

Have you ever been so caught up in playing that you didn't realize you had scraped your knee? Were you so focused on finishing a puzzle or a game that you almost missed lunch? Have you been so excited to visit a zoo or go to a movie that you forgot to take a potty break?Doing interesting things uses up a lot of our attention, and that's okay—but it's important to keep checking in on ourselves, because what our body is feeling can change how we feel! And if we let ourselves get too tired, or too hungry, or we wait too long to go to the bathroom, we can start to feel bad, or sad, and we can spoil our own fun.In today's episode, Macho is doing a very interesting thing! He's been working hard for weeks and weeks to put the final touches on his brand-new spaceship, the Mach Mini, and now he's invited Vac and Scotty over to see its first launch!  It's an exciting day, but Macho doesn't seem excited. In fact, it seems like something is very wrong. He's getting upset easily and behaving rudely and unkindly. The Mach Mini is amazing, it's a great day for a spaceship launch, and two of his best pals are there to celebrate with him . . . so, what's making Macho so unhappy?  Is Macho annoyed that Vac needs to take a break to recharge his batteries?Is Macho embarrassed because he doesn't seem strong enough to yeet Scotty today?Is Macho's Boo-Boo Module connected to the Flex Axis, and is the Flex Axis connected to the Potty Region? It'll take a pint-sized probe and a Macho Body Check-In to get the important answers on today's stellar installment of The Imagine Neighborhood™!Get episode activity ideas and discussion prompts by having your grown-up sign up for our weekly Wednesday newsletter—but first, strap on your (itty-bitty) seatbelt, grab your (teensy-weensy) spaceship steering wheel, and get ready to take off with us for an adventure that's out of this world (and into a Macho)!

Familiar things can be great! Sometimes it's nice to know that there won't be any surprises, and that things will turn out exactly as we expect them to. But if we never try anything different, we might miss out on discovering something awesome. This week, we're partnering with the kind folks over at the Imagine Neighborhood podcast to bring you another special bonus episode! If you love this episode, you'll love the Imagine Neighborhood, check out more episodes of their show wherever you listen! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Familiar things can be great! Sometimes it's nice to know that there won't be any surprises, and that things will turn out exactly as we expect them to. But if we never try anything different, we might miss out on discovering something awesome.This week, we're welcoming a couple of new friends to the Neighborhood! Molly and Mitsy can usually be found in the Mystery Recipe podcast from America's Test Kitchen, but today they're joining up with us to make a brand-new TV show all about interesting recipes! Everyone's getting involved—Alakazambra and Gruncle Vaxie made appetizers, Princess Donnasaurus and Doctor Apocalypso made main dishes, and Macho and Mitsy are making desserts!Everything is going great until Macho finds out that Mitsy has baked a special kind of cake—one that is made without any flour! Mitsy's family eats flourless cake every year at their Passover holiday celebration, but Macho doesn't think a cake without flour is a real cake. In fact, he's worried that a flourless cake might be slimy, or stick his mouth closed, or—worst of all—it might not taste good!Will Mitsy and Macho destroy the kitchen with their spatula showdown?Does Gruncle Vaxie's bare-bowl appetizer accurately convey the emptiness of our cold, hollow march through time?Is Macho truly macho enough to try something new?For Mitsy's cake recipe, plus great activity ideas and conversation starters, have your grown-up sign up for our newsletter—but right now, get the answers to all these important questions by taking a great big bite out of this week's scrumptious installment of The Imagine Neighborhood™!

Hello again, friends! It's me—Count Vacula, back with a brand-new episode of No Filter with Count Vacula!This week, my guest is the very friendly, talented, and fun Tom Toro, who has one of the coolest jobs I've ever heard of. Tom is a cartoonist, which means his job is to draw! How great is that? Your grown-ups may recognize Tom's name because he draws a lot of cartoons for a magazine called The New Yorker, but he's also put out two terrific books for kids. One is called How to Potty Train Your Porcupine, which Tom wrote and illustrated all by himself. The other one is called I'm Terrified of Bath Time, which was written by Tom's friend Simon Rich—but Tom drew all of the pictures! Tom and I have a lot of things in common. We both like cats—even though he mostly likes to play with them, and I mostly like to eat their hair off the floor (black cat hairs are the tastiest!)—and we both like to read cartoons. Something else we share is that we both live far away from our families. A lot of my family lives on the continent of Asia, and a lot of Tom's family lives on the continent of Europe!Tom talked to me about drawing, flying, hiding from imaginary monsters, and the “little library” he has at his house—and he also made up a great story about how cats use their whiskers to communicate with other planets! I had a great time learning about my new friend Tom, and I think you'll have a great time, too.We'll be seeing each other around The Imagine Neighborhood™, but I also have more No Filter episodes coming up, with more new friends for you to meet. In the meantime, I hope you're making some fun new friends of your own! You can write in and tell me all about it—or just let me know, how were you kind today?See you soon!Your pal,Vac

Do you have a favorite game that you love to play? Did you ever teach a friend to play it, too? Or maybe someone taught you about their favorite game, or book, or some other cool thing that they really like. It's awesome when we can share the things we enjoy with other people! But it's not so awesome when the person doing the teaching isn't being patient or laughs when we make mistakes. It can feel hurtful and frustrating, and it definitely takes the fun out of playing together.This week, Scotty and Vac are over at Preston Changeo's house, learning Bozelba—the most popular board game in the wizard world! Preston is a Bozelba champion, and he's very excited to get his friends involved . . . but he's not doing a very good job of explaining how to play. He's going very fast, he's behaving rudely, and worst of all, he's making fun of Vac for not getting things right the first time!Will Preston do a Switcheroo, to help him remember what it felt like when he was first learning to play the game? Will Vac be able to catapult the 100-Foot Chicken at the Power Pedestal to release the Bozelba? Will Scotty eat up all the pizza muffins? There's only one way to find out!For fun episode activity ideas, have your grown-up sign up for our weekly Wednesday newsletter—but right now, get ready to roll the (16-sided) dice on today's exciting episode of The Imagine Neighborhood™!

Hi, listeners! I'm so glad you're here, because this week we're sharing something a little different and very cool with you!  Do you remember the episode called “Food Fight”? It's about the time Vac and I were pirate-sitting the Burn Voyage and mean Captain Deen took over the ship. She wasn't happy that the pirates had all brought special ethnic foods from home, and she tried to make everyone eat her asparagus dumplings instead. But the crew all stood up for each other, and—with the help of a big, delicious mess—taught Captain Deen that people's ethnicities are an important part of who they are, and that the tastiest meals (like the greatest pirate crews!) are diverse.Well, recently the team behind the scenes here at The Imagine Neighborhood™ had a chance to get on stage and share that story in-person with a new group of friends at an event called SXSW EDU (pronounced “South by Southwest ee-dee-you”). It's a big gathering in Texas where people from all over meet up to share the things they like—and we really like sharing stories about the Neighborhood!What was extra fun about telling the story of “Food Fight” to our new friends is that our team got to pretend to be different people in the story! Vac got to be himself, but Michal pretended to be me, Melly pretended to be all the pirates, and Bilal pretended to be Captain Deen. We had a blast using our imaginations and making the story fun and exciting for the audience. We hope it's fun and exciting for you to hear it in this new way, too!Thanks for checking out this special episode, and remember, you can use your imagination and play out stories from The Imagine Neighborhood, too—and if you do, we'd love to hear about it!  Have a great week, everyone!Scotty

Hi, everybody! It's me—your pal, Count Vacula! It's been a long time since I got to share a new No Filter with Count Vacula with you, and I'm super excited for us to get back to practicing meeting new people and learning how to make friends.My guest this week is the congresswoman for Washington's 10th District—Marilyn Strickland! Congresspeople are a very important part of our government. They're chosen by the residents of their state to work together to make lots of big decisions. It's a tough job, but you get to help all sorts of people in all sorts of ways!Even though Marilyn is a human and a congressperson and I'm a robot vampire vacuum cleaner, we have a lot of things in common! Both of our families come from the Asian country of Korea; we both like to travel (even though she mostly travels in airplanes and I've mostly traveled on Cap'n Marion's ship or the Mach Billion); and we both think it's really important to be kind and to help people as often as you can.Marilyn had some really interesting things to say about meeting ghosts, and making cardboard sleds, and she told a fun make-believe story about how tigers got their stripes—and why they might sometimes smell like candy!I really enjoyed getting to know Marilyn better and finding out about her, and I hope you will, too. If there's someone you think I should get to know better—let me know. Maybe they can be a guest on my show!I'll see you next week in The Imagine Neighborhood™, and stay tuned for more brand-new No Filter episodes in the weeks ahead!Love,Vac

