The Kids Are All Right!: Recent Episodes
The Kids Are All Right! Productions
The Kids Are All Right! is a weekly podcast specially for kids that is all about Health, Happiness and Wellness!
Michelle and her comical puppet sidekicks, Buster & Buddy are on a mission to help kids Feel Great and Live Well! Each week they feature a different topic speaking with experts who have the best advice and tons of experience to share! Covering everything from Coronavirus, to how to get to sleep easier, from dealing with their worries to the importance of eating healthy and physical exercise, from building self-confidence to bullying…basically Anything and Everything that affects their sense of happiness and wellness. Buster and Buddy question the guests from the kids’ perspective; asking the kinds of questions that kids want to know, with helpful takeaway ‘Tools’ they can use in their everyday lives. And there’s plenty of other fun stuff too like Joke Time, Fun Time News…and Super Kids! where we celebrate super kids doing super things with a fantastic secret surprise planned for them… ...As well as our MIND YOUR HEAD! segment, which is all about minding your Mental Health! We chat with people who have done brilliant things in their lives about what they do to feel well and happy!
This is a podcast specially for kids, so whatever is on their minds the team want to hear as the kids record and send in their opinions, questions, stories to be included and featured in every episode! With a combined 50years working with kids the team are passionate it’s a powerfully positive podcast which not only inform but encourages physical and mental health and well-being in kids by creating a unique Audio-Community where kids feel heard, empowered and supported to take real actions to mind themselves and their friends. www.TheKidsAreAllRight.ie “We encourage parents to listen to The Kids Are All Right! with their kids in the car as a handy conversation starter and so they can pick up valuable advice to support their kids build a happy and healthy life and develop a resilient mindset to negotiate their way through the unavoidable bumps in the road.” Michelle Connolly Reaper, Host The Kids Are All Right! Podcast.
In another of our ‘Mind Your Head!’ shows we speak with mental health expert Gillian Fagan about how busy kids’ lives can get with school, activities and life in general. And how to notice when their battery is drained and what they can do to recharge it!
We speak with Sharon Flanagan from Fitness for Kids about how when we exercise our bodies produce endorphins – also known as the Happy Hormones – so it’s no wonder regular exercise is so important to keep not just our bodies, but our minds healthy too!
We chat with primary school teacher Áine Murray who has written a book called ‘The Pain in the Chest’ to help kids manage their worries and to understand that when we talk about our worries with a trusted adult that we feel much better!
Today’s show is Part 2 of our chat with An Taisce Climate Ambassador Ellen Hegarty as we talk about the kinds of things we can do in our own lives to fight against climate change….AND how we can encourage adults in our lives to do the same!
We speak with Climate Ambassador with An Taisce, Ellen Hegarty as she explains what climate change is and how it is different yet totally connected with the issues of global warming and the bio-diversity crisis.
We speak with Sinéad McKee from the ISPCC about how to work out if behaviour you’re experiencing is bullying, or something else, and she gives great advice about what you can and should do if you, or someone you know is being bullied.
In todays show we get out of the studio for the launch of Bressies's charity, A lust for Life, primary school mental health program. We also speak to Dr. Niall Muldoon the ombudsman for children
We speak with science consultant and writer Dr Naomi Lavelle about the science of sleep and how understanding this can help us not just fall asleep easier, but have a better nights’ sleep, which is great for a healthy body AND healthy mind!
We chat with Irish TV presenter, food writer and cook Donal Skehan as part of our Mind Your Head! segment as he talks about food, family, television cooking shows and what he does to make sure he looks after his mental health!
We speak with Dr Mary O’Kane lecturer in Psychology and Education about how by building our resilience, that’s our ability to plod on even when things are tough, we can learn to deal with the hard things that sometimes come along in life!
