What happens when you finally give that brave, younger version of yourself permission to come back out and play? In this episode, author and teaching artist Alicia D. Williams joins Dr. Diane to talk about solo travel, rediscovering joy, and seeking kindness around the globe—from Paris and Mexico to Ghana, Ireland, and Italy.

Along the way, we celebrate Alicia’s beautiful new picture book, Nani and the Lion, and dive deep into the power of oral storytelling and read‑alouds to transform classrooms and kids’ lives. Alicia names what many early childhood educators feel: we rush children into writing before we’ve honored the building blocks of story. She shares why story should begin with talking, acting, drumming, and drawing—and how oral storytelling grows vocabulary, empathy, expression, and confidence.

Looking for the perfect book for Read Across America or World Read Aloud Day? Look no further. Alicia has given us a lyrical original folktale that celebrates courage, rhythm, and the power of finding your voice.

Episode Chapters

• [01:07] Choosing bravery and joy through travel
• [06:55] What happens when you ask, “Show me how kind the world is”?
• [10:53] From invisible to seen -- finding community and connection
• [14:08] Curiosity, conservation, and connection
• [20:46] Nani and the Lion,
  • Alicia introduces Nani and the Lion,—an original folktale rooted in rhythm, drumming, repetition, and big, participatory read‑aloud moments that invite kids to march, roar, and join the story.
  • Alicia and Dr. Diane uncover the deeper theme: when you do the thing that brings you joy, you tame the “lions” that try to quiet you and help free others to be brave, too.
• [28:55] Joyful read‑alouds and playful learning through STEM
• [30:57] The power of oral storytelling
• [33:40] From spoken story to writers’ workshop
• [35:16] Sneak peek: Nani and the Monkey
• [40:21] Choosing joy every day

About Our Guest

Alicia D. Williams is an award‑winning author, teaching artist, and global traveler. She is the author of Genesis Begins Again (a Coretta Scott King Honor Book) and the new picture book Nani and the Lion, Learn more on Episodes 29 and 77.

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What if your next STEM lesson started with a 65‑foot whale and a beach cleanup scavenger hunt?

For 25 years, Blue Ocean Society has been quietly protecting whales and marine life right in our New England “backyard.” In this ocean-focused episode, Dr. Diane talks with co-founder and executive director Jen Kennedy about how long-term whale research, monthly beach cleanups, and joyful, hands-on education invite kids (and adults) to learn through play while caring for the Gulf of Maine.

Jen shares how photo-ID lets them follow individual whales like Pinball and Little Spot over decades, and what threats like entanglement, vessel strikes, warming waters, and shifting prey mean for species such as the North Atlantic right whale. You’ll hear how Blue Ocean Society turns data collection into citizen science, trash into art, and curiosity into real-world STEM/STEAM experiences—through their inflatable fin whale, microplastics toolkits, marine-debris art projects, and kid-friendly “scavenger hunt” cleanups.

If you love whales, teach STEM/STEAM, or want playful, hopeful ways to connect curiosity, conservation, and hands-on learning, this adventure is for you.

Chapters:

• 02:11 – From whale intern to co-founder: the Blue Ocean Society story
• 04:00 – Falling in love with whales, photo-ID, Pinball & Little Spot
• 06:29 – Threats to whales: entanglement, vessels & a warming Gulf of Maine
• 08:20 – Learning through play: inflatable whales, school programs & touch tanks
• 09:46 – Beach cleanups & turning data into action
• 12:36 – Microplastics, foam fragments & upstream choices families can make
• 15:32 – Citizen science: Marine Debris Tracker, microplastics toolkits & kids as scientists
• 20:49 – Dream research cruises, hidden whales & what still excites Jen
• 22:39 – Joy, resilience & favorite whale facts
• 26:23 – How to donate, volunteer, adopt a whale & what gives Jen hope

Links

• Blue Ocean Society
• Sign up for 2026 Blue Ocean Symposium
• Follow on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn

Call to Action

Ready to turn whale wonder into hands-on learning?

• Choose one single-use item to swap for a reusable option this week and invite your learners to do the same.
• Plan a “scavenger hunt” cleanup at your schoolyard, park, or local shoreline, and treat it like a STEM investigation.

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*Disclosure: I am a Bookshop.org. affiliate.

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If you’ve ever walked along a shoreline, spotted trash, and thought, “How did this get here, and what can I do about it?” -- this conversation is for you. Ashley Sullivan, Executive Director of the Rozalia Project for a Clean Ocean, joins me to unpack the very real problem of marine debris and microplastics, and to remind us that curiosity, community, and “lots of littles” can add up to big change.​

We explore how getting kids and adults outside for hands-on cleanups builds empathy and sparks those powerful “aha” moments that lead to action. Ashley explains what microplastics and microfibers actually are, how they move from our homes into rivers, lakes, and the ocean, and why they’re now being found in wildlife, soils, air, and even our own bodies. You’ll also learn what it’s like to live and learn aboard a 60-foot research sailboat in the Gulf of Maine.​

Ashley shares her winding career path from a childhood spent sailing in Florida to place-based environmental education and leading a marine conservation nonprofit. This episode is a rich resource for educators, caregivers, and young people imagining future STEM/STEAM and conservation careers, plus it serves up practical ideas and a generous dose of hope.​

Chapters

• 00:48 – Meet Ashley and the Rozalia Project
• 02:30 – Marine debris 101: Where all this trash comes from
• 02:54 – Starting with wonder: cleanups, empathy, and “aha” moments
• 03:56 – Microplastics and microfibers made simple
• 09:49 – The CORA Ball
• 12:04 – American Promise: life and learning on a research sailboat
• 18:25 – “Humans caused it, humans can fix it”
• 22:06 – Place-based learning, philosophy, and the sea
• 30:09 – Climate, storms, and why inland trash still reaches the ocean
• 33:29 – What gives Ashley hope

If this episode sparked curiosity, here are some next steps to take with your learners, families, or teams.

Follow the Rozalia Project.​

Support the show

Share this episode

If this conversation sparked wonder, gave you a helpful strategy, or offered a needed reminder of hope, please share it with a friend or colleague.

Subscribe • Download • Review • Tell a friend

Stay updated with our latest episodes and follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and the Adventures in Learning website. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts!

*Disclosure: I am a Bookshop.org. affiliate.