Welcome to Part Two of our putrid parable about problem-solving, as we rejoin Scotty, Princess Donnasaurus, and Pete Twanger in the middle of dealing with  myriad magical messes all over town—plus a fart tornado that's still headed right for the Neighborhood!Last week, Pete Twanger tried to stop the fart tornado by throwing all kinds of objects at it with his “ptwanger” machine—including Princess Donnasaurus's magical artifacts! And even though his solution didn't work, Pete just kept on ptwanging and ptwanging. The items landed everywhere, creating lots of magical mayhem. Now the library is full of flying book-bats, Macho is having a disco dilemma, and a band of Royal Messenger Monkeys are harassing a new (and somewhat unexpected, if quite elegant) princess!With so many things going wrong, it's going to take every problem-solving approach that PD and Scotty know to get the Neighborhood sorted out and make sure everyone's safe inside before the fart tornado hits!  So head on over to The Imagine Neighborhood™ for cardio conundrums, mole sauce (made by actual moles), and finally finding a problem that Pete's ptwanger can solve in today's second stormy story installment!And hey, friends, if you enjoy the episode, you can send us your drawings about it for our Infinite Refrigerator—and if your grown-up signs up for our mailing list, you'll get our Wednesday newsletter full of cool things to talk about and fun episode activity ideas! We can't wait to hear your thoughts about what's going on in the Neighborhood, and of course, we'd love to know: how were you kind today?

Have you ever come up with a really good solution to a problem? It feels great when we figure out how to fix something that's bothering us. But what happens when you try your solution and it doesn't work? Getting stuck in a problem can be super frustrating, so it's important to know how to come up with new ideas!This week, Scotty and Princess Donnasaurus will need a LOT of new ideas, because they have a LOT of problems to solve. First, there's a dangerous (and very stinky) fart tornado headed right towards the Neighborhood! And second, there's a new grown-up in town who isn't very good at problem-solving. Pete Twanger thinks he can fix the fart tornado by throwing things at it with his “ptwanger” machine. From sofas to people to Princess Donnasaurus's beloved magical treasures, he ptwangs and ptwangs, but of course the fart tornado keeps on coming—plus, he's making a big magical mess all over the place!Can Scotty and PD teach Pete Twanger how to Switcheroo before it's too late? Will  “getting large to take charge” help Pete stop creating magical kittens by mistake? Will “getting small to deal with it all” bring back PD's enchanted record player? In any case, somebody better shake things up quick, because the Neighborhood is getting stinkier by the minute!  So, join us as we kick off Part One of this pungent parable, and don't miss the thrilling story conclusion one week from today! In the meantime, have your grown-up get on our mailing list for our weekly Wednesday newsletter with episode discussion prompts and activity ideas. And hey—we're so excited to welcome you back to another year in The Imagine Neighborhood™!

Hey, friends—it's the last Monday of the year, so you know what THAT means, don't you? . . . Yup! It's Cardboard Boxing Day! Happy Cardboard Boxing Day, everybody! We hope your family is making the most of any boxes left over from the holidays, and we can't wait to see photos of all your amazing cardboard creations!Today is also the day of our last episode for 2021, so we wanted to do something a little special—Recently our pal Kobe sent in a bunch of terrific questions for different folks in the Neighborhood, so we decided we'd just dedicate this whole episode to answering them!If you've ever wondered about Vac's attachments, or Alakazambra's powers, or life in the Wasteland, or what the Space Machos are up to, or where Princess Donnasaurus comes from, then this special Kobe Edition of The Imagine Neighborhood™ is for you!We'll be taking the next few weeks off to rest up and get some new episodes ready for you—but if you miss us too much while we're away, you can always have your grown-up grab you a copy of our new book to play with!—and if you'd like to have your questions answered on one of our next Q&As, just ask your grown-up to send them to us at kind@imagineneighborhood.org.  We'll see you soon, and until then stay happy, healthy, and kind. 

Hi, everyone!  Guess what? . . . Vac's back!Oh.  You probably already figured that out when I said “hi.”Well, anyway, I know we just had a No Filter episode last week, but I couldn't wait for you to meet my newest friend, Aaron Horowitz!Aaron is kind, and smart, and fun, and he has the coolest job I ever heard of! Aaron makes robots! And not only robots—he makes robots who have empathy! And not only robots who have empathy—he makes robots who have empathy in order to help kids!His company is called Sproutel, and they make special robots that are designed to help kids with illnesses like cancer or diabetes. They also make robots like Purrble who helps kids get better at calming down when they're upset. I thought that being a robot who keeps the house clean was pretty cool, but Aaron's robots make kids' lives better and healthier! How cool is that?Aaron's not a robot, but some of his best pals are robots, which is something we have in common! Other things we have in common are that we both love making cardboard creations, and learning about—and from!—other people. We talked about empathy, and about how we can pick up garbage in the park to help keep our neighborhoods clean, and he also taught me that every single one of us can make a positive difference in the world, all by ourselves—whether we're a kid or a grown-up, or even a robot!I really liked meeting Aaron, and I think you'll like meeting him, too!Ok, well, I'm gonna go now (my copy of Radio Free Imagine Neighborhood just showed up and I can't wait to go check it out!), but I'll be back soon with another awesome person for us to meet! In the meantime, if you have anything you want to tell me or ask me, just have your grown-up help you email it to me at kind@imagineneighborhood.org, and I'll reply as soon as I can.Have a great week, everybody, and I'll see you later on in The Imagine Neighborhood™!Your pal,Count Vacula

Hey, everybody! It's me, your good pal, Count Vacula!I'm really excited because this week, I get to bring you a very cool and very unusual episode of No Filter with Count Vacula! It's an unusual episode because my guest is Melly Victor—who is someone I already know and like a lot—and it's a cool episode because. . . well, because Melly is super cool!One of the reasons Melly is so cool is that she's part of the awesome creative team at The Imagine Neighborhood™, and another reason is that she has a great podcast of her own called Stoopkid Stories, and another reason is that she's a really terrific person to talk to about adoption—which is what she and I talked about on this episode!If you listened to “Shkarf Attack” on The Imagine Neighborhood a couple weeks ago, you learned that Cap'n Marion is adopted, and that sometimes people have a lot of questions about adoption. Well, just like Cap'n Marion, Melly is adopted, too! She's also very smart and kind, and she agreed to come talk with me and help me understand more about what it means and how it feels to be adopted.  I don't want to spoil the episode for you, so I'll let you listen for yourself—but some important things I learned are that adopted kids are just like anybody else, that not all adopted kids want to talk about adoption and that that's okay, and most importantly of all, that all families are real families!I hope you enjoy getting to know Melly a little better, and if you have any questions for her, or for me, please send us a message! I'm always so excited to get your letters and drawings—it's great to get to know you a little better, too!  Well, thanks a bunch for listening to No Filter! I'll be back again soon with another terrific guest, and in the meantime, I hope all of you and your families are staying safe, happy, and kind! Love,Vac

It's almost Friendsgiving in The Imagine Neighborhood™! Scotty and Vac have been working on their thank-you jar all year: every time they feel thankful, they put a penny into the jar. And every year on Friendsgiving, a mythical yeti collects everyone's jars and donates the money to help the Neighborhood—unless Tantrumus Maximus gets his way . . .This year, Tantrumus Maximus is determined to ruin Friendsgiving. If nobody has anything to be thankful for, maybe everyone will pay attention to him instead. Tantrumus tries every idea in his evil ideas vault to make Scotty and Vac feel less thankful. But even with burned desserts, a pixie pandemic keeping their friends at home, and Tantrumus stealing the thank-you jar for himself, Scotty and Vac manage to find things to be thankful for—including a surprise visit from a mystery guest!It can be hard to find reasons to feel thankful, especially when things go wrong, and especially when a pixie pandemic keeps everyone from being together in person. But that's a great time to start a thank-you jar! Even if you only get to see your loved ones in BrineBlox instead of in person, you can still drop a penny (or a note, or a poem, or a drawing) in the jar. And if you start filling it up now, maybe you'll get a visit from the yeti next year! If you want even more of The Imagine Neighborhood, sign up for our newsletter. Every week, you'll get additional discussion questions and activity ideas for kids and grown-ups. Plus, there's special codes for our book Radio Free Imagine Neighborhood.