In today’s show we start a brand new segment to the show called ‘Mind Your Head!’ which is all about minding your head, as in looking after your head…you know, minding your Mental health! And we talk to people who have done amazing things in their lives or have fantastic stories to tell about what they do and about what they do to feel well and happy! Our very first Mental Health Ambassadors are The Happy Pear, otherwise known as twin brothers Dave and Steve who are well-known faces on TV and online for their absolute passion for vegetables and healthy living! They talk to us about why vegetables are so good for us, how it’s the oxygen we breath when we’re out and about in nature that gives us energy, even more energy than the food we eat….and how our Gut Health is absolutely crucial in our overall health and wellness! Buster and Buddy learn so much about how to look after and mind their Gut Health and promise Dave and Steve that they will join them soon for one of their fabulous sunrise sea swims! http://www.thekidsareallright.ie/ (www.TheKidsAreAllRight.ie)
Michelle and her team have a collective 50years experience working with kids as teachers, entertainers and parents! Thanks to Zapsplat, Audio Jingle and Alexander Korotkoff for the sound effects and music. Check out our social media to see more about the team, our guests, the topics we talk about, our competitions AND how to send us in your stories, jokes, comments or ideas for the podcast! Social media: Instagram: thekidsareallrightpodcast Facebook: @thekidsareallrightpodcast GUESTS OF THE DAY Dave & Steve Flynn aka The Happy Pear The Happy Pear started out back in 2004 with Steve, Dave, a tiny shop and a dream of helping people to eat more veg! Fast forward 15 years, The Happy Pear now consists of 4 cafes, 40 products, 6 online courses, 4 cookbooks, a farm, a roastery, hundreds of amazing employees and a community of over 1 million people living healthier! All that said, the mission is still the same, to help everyone to get healthier and be happier! Founders of The Happy Pear, Dave & Steve are plant-based chefs with over 20 million views on their recipes on YouTube. They are bestselling authors with restaurants, shops and a wide range of vegan products on sale across Ireland. They believe that our minds have so much power, they hold the key to achieving our goals. But to access this power we need to tap into what makes our minds tick and, in a sense, become its master. This is where a plant-powered, health-driven lifestyle comes to play. Website: http://www.thehappypear.ie/ (www.thehappypear.ie)
BONUS EPISODE: A TEACHERS ADVICE ON BACK TO SCHOOL! GUEST & SHOW DETAILS So with Season 1 of The Kids Are All Right! podcast completed and Season 2 coming up very soon, we decided to put out a special Bonus Episode today where we speak with a primary school teacher who has some brilliant advice for kids on what they should do to get themselves ready for back to school! We talk with primary school teacher Áine Murray from Ashbourne Educate Together school who has also written a book called ‘The Pain in the Chest’ which helps kids understand and manage their worries. With a background in psychology, Áine understands that most kids will have some worries about going back to school; whether it’s about losing their summer freedom, getting back to daily homework and routines, or more severe separation anxiety about leaving the comfiness of the family home and loved ones to spend large amounts of their time in school. Áine encourages any kid that has any kind of worries about going back to school….or in fact any kind of worries at all, to speak with a trusted adult about these. Her motto is ‘When we Talk, our Worries Walk!’ Taking our worries out of our heads and talking about them with a trusted adult, stops them growing and takes their power over us away. The girl who features in her book has lots of worries as she grows up, but at the end of the book she decides to talk to her Mom about her anxiety that’s she been carrying along for years and then she feels so much better. Áine also gives us her top tips as to what kids can do to help them prepare themselves for back to school. Buster and Buddy have never been so ready for the new school year! Michelle and her team have a collective 50years experience working with kids as teachers, entertainers and parents! www.TheKidsAreAllRight.ie And if you enjoy our podcast we would be delighted if you could search The Kids Are All Right! podcast on Podchaser.com (or use the link below) to give us a review and a star rating. These reviews mean so much, Thanks! https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-kids-are-all-right-1797447
Check out our social media to see more about the team, our guests, the topics we talk about, our competitions AND how to send us in your stories, jokes, comments or ideas for the podcast! Social media: Instagram: thekidsareallrightpodcast Facebook: @thekidsareallrightpodcast Thanks to Zapsplat, Audio Jingle and Alexander Korotkoff for the sound effects and music.
GUEST OF THE DAY Áine Murray Áine is a young Primary School Teacher and Children’s Book Author from Navan, Meath. She is currently teaching 4th class in Ashboune ETNS – and loves it! As well as teaching, Áine has an Undergraduate Degree in Psychology. She is passionate about her teaching and has a particular interest in young mental health, which can be seen in her new picture book. It is called “The Pain the Chest” and it tackles the issue of anxiety through rhyme and beautiful illustrations. The book reaches all primary school ages from 4-12years, and is an excellent resource for teachers and parents to start the conversation about mental health with their young person. It introduces the language of anxiety, allows for reflection on what anxiety might look like, and normalises talking about our feelings in a child friendly way. It is engaging, inclusive and most of all, important. Áine believes it is important to learn about your own Mental Health from a young age, and she really loved chatting to Buddy and Buster all about it! HOW GET THE BOOK: The new edition of the book is currently in print with O’Brien Press. Once this is ready for the public, we’ll let you know!
EPISODE 26: OUT OF THE STUDIO FOR A BEACH CLEAN! PART 2 GUEST & SHOW DETAILS Today’s show is the last show of Season 1 of The Kids Are All Right! podcast and we are back on the beach again! Once again we have left the studio and are spending time with 14year old Flossie Donnelly for a beach clean with her environmental charity ‘Flossie and the Beach Cleaners!’ Last week we went searching for plastic rubbish on a local beach and learned about how over time plastic breaks down into tiny pieces of plastic called microplastic – we couldn’t believe when Flossie told us that this microplastic is literally everywhere AND is in every scoop of sand on every beach in the world! Wow! This week Flossie and her Mum Harriet got us and the other volunteers to use the plastic rubbish we had collected to make Beach Art which they call a ‘Flanksie’ in honour of the British street artist Banksie! Buster and Buddy took part with the other kids in a cool recycling quiz to test their knowledge of how to Recycle Right! And we also learned about the problem of plastic rivers in some parts of the world where so much plastic is used and thrown away that the rivers become so full of it that they look like rivers of plastic. But their main message is that if we all do our own little bit to help the environment, by us all working together then the planet will be just fine and we have a bright and happy future living on this green Earth! Listen in and join us on the beach! www.TheKidsAreAllRight.ie Michelle and her team have a collective 50years experience working with kids as teachers, entertainers and parents! Thanks to Zapsplat, Audio Jungle and Alexander Korotkoff for the sound effects and music. Check out our social media to see more about the team, our guests, the topics we talk about, our competitions AND how to send us in your stories, jokes, comments or ideas for the podcast! Social media: Instagram: thekidsareallrightpodcast Facebook: @thekidsareallrightpodcast And if you enjoy our podcast please give us a review on Podchaser using the link below. These reviews mean so much, Thanks! https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-kids-are-all-right-1797447 GUEST OF THE DAY Flossie Donnelly
Flossie Donnelly is a secondary school student and an enthusiastic and engaged climate activist. Her passion is the sea and protecting the marine environment works to reduce the plastic pollution in our seas. She has been dubbed ‘Ireland’s Greta Thunberg.’ Her activism first began on a family trip to Thailand when she was eight years old. Whilst on holidays she was taken aback by the amount of plastic pollution she observed on the beaches she visited and when swimming in the sea. She spent a considerable amount of time on that trip collecting rubbish from the sea and bringing it back to the hotel where her family were staying. On her return to Ireland, she noticed more and more rubbish being washed up on local beaches and knew she had to share her passion around protecting marine life and to educate others about plastic pollution. She set up her environmental charity ‘Flossie and the Beach Cleaners’ when she was 11years old, organising beach clean-ups in Dunlaoire and Sandycove near her home. However, recently she has expanded the charity and now has over 7 Flossie and the Beach Cleaner groups dotted around Ireland! Flossie regularly engages in climate strikes either outside her school or the Dáil. She is the first person to have brought seabins into Ireland after raising €4,000 for the two binns herself. These devices can remove up to 83,000 plastic bags or 20,000 plastic bottles from the sea in one year! Her work also expands internationally, having connected with villages and plastic charities in Indonesia to help them fight against their plastic pollution problem which is so bad, they suffer with plastic rivers. She remains positive that if we work together we can alleviate many of our environmental challenges and...
EPISODE 25: OUT OF THE STUDIO FOR A BEACH CLEAN! GUEST & SHOW DETAILS Today’s show is very special because for the very first time we get to leave the studio and go out and about as we join last weeks guest, 14year old Flossie Donnelly for a real-life beach clean! We loved chatting with Flossie about the work she does to fight plastic pollution in our seas and rivers with her incredible charity, ‘Flossie and the Beach Cleaners’! So we wanted to go out and do a beach clean with her to see first hand how bad the plastic pollution is on our beaches and to learn what we can do….AND have some fun along the way! Buster and Buddy got very competitive during the beach clean as they tried to fill their bag with the most plastic rubbish….while Michelle had a go at a simple but brilliant science experiment showing the stark reality of how much microplastic is in the sand on our beaches! Listen in and join us on the beach! www.TheKidsAreAllRight.ie Michelle and her team have a collective 50years experience working with kids as teachers, entertainers and parents! Thanks to Zapsplat, Audio Jungle and Alexander Korotkoff for the sound effects and music. Check out our social media to see more about the team, our guests, the topics we talk about, our competitions AND how to send us in your stories, jokes, comments or ideas for the podcast! Social media: Instagram: thekidsareallrightpodcast Facebook: @thekidsareallrightpodcast And if you enjoy our podcast please give us a review on Podchaser using the link below. These reviews mean so much, Thanks! https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-kids-are-all-right-1797447 GUEST OF THE DAY Flossie Donnelly
Flossie Donnelly is a secondary school student and an enthusiastic and engaged climate activist. Her passion is the sea and protecting the marine environment works to reduce the plastic pollution in our seas. She has been dubbed ‘Ireland’s Greta Thunberg.’ Her activism first began on a family trip to Thailand when she was eight years old. Whilst on holidays she was taken aback by the amount of plastic pollution she observed on the beaches she visited and when swimming in the sea. She spent a considerable amount of time on that trip collecting rubbish from the sea and bringing it back to the hotel where her family were staying. On her return to Ireland, she noticed more and more rubbish being washed up on local beaches and knew she had to share her passion around protecting marine life and to educate others about plastic pollution. She set up her environmental charity ‘Flossie and the Beach Cleaners’ when she was 11years old, organising beach clean-ups in Dunlaoire and Sandycove near her home. However, recently she has expanded the charity and now has over 7 Flossie and the Beach Cleaner groups dotted around Ireland! Flossie regularly engages in climate strikes either outside her school or the Dáil. She is the first person to have brought seabins into Ireland after raising €4,000 for the two binns herself. These devices can remove up to 83,000 plastic bags or 20,000 plastic bottles from the sea in one year! Her work also expands internationally, having connected with villages and plastic charities in Indonesia to help them fight against their plastic pollution problem which is so bad, they suffer with plastic rivers. She remains positive that if we work together we can alleviate many of our environmental challenges and problems. www.flossieandthebeachcleaners.com