It's almost Friendsgiving in The Imagine Neighborhood™! Scotty and Vac have been working on their thank-you jar all year: every time they feel thankful, they put a penny into the jar. And every year on Friendsgiving, a mythical yeti collects everyone's jars and donates the money to help the Neighborhood—unless Tantrumus Maximus gets his way . . . This year, Tantrumus Maximus is determined to ruin Friendsgiving. If nobody has anything to be thankful for, maybe everyone will pay attention to him instead. Tantrumus tries every idea in his evil ideas vault to make Scotty and Vac feel less thankful. But even with burned desserts, a pixie pandemic keeping their friends at home, and Tantrumus stealing the thank-you jar for himself, Scotty and Vac manage to find things to be thankful for—including a surprise visit from a mystery guest!It can be hard to find reasons to feel thankful, especially when things go wrong, and especially when a pixie pandemic keeps everyone from being together in person. But that's a great time to start a thank-you jar! Even if you only get to see your loved ones in BrineBlox instead of in person, you can still drop a penny (or a note, or a poem, or a drawing) in the jar. And if you start filling it up now, maybe you'll get a visit from the yeti next year! If you want even more of The Imagine Neighborhood, sign up for our newsletter. Every week, you'll get additional discussion questions and activity ideas for kids and grown-ups. Plus, there's special codes for our book Radio Free Imagine Neighborhood.

Have you ever felt two things at the same time? Like, maybe you were excited for the first day of school, but also felt nervous about being in a new classroom. Or have you ever felt angry at a friend who you also really, really liked? When we have a bunch of feelings that seem to be the opposite of each other, it can be confusing—or even upsetting.Cap'n Marion sure knows how that feels. In this week's episode, she and Scotty are sailing the Burn Voyage to her annual family reunion when she discovers her original birth certificate . . . and her original name. Cap'n Marion is very proud of being adopted, but she's never thought about her birth family before, and now she's feeling. . . well, a whole lot of things! Should she keep her birth certificate, or shoot it out of the Recyclocannon?Is it okay to love her Fire Pirate family but still want to know more about her birth parents? Is Scotty about to barf up his lunch all over the poop deck if she doesn't stop turning the ship around in circles?For the answers to these very important questions, plus pirate love letters, being confappy, and learning how we are all a little bit like a shkarf sometimes, hoist the mizzenmast and climb aboard for this week's installment of The Imagine Neighborhood™!And hey, listeners! If you want some more fun from this episode, have your grown-up get on our mailing list for our weekly Wednesday newsletter with downloadable discussion prompts and activity ideas—plus special discount offers for our new book, Radio Free Imagine Neighborhood!

Have you ever felt two things at the same time? Like, maybe you were excited for the first day of school, but also felt nervous about being in a new classroom. Or have you ever felt angry at a friend who you also really, really liked? When we have a bunch of feelings that seem to be the opposite of each other, it can be confusing—or even upsetting.Cap'n Marion sure knows how that feels. In this week's episode, she and Scotty are sailing the Burn Voyage to her annual family reunion when she discovers her original birth certificate . . . and her original name. Cap'n Marion is very proud of being adopted, but she's never thought about her birth family before, and now she's feeling. . . well, a whole lot of things! Should she keep her birth certificate, or shoot it out of the Recyclocannon?Is it okay to love her Fire Pirate family but still want to know more about her birth parents? Is Scotty about to barf up his lunch all over the poop deck if she doesn't stop turning the ship around in circles?For the answers to these very important questions, plus pirate love letters, being confappy, and learning how we are all a little bit like a shkarf sometimes, hoist the mizzenmast and climb aboard for this week's installment of The Imagine Neighborhood™!And hey, listeners! If you want some more fun from this episode, have your grown-up get on our mailing list for our weekly Wednesday newsletter with downloadable discussion prompts and activity ideas—plus special discount offers for our new book, Radio Free Imagine Neighborhood!

Is Tantrumus Maximus the most evil billionaire hamster in the whole wide world? Yes. Yes he is. Does Tantrumus Maximus concoct the most evil billionaire hamster capers conceivable? Yes. Yes he does. And does this week's episode have THE most evil billionaire hamster heinousness we've ever heard of (or, rather . . . NOT heard of)?! Yes. Yes it has! This week, evil billionaire hamster Tantrumus Maximus pulls off an auditory atrocity, a musical malefaction, a phonic felony SO diabolical you'll have to hear it to believe it (or, rather . . . NOT hear it to believe it)! See, since we're a podcast, we need sounds to tell our stories. And all of the sounds in the Neighborhood are created by our beloved Mister Music Man Lindsay Jones on his magical Sound Machine. But Tantrumus thinks that if he can take over the Sound Machine, he can take over the Neighborhood—and he just might be right! One thing's for sure: When cats moo and ducks bark and Tantrumus starts talking about his feelings (gasp!), you know things are getting pretty bananapants around here. You can get discussion prompts and activity suggestions for “Tantrumus Maximus and the Sound Machine” by joining our mailing list. In the meantime, enjoy accidental bagpipes, runaway rhinos, disco duets, and learning ways to use sound to express ourselves on this week's episode of The Imagine Neighborhood™!

imagineNeighborhood.org/RadioFree If you think this week's title looks familiar . . . you're right! “Macho's Shot” first came out in August, but we've been hearing that some of our listeners are feeling worried about getting their vaccine, so we thought it would be a good idea to bring this episode back for another look. If you're also feeling uncertain about going to the doctor, we hope you'll give “Macho's Shot” a listen. It's got spaceships, songs, and lots of surprises—but most of all, it will teach you some cool tricks to make going to the doctor a lot less stressful! In this episode, Scotty is headed to the doctor to get his Merman Measles shot, to keep him from getting sick. But it looks like he might miss his appointment, because before Scotty can even get to the doctor's office, Macho Supreme yoinks him away in his spaceship, the Mach Billion! Macho's heard some scary stories from his friends about Scotty's new doctor, and he's determined to keep Scotty safe. But Scotty is . . . NOT throwin' away his shot! You can get discussion prompts and activity suggestions for “Macho's Shot” by joining our mailing list—and in the meantime, enjoy pursuits, predicaments, problem-solving, and a pinch of parody this week on The Imagine Neighborhood™!

Going to the doctor can be scary, even if you're as macho as—Macho Supreme! This week in The Imagine Neighborhood™, Scotty needs to get his Merman Measles shot, but Macho is so afraid something bad might happen to Scotty at the doctor's office that he yoinks Scotty away in the Mach Billion! Will Scotty get back in time for his appointment with Dr. Alexander Camelguy, or will he . . . (apologies) . . . throw away his shot? Will Macho overcome his fears before he and the rest of the Neighborhood turn into a bunch of scaly-tailed, scene-stealing divas? Will listeners listen for the bonus content after the credits? It can feel unfair when something that helps you also hurts a little bit. And shots can hurt for a second, but a lot of people need them to stay healthy. In today's episode, we'll learn some things that you can do to help make getting a shot less stressful. Along the way, we'll hijack a spaceship, meet a very unusual medical professional, and make more Lin-Manuel Miranda musical references than, well, a Lin-Manuel Miranda musical. Grown-ups—as always, we'd love to see your family's drawings and creations inspired by the episode, and you can drop some knowledge with the discussion prompts and activity suggestions found in our newsletter. In the meantime, here's an excellent article—recommended by our newest rock star, Dr. Leslie, P!H!D!—about ways to help kids navigate their fears about shots. Stay safe, everyone. See you around the Neighborhood!

Through the last 50 plus episodes, the conversations on Modern Dadhood have ranged from silly to serious, covered topics from dealing with big emotions to what it's like raising children when you live on a boat. The guys have been joined by an assemblage of old friends, new friends, and, on occasion, notable celebs. In episode 55, Adam and Marc take a slight detour from the usual banter/interview/recurring segment format and take a trip down memory lane. In the first of a two-part series, Marc recounts moments from five interviews that he found particularly insightful. We'll hear Adam reveal his top five in an upcoming episode.Episode 55 of Modern Dadhood opens with a brief conversation about Halloween before Marc tees up the format of this compilation episode: He has chosen short selections from 5 past episodes that he found particularly insightful. Additionally, he answers several questions about some of his favorite episodes and "pie in the sky" guests.Marc's selected clips were extracted from the following episodes:Episode 17: Expanding the Definition of Creativity (Chris Ballew)Episode 26: Crying Over Spilt Milk (Scotty Iseri)Episode 29: Discovering The Hidden Gems (Jon Klassen)Episode 37: Heavy Topics, Young Minds (Patrick Coleman)Episode 50: How To Be A Feminist Dad (Jordan Shapiro) LINKS:Stuffed Animal (Marc's kids music)Red Vault AudioCaspar BabypantsSpencer Albee