EPISODE 24: SOS! SAVE OUR SEAS FROM PLASTIC POLLUTION! In today’s show we speak once again with Flossie Donnelly an incredible 14year old who set up an environmental charity to fight against plastic in our seas called ‘Flossie and the Beach Cleaners.’ As the name suggests, she organises beach cleans where plastic and other polluting rubbish is collected so it doesn’t end up in the sea where it damages the marine environment and hurts or kills the marine animals that live there when they eat it or get trapped in it. Today she talks to us about how during the Covid crisis they moved their educational workshops for school kids onto the beaches. She talks about why it’s so important to make working to protect our environment fun for kids and to make sure they know that it isn’t all doom and gloom, that the positive message is that if we work together we can really can solve many of our environmental problems. She tells Buster and Buddy why she trains secondary school teens to do some of these workshops as she is passionate that “Little kids learn best from big kids!” We chat about the 3 R’s – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle – and she gives us some brilliant ideas about ways to reuse waste plastic – including how she recently built a paddleboard out of plastic bottles, some bamboo and rope! Now that is an ingenious use of waste plastic bottles Flossie! www.TheKidsAreAllRight.ie Michelle and her team have a collective 50years experience working with kids as teachers, entertainers and parents! Thanks to Zapsplat, Audio Jungle and Alexander Korotkoff for the sound effects and music. Check out our social media to see more about the team, our guests, the topics we talk about, our competitions AND how to send us in your stories, jokes, comments or ideas for the podcast! Social media: Instagram: thekidsareallrightpodcast Facebook: @thekidsareallrightpodcast And if you enjoy our podcast please give us a review on Podchaser using the link below. These reviews mean so much, Thanks! https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-kids-are-all-right-1797447 GUEST OF THE DAY Flossie Donnelly Flossie Donnelly is a secondary school student and an enthusiastic and engaged climate activist. Her passion is the sea and protecting the marine environment works to reduce the plastic pollution in our seas. She has been dubbed ‘Ireland’s Greta Thunberg.’ Her activism first began on a family trip to Thailand when she was eight years old. Whilst on holidays she was taken aback by the amount of plastic pollution she observed on the beaches she visited and when swimming in the sea. She spent a considerable amount of time on that trip collecting rubbish from the sea and bringing it back to the hotel where her family were staying. On her return to Ireland, she noticed more and more rubbish being washed up on local beaches and knew she had to share her passion around protecting marine life and to educate others about plastic pollution. She set up her environmental charity ‘Flossie and the Beach Cleaners’ when she was 11years old, organising beach clean-ups in Dunlaoire and Sandycove near her home. However, recently she has expanded the charity and now has over 7 Flossie and the Beach Cleaner groups dotted around Ireland! Flossie regularly engages in climate strikes either outside her school or the Dáil. She is the first person to have brought seabins into Ireland after raising €4,000 for the two binns herself. These devices can remove up to 83,000 plastic bags or 20,000 plastic bottles from the sea in one year! Her work also expands internationally, having connected with villages and plastic charities in Indonesia to help them fight against their plastic pollution problem which is so bad, they suffer with plastic rivers. She remains positive that if we work together we can alleviate many of our environmental challenges and problems.
MINI MINDFULNESS MOMENT Louise Shanagher Louise Shanagher is a children’s therapist, mindfulness...
EPISODE 23: SOS! SAVE OUR SEAS FROM PLASTIC POLLUTION! GUEST & SHOW DETAILS In today’s show we speak with an incredible 14year old girl, Flossie Donnelly who set up an environmental charity a number of years ago to fight against plastic in our seas called ‘Flossie and the Beach Cleaners.’ As the name suggests, she organises beach cleans where plastic and other polluting rubbish is collected. This is to try and make sure it doesn’t end up in the sea where it damages the marine environment and hurts or kills the marine animals that live there when they eat it or get trapped in it. She talks to us about why it’s so important to look after the marine biosphere – which is another way to describe everything that grows and lives in or around our seas and beaches, as in order to have a healthy balanced environment, we need healthy and thriving seas. And she explains how our seas are the worlds biggest carbon sink – which is basically a natural way our world absorbs carbon dioxide. And our world is getting warmer because we are producing too much carbon dioxide and other gases, that’s global warming, it’s more important than ever that we look after our seas so that they can continue to absorb this carbon dioxide and stop any extra going into the atmosphere. Buster and Buddy couldn’t believe it when Flossie told us that our seas are a bigger and better carbon sink than all our rainforests! Wow! www.TheKidsAreAllRight.ie Michelle and her team have a collective 50years experience working with kids as teachers, entertainers and parents! Thanks to Zapsplat, Audio Jingle and Alexander Korotkoff for the sound effects and music. Check out our social media to see more about the team, our guests, the topics we talk about, our competitions AND how to send us in your stories, jokes, comments or ideas for the podcast! Social media: Instagram: thekidsareallrightpodcast Facebook: @thekidsareallrightpodcast And if you enjoy our podcast please give us a review on Podchaser using the link below. These reviews mean so much, Thanks! https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-kids-are-all-right-1797447 GUEST OF THE DAY Flossie Donnelly
Flossie Donnelly is a secondary school student and an enthusiastic and engaged climate activist. Her passion is the sea and protecting the marine environment works to reduce the plastic pollution in our seas. She has been dubbed ‘Ireland’s Greta Thunberg.’ Her activism first began on a family trip to Thailand when she was eight years old. Whilst on holidays she was taken aback by the amount of plastic pollution she observed on the beaches she visited and when swimming in the sea. She spent a considerable amount of time on that trip collecting rubbish from the sea and bringing it back to the hotel where her family were staying. On her return to Ireland, she noticed more and more rubbish being washed up on local beaches and knew she had to share her passion around protecting marine life and to educate others about plastic pollution. She set up her environmental charity ‘Flossie and the Beach Cleaners’ when she was 11years old, organising beach clean-ups in Dunlaoire and Sandycove near her home. However, recently she has expanded the charity and now has over 7 Flossie and the Beach Cleaner groups dotted around Ireland! Flossie regularly engages in climate strikes either outside her school or the Dáil. She is the first person to have brought seabins into Ireland after raising €4,000 for the two binns herself. These devices can remove up to 83,000 plastic bags or 20,000 plastic bottles from the sea in one year! Her work also expands internationally, having connected with villages and plastic charities in Indonesia to help them fight against their plastic pollution problem which is so bad, they suffer with plastic rivers. She remains positive that if we work together we can alleviate many of our environmental challenges and problems. http://www.flossieandthebeachcleaners.com/...
In today’s show we speak once more with Climate Activist and one of the presenters of ‘The Covid Alarm Clock’ podcast, Ellen Hegarty about how we can use what we have learned during the COVID crisis to help us fight against climate change! And one of the most important things we have learned is to trust science and to listen to the scientists! Science helped us to understand COVID and the scientists used this to guide us on the actions we needed to take in order to protect each other and keep infections as low as possible. When we listened to the science, infections stayed low and when we didn’t, they rapidly increased. AND the science has also given us the vaccines which will ultimately end the pandemic, protect us all into the future and make sure we never have to go into the dreaded Lockdowns again! Science gave meaning to the unpleasant actions we had to take. No one liked having to stay away from people, miss school or not be able to do the things they loved doing, but when the scientists explained the WHY behind these actions, then we could understand why it was so important to follow their advice and the whole world did what we had to do! So she explains to Buster and Buddy that now we must listen to what the climate scientists are telling us and take the actions that we need to, to slow down climate change. And now that we’ve seen how the whole world can really work together, there is great hope that we can work together once more to combat climate change! http://www.thekidsareallright.ie/ (www.TheKidsAreAllRight.ie)
Michelle and her team have a collective 50years experience working with kids as teachers, entertainers and parents! Thanks to Zapsplat, Audio Jingle and Alexander Korotkoff for the sound effects and music. Check out our social media to see more about the team, our guests, the topics we talk about, our competitions AND how to send us in your stories, jokes, comments or ideas for the podcast! Social media: Instagram: thekidsareallrightpodcast Facebook: @thekidsareallrightpodcast And if you enjoy our podcast please give us a review on Podchaser using the link below. These reviews mean so much, Thanks! hhttps://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-kids-are-all-right-1797447 (ttps://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-kids-are-all-right-1797447) GUEST OF THE DAY Ellen Hegarty Ellen Hegarty is a veterinary surgeon, a mother of three and a climate ambassador with An Taisce. Originally from a farm in West Cork, she now lives with her family in Dublin. Ellen’s strong passion for the natural world and concern with how climate change and biodiversity loss will impact both it and future generations of humanity, has led her to pursue a Masters in Climate Change: Policy, Media and Society in DCU. Ellen co-presents the podcast ‘The Covid Alarm Clock’ with Darragh Wynne as they chat about how we can use our experience of COVID as a wake up call to take real action on climate change. The podcast can be found on https://feeds.captivate.fm/the-covid-alarm-clock/ (https://feeds.captivate.fm/the-covid-alarm-clock/) or by searching for the Covid Alarm Clock wherever you get your podcasts Follow us on: instagram.com/covidalarmclock Twitter.com/covidalarmclock Facebook.com/covidalarmclock @covidalarmclock
EPISODE 21: HOW COVID HELPS US FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE!In today’s show we speak with Climate Activist and one of the presenters of ‘The Covid Alarm Clock’ podcast, Ellen Hegarty about how we can use what we have learned during the Covid crisis to help us fight against climate change! She chats with us about how while Coronavirus has been a difficult experience in lots of ways, there have also been loads really important lessons we have learned that will now help us in our attempts to combat climate change. She explains to Buster and Buddy that global warming is like how when we get a temperature, we get sick and we don’t feel or behave like we normally do when we’re feeling well. And that global warming is like the world is sick and has a temperature, which like us, makes its’ climate change and behave differently too! During the Covid crisis not only did we all realised just how important nature is to our health and well-being but we saw the true power of what working together on a world scale can achieve, proving that leaders and countries can indeed come together to fight against a common problem. Fantastic! And while many of the changes we had to make during Coronavirus weren’t nice, we've seen how we've been able to make big changes in our lives when it is needed which gives great hope that we can make the changes needed to combat climate change! GUEST OF THE DAYEllen Hegarty is a veterinary surgeon, a mother of three and a climate ambassador with An Taisce. Originally from a farm in West Cork, she now lives with her family in Dublin. Ellen’s strong passion for the natural world and concern with how climate change and biodiversity loss will impact both it and future generations of humanity, has led her to pursue a Masters in Climate Change: Policy, Media and Society in DCU. Tá Gaeilge aici. Ellen co-presents the podcast ‘The Covid Alarm Clock’ with Darragh Wynne as they chat about how we can use our experience of COVID as a wake up call to take real action on climate change. The podcast can be found on https://feeds.captivate.fm/the-covid-alarm-clock/ (https://feeds.captivate.fm/the-covid-alarm-clock/) or by searching for the Covid Alarm Clock wherever you get your podcasts Follow us on: instagram.com/covidalarmclock Twitter.com/covidalarmclock Facebook.com/covidalarmclock @covidalarmclock www.TheKidsAreAllRight.ie Michelle and her team have a collective 50years experience working with kids as teachers, entertainers and parents! Thanks to Zapsplat, Audio Jingle and Alexander Korotkoff for the sound effects and music. Check out our social media to see more about the team, our guests, the topics we talk about, our competitions AND how to send us in your stories, jokes, comments or ideas for the podcast! Social media: Instagram: thekidsareallrightpodcast Facebook: @thekidsareallrightpodcast And if you enjoy our podcast please give us a review on Podchaser using the link below. These reviews mean so much, Thanks! https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-kids-are-all-right-1797447