This summer, thanks to a generous grant from The Allstate Foundation, the team at The Imagine Neighborhood launched Teen Force!, a virtual summer fellowship that brought together high school students from across the country. Together with expert consultants and a team of our mentors, 15 teens with interests in storytelling, podcasting, and social-emotional learning crafted these five Teen Force! segments for listeners of The Imagine Neighborhood. These stories show that no matter how old you are, whether you're an alien in a spaceship, a curious panda, or a princess-in-training, you can practice seeing the world from others' perspectives and make your neighborhood a kinder place. https://www.imagineneighborhood.org/teenforce

No Filter with Tig Notaro Hey, everybody! Count Vacula here, welcoming you to my newest No Filter! This week, my guest is comedian, movie star, writer, podcaster, and cat-lover Tig Notaro! She's best known for doing stand-up, which is a kind of comedy show where a person gets up on stage and tells stories about themselves and shares what they think about things. It's kind of like making friends with a whole room full of people all at the same time! Trying to get better at making friends is something that Tig and I have in common—and we also both like animals, and making things out of cardboard boxes! Tig told me some great stories, shared a tasty ‘Tater Time' recipe with me, and taught me that even when people aren't being kind to you, you can still be kind to them—and that's one of the kindest things you can do! I really enjoyed meeting Tig, and I hope you'll enjoy meeting her too. Before I go, I wanted to say that I'm really happy about all the letters and drawings from listeners that we've been getting lately—and if you have a question, idea, or drawing you'd like to share, just have your grown-up email it to me at kind@imagineneighborhood.org! Have a good week, everybody, and I'll see you soon in The Imagine Neighborhood™! Your friend, Count Vacula

Having a best friend is, well . . . the best! But when our bestie suddenly can't be around, it can feel terrible. Whether someone we care about is moving away forever, or even if they just have to miss an important day like our birthday, it can be hard not to feel hurt, or even a little angry. In this episode, we'll talk about using kindness to help us understand the other person's point of view, and we'll learn ways to continue to show friendship to people even when they're far away! This week, Scotty is heading to the Spooky-Ooky Fall Festival, the spooktacular and spine-chilling party that Princess Donnasaurus and Doctor Apocalypso throw every year. But when Doc's music tour gets extended and she has to miss out, Princess Donnasaurus isn't happy at all. In fact, she's really upset! Who's going to make the Spooky Juice? Or light the lanterns? Or carve the pumpkins? And what's with the huge hole that just opened up in the floor?! Join us for glowing goblin pops, flamethrowers, and the coolest (and creepiest!) new dance this side of the cemetery on today's episode of The Imagine Neighborhood™. Plus, get discussion prompts and activity suggestions for “Missing Doc” by joining our mailing list – where every Wednesday we send out downloadable content for your family or classroom to help keep the Imagination Conversation going! See you out there on the dance floor, everybody! Shake those bones!

Having a best friend is, well . . . the best! But when our bestie suddenly can't be around, it can feel terrible. Whether someone we care about is moving away forever, or even if they just have to miss an important day like our birthday, it can be hard not to feel hurt, or even a little angry. In this episode, we'll talk about using kindness to help us understand the other person's point of view, and we'll learn ways to continue to show friendship to people even when they're far away! This week, Scotty is heading to the Spooky-Ooky Fall Festival, the spooktacular and spine-chilling party that Princess Donnasaurus and Doctor Apocalypso throw every year. But when Doc's music tour gets extended and she has to miss out, Princess Donnasaurus isn't happy at all. In fact, she's really upset! Who's going to make the Spooky Juice? Or light the lanterns? Or carve the pumpkins? And what's with the huge hole that just opened up in the floor?! Join us for glowing goblin pops, flamethrowers, and the coolest (and creepiest!) new dance this side of the cemetery on today's episode of The Imagine Neighborhood™. Plus, get discussion prompts and activity suggestions for “Missing Doc” by joining our mailing list – where every Wednesday we send out downloadable content for your family or classroom to help keep the Imagination Conversation going! See you out there on the dance floor, everybody! Shake those bones!

Hi everybody! It's me, Count Vacula, bringing you a brand-new No Filter! I'm so excited to introduce you to this week's guest, Dr. Jennie Warmouth! She's a second-grade teacher, a college professor, and the co-author of a terrific book called Teacher Trade! AND she's also a research scientist who works with animals and kids to study empathy—which is when we use our kindness, our experiences, and our imaginations to understand how others are feeling. She's been to almost every continent on earth, and she's met all kinds of animals—from dogs and cats to walruses and even elephants! Dr. Jennie and I talked about very intellectual, highly scientific topics such as why our dogs' toes smell like corn chips, and whether walruses smell worse than black bears, and . . . okay, okay, maybe we talked about smells a lot, but we covered bunches of other fun things, too! Dr. Jennie taught me a lot about kindness, and doing research, and how animal feelings aren't so different from human (or even vampire robot vacuum cleaner) feelings. Most of all, I learned that whether it's a new friend or a new animal, when we take the time to get to know each other we'll always discover that we have lots of things in common! I'm really glad I got to meet Dr. Jennie, and I think you'll like meeting her too. Thank you to everyone who sent me a letter or a drawing last week, and for everybody else—I can't wait to hear from you, too! Just tell your grown-up what you want to ask me, or have them scan or photograph your drawings, and they can send everything to me at kind@imagineneighborhood.org. I'll have another No Filter ready for you all soon, and until then, have a great week, and I'll be seeing you around The Imagine Neighborhood™! Your friend, Count Vacula

Disappointment is a very big feeling, and it can affect us in a lot of different ways. Someone who is disappointed might seem sad, or they might even act angry or mean. In this episode, we'll talk about ways to help ourselves feel better when we're disappointed—and we'll also learn how to use kindness to understand when other people are disappointed and help them feel better, too! This week, Macho Supreme and Count Vacula are headed to Photon Fair—the annual Nebula Trek convention. The fair was cancelled last year because of the Pixie Pandemic, and although Macho and Vac are very glad it's back, they're a little disappointed when they find out that things will be more low-key this time. There won't be a costume contest, and the rides are closed, but the good news is that Mannrick Allen (their second-favorite actor on Nebula Trek) will be there! Vac and Macho can't wait to meet him and get his autograph . . . if only he would stop being so rude to everybody. Join us for Nirshese pepper-crabs, amazing burritos, and an udderly ridiculous amount of cow-themed puns in this episode of The Imagine Neighborhood™! As always, we'd love to see your drawings inspired by our story, and you can get artwork ideas and discussion suggestions in our Wednesday newsletter. Rockets away, everyone! See you around the Neighborhood!

Disappointment is a very big feeling, and it can affect us in a lot of different ways. Someone who is disappointed might seem sad, or they might even act angry or mean. In this episode, we'll talk about ways to help ourselves feel better when we're disappointed—and we'll also learn how to use kindness to understand when other people are disappointed and help them feel better, too! This week, Macho Supreme and Count Vacula are headed to Photon Fair—the annual Nebula Trek convention. The fair was cancelled last year because of the Pixie Pandemic, and although Macho and Vac are very glad it's back, they're a little disappointed when they find out that things will be more low-key this time. There won't be a costume contest, and the rides are closed, but the good news is that Mannrick Allen (their second-favorite actor on Nebula Trek) will be there! Vac and Macho can't wait to meet him and get his autograph . . . if only he would stop being so rude to everybody. Join us for Nirshese pepper-crabs, amazing burritos, and an udderly ridiculous amount of cow-themed puns in this episode of The Imagine Neighborhood™! As always, we'd love to see your drawings inspired by our story, and you can get artwork ideas and discussion suggestions in our Wednesday newsletter. Rockets away, everyone! See you around the Neighborhood!

Guess who? . . . That's right! It's me again—your pal, C.V.—bringing you a new No Filter! This week's guest is the very kind and friendly J.V. (known to her acquaintances as “Janet Varney”)! J.V. is a comedian and actor, which is something we don't have in common . . . but something we do have in common is that we both have podcasts! You might have heard J.V. on her Nickelodeon podcast Avatar: Braving the Elements, and your grown-ups might have heard her on her other podcast The JV Club. J.V. and I talked about nicknames (betcha can't guess what my new nickname is!), armadillos, dreams, cactus plants, time travel, otters, fanny packs, thunderstorms, and how sometimes you think you won't like somebody because they're different from you—but once you get to know them, you find out that they can be a really good influence on your life! I'm really glad I got to know J.V., and I think you'll be excited to know her, too! I'll have another No Filter ready for you in a few weeks, and in the meantime, I hope you'll keep sending me your questions and suggestions—and of course I love getting all your awesome drawings for the #InfiniteRefrigerator. Have a great week, keep an eye out for hummingbird messages, and I'll see you soon in The Imagine Neighborhood™! Love, C.V. (aka Vaxxie, aka your friend Count Vacula)

Hi, everybody! It's your good friend, Count Vacula, bringing you my newest No Filter! My guest this week is Peter Sagal, the very fun and funny host of the NPR show Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! Peter's been hosting this show for more than 20 years, which is a really long time . . . even to me, and I'm 1,000 years old! His show is on the radio, and mine is a podcast, but we both use our shows to meet new people and learn about them, as well as to do some hard-hitting journalism. For this No Filter, Peter and I did some hard-hitting journalism on the important topics of farts, fart jokes, and finding out who farted, as well as exploring the deeper issues of cookie-reaching, Frankenstein-fearing, and doghair-eating. We had a great time and learned a lot from each other. I bet you'll have a great time and learn something too! I'll be back soon with more No Filter, and if you have any suggestions, questions, or ideas for upcoming guests, it'd be great if you emailed me at kind@imagineneighborhood.org. Until then, I'll see you around The Imagine Neighborhood™! Love, Vac

“ANYONE CAN PLAY” Earlier this year, The Imagine Neighborhood™ released the limited series Imagine Equity: Six New Stories About Race, Identity, and Making Things Right, which empowers listeners to take pride in their own identities, celebrate diversity, and stand up against discrimination. Thanks to the generous support of The Allstate Foundation, this week, we're revisiting the Imagine Equity episode "Anyone Can Play"! When Macho Supreme and Count Vacula find a big cardboard box and decide to play Nebula Trek in it, Vac is excited to pretend to be one of his favorite characters from his favorite movie! But every time Vac jumps in, Macho won't let him play. Because the actors in the Nebula Trek movie are white, Macho thinks that only white people can play them, and Vac is Asian. When we tell someone they can't be part of something because of their identity, that's called exclusion. And excluding people is not only wrong, it makes our world a little smaller! When we exclude, we put limits on the kinds of fun we can have, the kinds of stories we can tell, and even the friends we can play with. But when we use our imaginations to make room for everyone to play, we can go anywhere, and we can do anything! You can hear more from the Imagine Equity series by visiting the Imagine Equity page on our website—where you can also get downloadable PDFs with activity ideas and discussion prompts from the episodes. And as always, we'd love to get your feedback, drawings, and ideas at kind@imagineneighborhood.org. This show is supported by a generous grant from The Allstate Foundation. The Allstate Foundation works to empower youth to reach their full potential and build the just, equitable, and healthy world we all deserve. To learn more, visit AllstateFoundation.org.

Today, we've got a brawl between two things we'd hate to live without. It's refrigerators vs. toilets! Terrible, Thanks for Asking creator Nora McInerny and reporter Jill Replogle duke it out in this feisty fixture face-off. But which team will claim the throne? Stone cold fridges? Or savvy lavvies? Shimmy over to smashboom.org, and vote for the team that YOU think won! Support Smash Boom Best with a donation and get automatic access to our live, interactive Halloween themed event in October. Head to smashboom.org/donate and donate today! This episode was sponsored by: Imagine Neighborhood (imagineneighborhood.org/smashboom)

Alexander has been struggling with having too many things on his plate being the leader of the PSG. When his funding gets cut, Alexander goes into the woods to find a young lost boy. In the process, he learns the reason why he saves. Check out the Imagine Neighborhood here: imagineneighborhood.org/whenever Want to hear more WWKP? Visit patreon.com/wheneverwhereverkidspodcast for a shout-out on the show, ad-free episodes 2 days early, bonus content, behind the scenes, longer episodes with more detail and content, and more! A portion of your Patreon funds also goes to support St. Jude's Research Hospital, a children's hospital where families never receive a bill for top-notch medical care. Do you ever wonder what we look like? Do you want to see Berlyn Ambre's beautiful episode artwork? Do you want to see our news interview with WCTV? Then go to wheneverwhereverkidspodcast.wordpress.com, our one-stop-shop for all your podcast inquiries. Contact us about anything at wwkp20@gmail.com; we will never sell, share, or store your information. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @wwkidspodcast, and Facebook at Whenever Wherever Kids podcast to keep up-to-date with the latest information and interact with Seth and Mia. Again, we will never share, sell, or store your information. Music Credits: The Weekly Deed Music Song: Fredji - Happy Life (Vlog No Copyright Music) Music provided by Vlog No Copyright Music. Video Link: https://youtu.be/KzQiRABVARk Other background music comes from mixkit.co/free-stock-music.

Hey, everybody! It's me again, your good pal Count Vacula—bringing you a brand-new No Filter! My guest this week is the very kind and very smart Dr. Ibram X. Kendi. He's a podcaster like me—but he's also a professor, and a National Book Award winner, and a #1 New York Times bestselling author of really terrific books like Antiracist Baby and Stamped (For Kids)! We talked about playing basketball, and cardboard creations, and how when the people you care about are happy, it can make you feel happy too! But we also talked about serious things, like how there are some rules that aren't fair to everyone, and that it's up to us to change those rules! It reminded me of when Big Bot Burger made a rule that said Wastelanders couldn't eat in their restaurants. That wasn't fair, so we all joined together to protest, and we got rid of discrimination in our neighborhood! Dr. Kendi says that standing up to discrimination is one of the kindest things we can do, and I think he's right. A great thing about meeting different people is that you can learn all sorts of new ways to be kind. Did you do something kind this week? Tell me about it, and then maybe I can do it too! Yay! Okay! I'll be back soon with more No Filter—and in the meantime, I'll see you around The Imagine Neighborhood™! Love,   Vac

Going to the doctor can be scary, even if you're as macho as—Macho Supreme! This week in The Imagine Neighborhood™, Scotty needs to get his Merman Measles shot, but Macho is so afraid something bad might happen to Scotty at the doctor's office that he yoinks Scotty away in the Mach Billion! Will Scotty get back in time for his appointment with Dr. Alexander Camelguy, or will he . . . (apologies) . . . throw away his shot? Will Macho overcome his fears before he and the rest of the Neighborhood turn into a bunch of scaly-tailed, scene-stealing divas? Will listeners listen for the bonus content after the credits? It can feel unfair when something that helps you also hurts a little bit. And shots can hurt for a second, but a lot of people need them to stay healthy. In today's episode, we'll learn some things that you can do to help make getting a shot less stressful.  Along the way, we'll hijack a spaceship, meet a very unusual medical professional, and make more Lin-Manuel Miranda musical references than, well, a Lin-Manuel Miranda musical. Grown-ups—as always, we'd love to see your family's drawings and creations inspired by the episode, and you can drop some knowledge with the discussion prompts and activity suggestions found in our newsletter. In the meantime, here's an excellent article—recommended by our newest rock star, Dr. Leslie, P!H!D!—about ways to help kids navigate their fears about shots. Stay safe, everyone. See you around the Neighborhood!

Kathy has had it! She is sick and tired of all these insiders (non-fantasy people) treating her like garbage. She has made up her mind that she is now enemies with ALL insiders… well until she talks to Valerie and Donny. Check out the Imagine Neighborhood here: imagineneighborhood.org/whenever Want to hear more WWKP? Visit patreon.com/wheneverwhereverkidspodcast for a shout-out on the show, ad-free episodes 2 days early, bonus content, behind the scenes, longer episodes with more detail and content, and more! A portion of your Patreon funds also goes to support St. Jude's Research Hospital, a children's hospital where families never receive a bill for top-notch medical care. Do you ever wonder what we look like? Do you want to see Berlyn Ambre's beautiful episode artwork? Do you want to see our news interview with WCTV? Then go to wheneverwhereverkidspodcast.wordpress.com, our one-stop-shop for all your podcast inquiries. Contact us about anything at wwkp20@gmail.com; we will never sell, share, or store your information. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @wwkidspodcast, and Facebook at Whenever Wherever Kids podcast to keep up-to-date with the latest information and interact with Seth and Mia. Again, we will never share, sell, or store your information. Music Credits The Weekly Deed Music Song: Fredji - Happy Life (Vlog No Copyright Music) Music provided by Vlog No Copyright Music. Video Link: https://youtu.be/KzQiRABVARk Other background music comes from mixkit.co/free-stock-music.