Today's show is really exciting because we’re kicking off our Summer Project! This summer we are looking into HOW we can help look after our planet…so join us as we discover, learn and have loads of fun along the way! Buster and Buddy take part in the first week of the 'I Don't Believe It!' Quiz where Michelle challenges their knowledge on all things nature and environment....AND for the very first time, we speak with one of our kid listeners as they also challenge Buster and Buddy in Part 2 of the 'I Don't Believe It!' Quiz! Over the summer, we will speak with vet and climate activist Ellen Hegarty who presents the climate change podcast 'The Covid Alarm Clock'. She explains about what global warming is, and how exactly it makes climate change worse. She tells us how Covid has shown us ALL the amazing things we can do and achieve when we really work together..!!...and how this gives us amazing hope that we CAN work together and fight against climate change! And later in the summer we'll be chatting with an amazing teenager who Flossie Donnelly who has set up a charity to educate people on Plastic Pollution and the damage it is doing to our marine environment. Her charity, 'Flossie and the Beach Cleaners' not only talks about plastic pollution, but fights against it by organising beach cleans around the country to remove these harmful plastics from our beaches! She is one amazing teenager! http://www.TheKidsAreAllRight.ie (www.TheKidsAreAllRight.ie) Michelle and her team have a collective 50years experience working with kids as teachers, entertainers and parents! Thanks to Zapsplat, Audio Jingle and Alexander Korotkoff for the sound effects and music. Check out our social media to see more about the team, our guests, the topics we talk about, our competitions AND how to send us in your stories, jokes, comments or ideas for the podcast! Social media: Instagram: thekidsareallrightpodcast Facebook: @thekidsareallrightpodcast And if you enjoy our podcast please give us a review on Podchaser using the link below. These reviews mean so much, Thanks! https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-kids-are-all-right-1797447 (https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-kids-are-all-right-1797447)
In today’s show we have another of our Mind Your Head! shows where we speak with well-known personalities and people with amazing stories to tell about what they do to mind their heads; you know….Mind their Mental Health! This time we chat with Irish sports broadcaster Jacqui Hurley who presents the sports bulletin on the daily RTÉ News as well as hosting Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio ONE. She talks to us about how her passion for sport started growing up as a young kid in Australia as her whole family were sports mad and all played lots of different sports in the great Australian weather! But once back in Ireland in her teens, this love of sport continues and in particular she exceled in basketball and camogie….sports she still plays and competes in to this day as a Mum to two young kids! She talks about how lucky she feels getting to watch and talk about sport as her job too, that she knows she is lucky to be ‘living the dream!’ We hear about her brilliant book ‘Girls Play Too’ which tells the story of X the many incredible sportswomen past and present that maybe we don’t know as much about as we should…and she tells us that she thinks it really important that young girls these days have these incredible role models to look up to and be inspired by – as she tells Buster and Buddy; “Fairy tales can start in your very own back garden if you have a dream and train hard enough!” http://www.thekidsareallright.ie/ (www.TheKidsAreAllRight.ie) Michelle and her team have a collective 50years experience working with kids as teachers, entertainers and parents! Thanks to Zapsplat, Audio Jingle and Alexander Korotkoff for the sound effects and music. Check out our social media to see more about the team, our guests, the topics we talk about, our competitions AND how to send us in your stories, jokes, comments or ideas for the podcast! Social media: Instagram: thekidsareallrightpodcast Facebook: @thekidsareallrightpodcast And if you enjoy our podcast please give us a review on Podchaser using the link below. These reviews mean so much, Thanks! https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-kids-are-all-right-1797447 (https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-kids-are-all-right-1797447) GUEST OF THE DAY Jacqui Hurley Jacqui Hurley is one of Ireland’s leading sports broadcasters. She is the co-presenter of Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio ONE and presents the sports news on RTÉ television Six One News each day. She is also a regular anchor on RTÉ’s soccer coverage on television. She has played at the highest level in the sport of basketball as a member of the Irish basketball team and currently manages the Irish under-16 women’s basketball team. She also played to the highest level in camogie as a member of the Cork camogie team. In 2009 she became the first ever female anchor of Sunday Sport and continues to break the mould releasing her first book ‘Girls Play Too’ in 2020, the first ever compendium of stories for children about our best contemporary sportswomen. With a fairytale touch, it tells the stories of 25 of Ireland’s leading sportswomen who have proved that being a girl is not a barrier to sporting success and encourages kids to believe that you can achieve is you try your best and never give up on your dreams.