Welcome back to The Imagine Neighborhood™! Next Monday we'll return with an all-new episode, but today, we're revisiting “Blizzards and Wizards” from our series Imagine Equity: Six New Stories About Race, Identity, and Making Things Right, funded by The Allstate Foundation. Released earlier this year, the Imagine Equity series helps young people recognize prejudice and injustice, take pride in their own identities, celebrate diversity, and stand up against discrimination. Allstate and the team at The Imagine Neighborhood are proud of this opportunity to help families continue to build kinder, more inclusive futures for neighborhoods everywhere. “Blizzards and Wizards” introduces us to the young wizard Preston Changeo, who shows up in the Neighborhood ready to learn all of the wizard Alakazambra's moves for battling monsters. But instead of battling them, he discovers that Alakazambra is best buddies with one—Count Vacula! Preston thinks that wizards and monsters shouldn't be friends, but when he accidentally summons a rainbow sherbet monster, everyone in the Neighborhood has to work together to solve the problem. It turns out that having friends and neighbors with all kinds of different identities helps you learn new skills and be a better friend—and it's also a lot of fun! Regular episodes pick up again next week, but we hope you'll also take time for our featured Imagine Equity episodes every Wednesday for the next five weeks. Follow our socials for weekly Imagine Equity content—and be sure to check out the new downloadable activity ideas and discussion prompts on our dedicated Imagine Equity webpage. See you around the Neighborhood!

Jessie talks turkey-- er, brisket, rather, with Lindsay Jones for his Dadplicant interview, Lindsay Jones is an award-winning composer and sound designer. In theatre, he has been nominated for the Tony Awards of Best Score and Best Sound Design of a Play. His Broadway credits include Slave Play, The Nap, Bronx Bombers and A Time To Kill. His off-Broadway work has been heard at Playwrights Horizons, The Public Theater, MCC, Primary Stages, and many others. International credits include works at Royal Shakespeare Festival (UK), Stratford Festival (Canada), and many others. Lindsay has created music and sound for over 500 productions in regional theatres across the US. Awards include seven Joseph Jefferson Awards and twenty-four nominations, 2 ASCAP Plus Awards, two Ovation Awards and three nominations, a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award, a San Diego Theatre Critics Circle Award and two nominations, as well as multiple nominations for Drama Desk Awards, Helen Hayes Awards, Barrymore Awards, and many others. In film, he has created original score for over 35 projects, including HBO Films' A Note Of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin, which won the 2006 Academy Award for Best Documentary, Short Subject. His work encompasses features like The View From Tall, Ash, and The Brass Teapot; shorts such as The Follower, House Of Stairs, and Grace; and full-length documentaries such as Hearing Voices and Cleaveland. In television and commercials, Lindsay created the score for Sony Pictures' series Family Practice for Lifetime Television, as well as Brothers-In-Law for Jay-O Productions. Original music for commercials includes clients like Martha Stewart, Staples, Nike, Smarty Pants, and many others. In podcasts, Lindsay is currently the in-house composer/sound designer for the weekly podcast The Imagine Neighborhood, produced by the Committee For Children. Other podcast and audio drama work includes A Streetcar Named Desire (starring Audra McDonald) for Audible, Wormwood (featuring Kevin Kline) for Real Jetpacks Productions, Soundstage for Playwrights Horizons, and The Intersect for Micromass. In video games, Lindsay created the original music and sound design for The Digits: Fraction Blast, available now on iOS and Android platforms. In education, Lindsay is currently an adjunct professor of sound design at University of North Carolina School Of The Arts. Other universities where he's taught include Yale, Juilliard, Northwestern, Purdue, Depaul, NYU, UCLA, UCSD, UC Irvine, Rutgers, University of Illinois, and Chapman. In advocacy, Lindsay is a founding member and the co-chair of the executive board of Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association (TSDCA), and co-founded The Collaborator Party with John Gromada. In 2018, Lindsay and John received a special citation from USITT for their work on behalf of the theatre community. Taking Dadplications is an Opus Nox Media production. Music and cover art by Nick Jenkins. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/taking-dadplications/support

SHOW NOTES – VAC & JAD ABUMRAD NO FILTER Hello, friends!  It's me, your pal, Count Vacula! I'm really happy because today, I get to share a brand-new No Filter with Count Vacula! -- with you! Meeting all kinds of different people is one of my favorite things to do, and on No Filter, you can meet them too. How cool is that?! This week, you'll meet my new friend Jad Abumrad! We have a lot in common—like, we both make podcasts, although . . . my podcast doesn't have a Peabody Award, and Jad's podcasts Radiolab and Dolly Parton's America do . . .  But we both like synthesizers! And we like imitating the sounds of synthesizers!  And we like comparing different kinds of synthesizers! We like other things too, though, not just synthesizers. But synthesizers are really cool! Jad and I also talked about daydreaming, and making cardboard creations, and how to stop an argument from happening by being kind instead of angry. Jad was so awesome! If there's someone you think people would like to meet on No Filter with Count Vacula!, let me know at vacula@imagineneighborhood.org! I really like to read your letters, and see your drawings, and learn about new people! I'll be back soon with another No Filter, and in the meantime, I'll be seeing you in The Imagine Neighborhood™! Love, Vac PS: Does anybody know where I put my synthesizer?  

This week in The Imagine Neighborhood™, Scotty takes a pirate internSHIP (ahem) aboard the Burn Voyage, and finds out there's a lot that a Second Mate needs to learn to do—especially the all-important ARRRt of treasure-buryin'. But Cap'n Marion keeps getting distracted, and the gold is just lying on the deck where anyone can steal it!Will Scotty be able to help Cap'n Marion focus on what's important before it's too late, or will she lose her doubloons, her jewels, and even her mint-condition Splash Gordon action figure? Tune in to find out, and stay for a pirate chase, questionable parrots, and a pirate-approved technique that you can use to stay focused whenever your mind starts to wander. Grown-ups, you can keep the conversation going with the discussion questions and activity ideas provided in our newsletter. And keep sending us your family's creations , savvy? We can't wait to add your drawings, stories, and art projects to our own pile of treasure!Until next time, see you ARRRound the Neighborhood!

This week in The Imagine Neighborhood™, Scotty takes a pirate internSHIP (ahem) aboard the Burn Voyage, and finds out there's a lot that a Second Mate needs to learn to do—especially the all-important ARRRt of treasure-buryin'.  But Cap'n Marion keeps getting distracted, and the gold is just lying on the deck where anyone can steal it! Will Scotty be able to help Cap'n Marion focus on what's important before it's too late, or will she lose her doubloons, her jewels, and even her mint-condition Splash Gordon action figure? Tune in to find out, and stay for a pirate chase, questionable parrots, and a pirate-approved technique that you can use to stay focused whenever your mind starts to wander. Grown-ups, you can keep the conversation going with the discussion questions and activity ideas provided in our newsletter. And keep sending us your family's creations , savvy? We can't wait to add your drawings, stories, and art projects to our own pile of treasure! Until next time, see you ARRRound the Neighborhood!

Hi everybody! It's no secret that we love hearing from our listeners, or that we get really excited when you send in questions about things going on in The Imagine Neighborhood™, because then we get to do a Q&A episode! So, if you've ever wondered how Dr. Apocalypso got her name, what species of dinosaur Princess Donnasaurus is, or how many relatives Count Vacula has (lemme tell ya, that family cookout requires a LOT of crumbs!), this week's episode has all the answers you're looking for! If you have a question for us, you can email it, or leave it in the reviews section of your podcast platform (where you can also let us know what you think about the show). Come back next week for a new episode of The Imagine Neighborhood when I take a pirate internSHIP (see what I did there?) aboard the Burn Voyage, and help a very distracted Captain Marion learn to focus on the important things she needs to do, like mainsail-hoistin', timber-shiverin', and of course, dishes. In the meantime, some important things YOU can to do are to keep sending us your terrific questions and your amazing artwork for our #InfiniteRefrigerator, and of course we should all remember to do something kind today! I hope you and your loved ones are staying safe, happy, healthy, and kind. Scotty

Hi everybody!It's no secret that we love hearing from our listeners, or that we get really excited when you send in questions about things going on in The Imagine Neighborhood™, because then we get to do a Q&A episode!So, if you've ever wondered how Dr. Apocalypso got her name, what species of dinosaur Princess Donnasaurus is, or how many relatives Count Vacula has (lemme tell ya, that family cookout requires a LOT of crumbs!), this week's episode has all the answers you're looking for!If you have a question for us, you can email it, or leave it in the reviews section of your podcast platform (where you can also let us know what you think about the show). Come back next week for a new episode of The Imagine Neighborhood when I take a pirate internSHIP (see what I did there?) aboard the Burn Voyage, and help a very distracted Captain Marion learn to focus on the important things she needs to do, like mainsail-hoistin', timber-shiverin', and of course, dishes.In the meantime, some important things YOU can to do are to keep sending us your terrific questions and your amazing artwork for our #InfiniteRefrigerator, and of course we should all remember to do something kind today!I hope you and your loved ones are staying safe, happy, healthy, and kind.Scotty

Hey, everybody . . . guess who? It's me again, your pal Count Vacula! That's right—I get to bring you a new No Filter with Count Vacula for the second week in a ROW! How amazing is THAT? And it's extra good news because my guest this week is the amazing Carly Ciarrocchi. You might know her from her Emmy-nominated work hosting The Big Fun Crafty Show and Snug's House for Universal Kids, or as host of Sprout's The Sunny Side Up Show, or from Weird But True! on Disney+, or from her terrific podcast HEY STORY GO! Even though Carly likes to get up early and I'm nocturnal (I just learned that word!), it turns out we both like construction cranes, and bumblebees, and cardboard creations. In fact, Carly has a whole show JUST about making things out of cardboard. You know, every time I meet someone new, I find out that even though we have differences, we also have a lot of things in common. That's a really fun thing about making new friends! If there's someone you think would be a good new friend for me, let me know. In the meantime, thanks for listening to No Filter. See you next week in The Imagine Neighborhood™! Love, Vac  

Hey, everybody . . . guess who? It's me again, your pal Count Vacula! That's right—I get to bring you a new No Filter with Count Vacula for the second week in a ROW! How amazing is THAT? And it's extra good news because my guest this week is the amazing Carly Ciarrocchi. You might know her from her Emmy-nominated work hosting The Big Fun Crafty Show and Snug's House for Universal Kids, or as host of Sprout's The Sunny Side Up Show, or from Weird But True! on Disney+, or from her terrific podcast HEY STORY GO! Even though Carly likes to get up early and I'm nocturnal (I just learned that word!), it turns out we both like construction cranes, and bumblebees, and cardboard creations. In fact, Carly has a whole show JUST about making things out of cardboard. You know, every time I meet someone new, I find out that even though we have differences, we also have a lot of things in common. That's a really fun thing about making new friends! If there's someone you think would be a good new friend for me, let me know. In the meantime, thanks for listening to No Filter. See you next week in The Imagine Neighborhood™! Love, Vac  

Hi again, friends! It's me . . . your pal, Count Vacula! I'm really excited because this week I get to share with you a brand new episode of my brand new show, No Filter with Count Vacula! On No Filter I get to practice making new friends and getting to know all kinds of people.  This week I got to meet a very smart and kind person named Brittany Murlas.  She's a mom who started a really cool book club called Little Feminist.  They find terrific stories with all different sorts of heroes in them, and send the books out to families all over the world! Brittany and I talked about a lot of very important things, like bedtime monsters, and feminism, and macaroni and cheese! She also taught me a cool new way to listen to music, and even gave me some great ideas for my next Cardboard Creation. I had a great time getting to know Brittany, and I think you'll like her too.   After you listen to the episode, you can let me know what you thought at kind@imagineneighborhood.org., or you can also follow me on Twitter and send me a message there! And hey - if you've made a new friend that you think everyone should know about, or if there's someone interesting that you'd like to hear on No Filter with Count Vacula!, let me know that too.  I really like hearing from you, and seeing your drawings, and reading your questions about me and about The Imagine Neighborhood ™! Well - thanks for hanging out with me today! Come back next week for a special BONUS episode of No Filter, and the week after that for a new episode of The Imagine Neighborhood. Until then, remember to be kind.  And if YOU have a robot vacuum friend, be sure to drop some crumbs on the floor for them. Or some macaroni and cheese. Either way. Love,   Vac

  This week in The Imagine Neighborhood™, our own magical maven Alakazambra Tyesha Morganis is getting ready to hold the world's biggest wizarding festival! But planning something as amazing as the San Diego Conjure-Con isn't easy... The bat wings are missing, the cauldrons are filthy, no one has any idea when the Port-O-Whiz delivery will happen, and the Wizards are getting restless. Alakazambra's feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and she might even be about to throw a tantrum! What's the greatest wizard in the multiverse to do?... By The Eye of Greldar, she'll cast the Calmulor spell on everyone to calm them down, and that will fix everything! Or - will it just create more problems?...   Handling frustration can be challenging for everyone, not just wizards. In this episode we'll explore what happens when we cover up our real feelings, and talk about effective ways to deal with difficulties. Get episode discussion questions and activity ideas for kids and grown-ups in our newsletter – and keep sharing your family's ideas, drawings, and creations with us - we love seeing what you come up with, and your contribution might get featured on our Infinite Refrigerator! See you around the Neighborhood!

This month we got some very important questions for our friends in The Imagine Neighborhood™, and it's time to answer them with a Q&A episode! Stay tuned next week for a new episode of The Imagine Neighborhood. And keep listening the week after that for more No Filter with Count Vacula! If you have a question for us, or a suggestion for someone for Vac to interview, you can ask it in a review (and while you're there, tell us what you think of the show)! Or you can email your questions to kind@imagineneighborhood.org. Thanks for sending us your questions, your ideas, and your amazing drawings. Keep writing to us, and follow our Infinite Refrigerator to see creations from listeners like you!

This month we got some very important questions for our friends in The Imagine Neighborhood™, and it's time to answer them with a Q&A episode!Stay tuned next week for a new episode of The Imagine Neighborhood. And keep listening the week after that for more No Filter with Count Vacula!If you have a question for us, or a suggestion for someone for Vac to interview, you can ask it in a review (and while you're there, tell us what you think of the show)! Or you can email your questions to kind@imagineneighborhood.org.Thanks for sending us your questions, your ideas, and your amazing drawings. Keep writing to us, and follow our Infinite Refrigerator to see creations from listeners like you!

This week in the The Imagine Neighborhood™, Scotty and Vac can't wait for the All-Town Hand-Me-Down! Everybody in the Neighborhood collects clothes and toys they're not using anymore, and they send them all down a chute so that someone new can use them. It's a really fun way to be kind—plus, everyone gets a new hand-me-down in return! But this year, something's not right. The chute is malfunctioning, and all the toys are piling up outside Princess Donnasaurus's castle. Princess Donnasaurus has been bitten by a gimme bug, and it's making her want everything for herself! It's up to Scotty and Vac to help Princess Donnasaurus find the generosity inside her and defeat the gimme bug—and get the All-Town Hand-Me-Down rocking again. If you want even more of The Imagine Neighborhood, sign up for our newsletter. Each week, you'll get additional discussion questions and activity ideas for kids and grown-ups. Keep sharing your ideas, drawings, and creations with us—we love seeing what you come up with, and you might see it featured on our Infinite Refrigerator!

Hi, listeners! It's me again . . . your pal, Count Vacula! As you may have noticed, we're now bringing you a new episode of The Imagine Neighborhood™ every other week. And on some of those in-between weeks, you can hear me, Count Vacula, on my very own show! It's called No Filter with Count Vacula. On No Filter, I'll practice making new friends and getting to know all kinds of people. This week, I'm chatting with Biz Ellis from the podcast One Bad Mother. Biz and I talk about how being “bad” can sometimes be a good thing, how to find buried treasure in your own backyard, and how to be kind to teachers—with donuts! Biz sure was a lot of fun to talk to. We even made up our own theme song! Anyway, I'm still figuring out how to host my own show, and I really want to get better at it. So go to our website and let me know what you think. And stay tuned for a new episode of The Imagine Neighborhood next week, and for more episodes of No Filter with Count Vacula! Do you have a question for us? Or can you think of someone I should talk to on a future episode of No Filter? You can put your questions and ideas into a review (and while you're there, let us know what you think of the show)! You can also email them to kind@imagineneighborhood.org. We always love seeing your notes and drawings. Keep writing to us, and follow our Infinite Refrigerator to see creations from listeners like you! We'll see you again soon in The Imagine Neighborhood. Love,   Vac

We have a very special story for you today, because we have a guest! Scotty Iseri is joining us from The Imagine Neighborhood. Soctty and Amanda together will tell you the story of a boy with a very very long name, and his friend Phoebe. Draw us a picture of what you think any of the characters in this story look like, and then tag us in it on instagram @storiespodcast! We'd love to see your artwork and share it on our feed!!If you would like to support Stories Podcast, you can subscribe and give us a five star review on iTunes, head to patreon.com/stories and pledge to make a monthly donation, check out our merch at storiespodcast.com/shop, follow us on Instagram @storiespodcast, or just tell your friends about us!

This month we got some very important questions for our friends in The Imagine Neighborhood™, and it’s time to answer them with a Q&A episode! We’ll answer questions about Vac’s digestive system and what inspires Doctor Apocalypso. Plus, we’ve got special guest Dr. Jasmine with us! She’ll talk with us about the food on her spaceship and about the best ways to stay kind to everyone, even when someone like Rick Fryer is being unkind or unjust. Stay tuned next week for a new episode of The Imagine Neighborhood. And keep listening the week after that for more No Filter with Count Vacula! If you have a question for us, or a suggestion for someone for Vac to interview, you can ask it in a review (and while you’re there, tell us what you think of the show)! Or you can email your questions to kind@imagineneighborhood.org. Thanks for sending us your questions, your ideas, and your amazing drawings. Keep writing to us, and follow our Infinite Refrigerator to see creations from listeners like you!   I hope you and your loved ones are staying safe, happy, healthy, and kind.