In today’s show we speak with an expert in Bullying, Sinéad McKee who works with Childline and the ISPCC.
Buster and Buddy learn what bullying behaviour is….AND what it Isn’t! Sinéad explains how important for everyone to understand the difference as sometimes even adults get confused as to what bullying really is!
She explains HOW you can work out if behaviour you’re experiencing really is bullying…or if in fact it’s something else entirely.Phew!
She gives some really great tips about what you can and should do if you are being bullied and to stop this behaviour once and for all….because no one deserves to be bullied.
With her years of experience working with young people who bully, she explains to Buster and Buddy that people who bully are not as powerful and brave as they might seem on the outside. She has found that their bullying behaviour is usually because they feel sad about a part of their life and aren’t really that happy in themselves….and many may in fact be lacking in confidence.
But she tells that there is help available for every child in Ireland, whether they are the young person doing the bullying, or the one being bullied. As Sinéad says, EVERYONE has the right to get support!
www.TheKidsAreAllRight.ie
Michelle and her team have a collective 50years experience working with kids as teachers, entertainers and parents!
Thanks to Zapsplat, Audio Jingle and Alexander Korotkoff for the sound effects and music.
Check out our social media to see more about the team, our guests, the topics we talk about, our competitions AND how to send us in your stories, jokes, comments or ideas for the podcast!
Social media:
Instagram: thekidsareallrightpodcast
Facebook: @thekidsareallrightpodcast
And if you enjoy our podcast please give us a review on Podchaser using the link below. These reviews mean so much, Thanks!
https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-kids-are-all-right-1797447
GUEST OF THE DAY
Sinéad McKee – Childline Community Engagement Manager
Sinéad McKee completed a Bachelor of Social Science Degree in University College Cork and then went onto complete her Master’s in social work at University College Dublin. Before joining the ISPCC in 2008, Sinéad gained experience in the disability section, Child Protection and also in Child and Adolescent Mental Health.
Sinéad’s initial role within the ISPCC was as a Childline Therapeutic Support Worker. As a CTSS worker, Sinéad worked from a resilience model to provide children, young people and families with therapeutic support during difficult or traumatic times in their lives.
Sinéad had professional training in Mediation and completed further training in Non-Violent Resistance.
She then went on to become more involved in the ISPCC;s Advocacy Department and for two years held the position as National Anti-Bullying Co-Coordinator. Sinéad is currently the Childline Community Engagement Manager – Children’s Lead. Sinéad’s focus is to support and empower schools and communities to help nurture the resilience of children and young people.
For more information and resources check out www.childline.ie or www.ispcc.ie
Childline can be reached at any time of the day or night
by chatting online at Childline.ie or
calling 1800 66 66 66 or texting to 50101.
In today’s show we speak with science consultant and writer Dr Naomi Lavelle about the science of sleep and how we can use this to get a fantastic good nights’ sleep!
Dr Naomi tells us how sleep is important not just to rest our bodies, but to actually keep us well and healthy in our minds AND our bodies.
Buster and Buddy learn that when we sleep, our brain doesn’t go to sleep, it is in fact busy doing lots of jobs, like organising what we have learned that day and Also cleaning the toxins from our mind and body..Wow!
She explains how light and dark are so important to help us have a great night’s sleep and Buster and Buddy learn about our Circadian Rhythm, our natural body clock which tells us when to feel awake and when to feel sleep, which is so important in helping us drift off easily to the land of nod….Zzzzzzz!
www.TheKidsAreAllRight.ie
Michelle and her team have a collective 50years experience working with kids as teachers, entertainers and parents!
Thanks to Zapsplat, Audio Jingle and Alexander Korotkoff for the sound effects and music.
Check out our social media to see more about the team, our guests, the topics we talk about, our competitions AND how to send us in your stories, jokes, comments or ideas for the podcast!
Social media:
Instagram: thekidsareallrightpodcast
Facebook: @thekidsareallrightpodcast
And if you enjoy our podcast please give us a review on Podchaser using the link below. These reviews mean so much, Thanks!
https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-kids-are-all-right-1797447
GUEST OF THE DAY
Dr Naomi Lavelle
Dr Naomi is a science writer and consultant and she particularly loves creating content for children, from TV shows to radio, to live workshops.
With a background in biochemistry she has a PhD in Molecular Biology and has worked in the Medical Diagnostic Industry and lectured at third level – however she believes that her biggest educators are the children she’s worked with!
Her passion is working with children, from 2 to 20 years because they all have one thing in common…curiosity! Her motto is “If you can’t explain it to a six year old, you don’t understand it yourself!”
This passion for science and kids led to Dr. How’s Science Wows; from hands-on visits to writing, workshop design and consultancy. Some highlights have included working with outreach programmes, writing and consulting for children’s tv and collaborating with some international projects; but there is still always a buzz to getting around a table with a group of children and seeing what science has to offer today.