This month we got some very important questions for our friends in The Imagine Neighborhood™, and it's time to answer them with a Q&A episode! We'll answer questions about Vac's digestive system and what inspires Doctor Apocalypso. Plus, we've got special guest Dr. Jasmine with us! She'll talk with us about the food on her spaceship and about the best ways to stay kind to everyone, even when someone like Rick Fryer is being unkind or unjust.Stay tuned next week for a new episode of The Imagine Neighborhood. And keep listening the week after that for more No Filter with Count Vacula!If you have a question for us, or a suggestion for someone for Vac to interview, you can ask it in a review (and while you're there, tell us what you think of the show)! Or you can email your questions to kind@imagineneighborhood.org. Thanks for sending us your questions, your ideas, and your amazing drawings. Keep writing to us, and follow our Infinite Refrigerator to see creations from listeners like you! I hope you and your loved ones are staying safe, happy, healthy, and kind.

Oh, hey.  Hey, listeners?  It’s me!  It’s your friend, Count Vacula. This season, we’re switching things up in The Imagine Neighborhood™. We’re going to keep bringing you new episodes every other week for the whole rest of the year!  And on some of those in-between weeks, I’ll be filling in with a little project I like to call: No Filter with Count Vacula. No Filter features me, Count Vacula, chatting with all sorts of interesting people.  And this week is our very first episode!  To help me get started, today I’m talking to my good friend, Macho Supreme.  We’ll talk about making friends with monsters, space squids, and how to prepare for disco emergencies!  Macho was such a terrific guest.  I really hope you listen. Stay tuned for a new episode of The Imagine Neighborhood next week, and stay tuned for more episodes of No Filter with Count Vacula!  Oh, and don’t forget to go to our website to vote on a new name for the Space Marines!  Macho wanted to make sure I reminded you. Do you have a question for us?  Or a person you think I should talk to on a future episode of No Filter?  You can put your questions and ideas into a review (and while you’re there, let us know what you think of the show)! Or you can email them to kind@imagineneighborhood.org. I love seeing all the drawings and notes you’ve sent in.  Especially all your drawings of me!  Some really great likenesses there.  Keep writing to us, and follow our Infinite Refrigerator to see creations from listeners like you! We’ll see you again soon in The Imagine Neighborhood. Love,   Vac

Oh, hey. Hey, listeners? It's me! It's your friend, Count Vacula.This season, we're switching things up in The Imagine Neighborhood™. We're going to keep bringing you new episodes every other week for the whole rest of the year! And on some of those in-between weeks, I'll be filling in with a little project I like to call: No Filter with Count Vacula. No Filter features me, Count Vacula, chatting with all sorts of interesting people. And this week is our very first episode! To help me get started, today I'm talking to my good friend, Macho Supreme. We'll talk about making friends with monsters, space squids, and how to prepare for disco emergencies! Macho was such a terrific guest. I really hope you listen. Stay tuned for a new episode of The Imagine Neighborhood next week, and stay tuned for more episodes of No Filter with Count Vacula! Oh, and don't forget to go to our website to vote on a new name for the Space Marines! Macho wanted to make sure I reminded you.Do you have a question for us? Or a person you think I should talk to on a future episode of No Filter? You can put your questions and ideas into a review (and while you're there, let us know what you think of the show)! Or you can email them to kind@imagineneighborhood.org. I love seeing all the drawings and notes you've sent in. Especially all your drawings of me! Some really great likenesses there. Keep writing to us, and follow our Infinite Refrigerator to see creations from listeners like you!We'll see you again soon in The Imagine Neighborhood. Love, Vac

Tackling social issues in today’s world is hard enough for adults, and even harder when you have to explain the issues and injustices we experience and watch to our kids! My guest, Scotty Iseri, is the creator and host of the award-winning family podcast, The Imagine Neighborhood, which is a kid-focused podcast. In this fun podcast for kids, along with promoting social-emotional learning, they teach 4 important pillars: Understanding Identity, the value of diversity, justice and injustice, and activism.  The show paves the way for parents to talk to about these big issues even if their kids are at a young age. In this episode we talk about: Teaching kids about their identity and all the things that make up who they are (not just their gender or race) and how unfair it is to be judged for just one part of who you are. The value of diversity and how it makes the world a better place Justice and injustice and how people can be excluded because of their identity (that’s true injustice) How anyone can be an activist and how we have to right injustices How we need to have grace for each other so we can forgive those who are trying to do better and sometimes get it wrong. You can find The Imagination Neighborhood on all podcast providers.  Join the Parent Toolbox at www.parent-toolbox for Scotty's gift: Food Fight Activities!    About Scotty Iseri   Scotty Iseri is the creator and host of the hit family podcast, The Imagine Neighborhood. An award-winning producer and narrative designer, he spent 10 years as a media producer for Chicago Public Radio and the nationally syndicated programs HIV Talk Radio Project and Smart City Radio. As a fellow at the Center for Asian American Media, Scotty created the award-winning mobile app and video program, The Digits. His favorite part of the Imagine Neighborhood is when listeners tell him how they were kind today. Twitter @cfchildren Facebook @cfchildren Instagram @theimagineneighborhood www.imagineneighborhood.org     Thanks for listening! It means so much to me that you listened to my podcast! If you would like to purchase my book or other parenting resources, visit me at www.yellingcurebook.com   With this podcast, my intention is to build a community of parents that can have open and honest conversations about parenting without judgement or criticism.  We have too much of that!  I honor each parent and their path towards becoming the best parent they can be.  My hope is to inspire more parents to consider the practice of Peaceful Parenting. If you know somebody who would benefit from this message, or would be an awesome addition to our community, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a note in the comment section below!   Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe on the podcast app on your mobile device.   Leave a review I appreciate every bit of feedback to make this a value adding part of your day. Ratings and reviews from listeners not only help me improve, but also help others find me in their podcast app. If you have a minute, an honest review on iTunes goes a long way! Thank You!!  

Helloooooooo, listeners! It's me, Doctor Apocalypso, live from the Wasteland!My buddy Scotty is busy rounding up stories for a new season of The Imagine Neighborhood™. He'll be back with new episodes next month, so keep your ear to the feed! Some of you out there in Imagine Neighborhoodland sent in questions for me. So today, Cyclopia and I are rollin' up to answer them in a Q&A episode! I'll talk about how it feels to still miss Giganticus, and how to get out of bed like a rock star. And Scotty will answer questions about his house, new Imagine Neighborhood episodes, and even about sushi! Take a listen, and get ready to have your FACE rocked off! If you have a question for us, you can put your question into a review (and while you're there, let us know what you think of the show)! Or you can email your questions to kind@imagineneighborhood.org. I love seeing all of your awesome ideas and rad drawings. So keep writing to us, and follow our Infinite Refrigerator to see creations from listeners like you!We'll see you again soon in The Imagine Neighborhood. Until then, don't stop rockin'!Love, Doctor Apocalypso

Helloooooooo, listeners! It’s me, Doctor Apocalypso, live from the Wasteland! My buddy Scotty is busy rounding up stories for a new season of The Imagine Neighborhood™. He’ll be back with new episodes next month, so keep your ear to the feed! Some of you out there in Imagine Neighborhoodland sent in questions for me. So today, Cyclopia and I are rollin’ up to answer them in a Q&A episode! I’ll talk about how it feels to still miss Giganticus, and how to get out of bed like a rock star. And Scotty will answer questions about his house, new Imagine Neighborhood episodes, and even about sushi! Take a listen, and get ready to have your FACE rocked off! If you have a question for us, you can put your question into a review (and while you’re there, let us know what you think of the show)! Or you can email your questions to kind@imagineneighborhood.org. I love seeing all of your awesome ideas and rad drawings. So keep writing to us, and follow our Infinite Refrigerator to see creations from listeners like you! We’ll see you again soon in The Imagine Neighborhood. Until then, don’t stop rockin’! Love,   Doctor Apocalypso

This mini-episode of Grow Kinder (at Home) features Committee for Children Director of Research Dr. Sherri Widen, PhD. She talks with us about how she became a character on The Imagine Neighborhood podcast in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, what it's like working on a creative project as a researcher, and what parents can do to help bolster kids' social-emotional skills through summer. To listen to The Imagine Neighborhood and join Dr. Sherri, P!h!D!, on some Daily Adventures, visit ImagineNeighborhood.org.