Website: www.sciencewows.ie
In today’s show we speak with psychotherapist and family counsellor Gillian Fagan about how she brings mindful moments into her life in lots of little ways throughout the day. Many people get confused about what Mindfulness actually means; it can sound complicated and a tricky concept to understand, but it’s actually quite simple. So in this episode we learn just how simple it really is and what it can mean day-to-day in your normal, everyday life! Gillian explains that it’s not time travelling; looking into the future and worrying about what may happen, or back into the past and going over what did happen, it’s all about living in the present, in the right here and right now. It’s taking a moment to really be aware of what is happening both inside of you as well as what’s going on around you. She explains how she was introduced to Mindfulness by a teacher in secondary school and how it was and still is to this day really important in her life in helping her deal with her ‘racing head’ and to keep her feeling happy and well. She talks about some really simple ways to bring easy mindful moments into the ordinary things that you do every day and teaches Buster and Buddy how simply using your 5 senses, your sense of taste, smell, sight, hearing and touch can be a really great way to start! http://www.thekidsareallright.ie/ (www.TheKidsAreAllRight.ie) Michelle and her team have a collective 50years experience working with kids as teachers, entertainers and parents! Thanks to Zapsplat, Audio Jingle and Alexander Korotkoff for the sound effects and music. Check out our social media to see more about the team, our guests, the topics we talk about, our competitions AND how to send us in your stories, jokes, comments or ideas for the podcast! Social media: Instagram: @thekidsareallrightpodcast Facebook: thekidsareallrightpodcast And if you enjoy our podcast lease give us a review on Podchaser using the link below. These reviews mean so much, Thanks! https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-kids-are-all-right-1797447 (https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-kids-are-all-right-1797447) GUEST OF THE DAY Gillian Fagan Gillian Fagan is a counsellor, psychotherapist and trainer who works with teens, adults, couples and families. She founded 2 mental health companies, AcoraTherapy and Under The Rainbow, and is an emotional health consultant for workplaces. Gillian started meditating when she was 12 years old and many years later is still at it! Not only that she is a specialist on the science behind relaxation and teaches people how to reduce stress, manage anxiety and be happier. Being passionate about normalising mental fitness, Gillian loves helping people empower themselves so that they can be their true selves, equipped with the resources to cope better when things get tough. Gillian is a keynote speaker and trainer on topics such as resilience, uncertainty, stress, coping strategies and the importance of inclusion. She believes that our minds are like our muscles, we need to keep working out so we can have good mental fitness! Websites: http://acora.ie/ (http://acora.ie/) https://www.undertherainbow.ie/ (https://www.undertherainbow.ie/)
So today’s show is another of our ‘Mind Your Head!’ shows which is all about minding your head …you know, minding your Mental health! Our guests, our Mental Health Ambassadors come from different walks of life and all have positive messages about health and happiness to share as they tell us what they do to feel well and happy! Actor Johnny Ward talks about how running and meditation became important activities for him during the Covid Lockdowns and how he really enjoyed getting back to teaching drama to kids. He talks about how important writing down your thoughts, feelings and emotions is and how much it has helped his drama students express themselves particularly during Covid times. He talks about why he just loves doing Panto so much….and sets Buster and Buddy a fun acting challenge to see who can make themselves sound the most ‘Evil’….Mwahahahaha!!! http://www.thekidsareallright.ie/ (www.TheKidsAreAllRight.ie) Michelle and her team have a collective 50years experience working with kids as teachers, entertainers and parents! Thanks to Zapsplat, Audio Jingle and Alexander Korotkoff for the sound effects and music. Check out our social media to see more about the team, our guests, the topics we talk about, our competitions AND how to send us in your stories, jokes, comments or ideas for the podcast! Social media: Instagram: @thekidsareallrightpodcast Facebook: thekidsareallrightpodcast And if you enjoy our podcast we would be delighted if you could search The Kids Are All Right! podcast on Podchaser.com (or use the link below) to give us a review and a star rating. These reviews mean so much, Thanks! https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-kids-are-all-right-1797447 (https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-kids-are-all-right-1797447) GUEST OF THE DAY Actor Johnny Ward Johnny Ward is an award winning actor from Dublin and has built up a very impressive résumé. After his showstopping performance , he returned in the summer of 2019, to play the lead role of "Gino Wildes" in 'Copperface Jacks The Musical' by Paul Howard, produced by Verdant Productions at The Olympia Theatre to high acclaim. Johnny is very well known for his performances in RTE's 'Love Hate' where he starred as "Pauley" and in RTE's 'Fair City' as "Ciaran Holloway" for which he won a GOSS.IE award for Best Actor. In 2019 Johnny made the Grand Finals of RTE's 'Dancing With The Stars' alongside his pro dance partner Emily Barker. In 2015, Johnny lived in South Africa where he worked alongside Ron Howard and Pierre Morel playing the male lead “Broud” in Fox TV’s 'The Clan Of The Cave Bear'. He Played “Vinny” in the RTE comedy 'The Centre' and was in the Kirsten Sheridan film 'Doll House', where he starred as the male lead "Eanna". In 2011 Johnny toured Ireland and U.K. as Ray Dooley in Martin McDonagh’s “The Beauty Queen of Leenane”. Johnny also had the male lead in the short film, “Two Hearts” which swept the boards, winning best short film festivals throughout Europe. In August 2010, he had a leading role in the feature film “This Must Be the Place” where he starred alongside Oscar Winner, Sean Penn. Other notable Film and TV credits include: ‘Danny’ in “The Best of Times”; ‘George’ in “Fear” (Disney’s Incredible Stories), ‘Bastien’ in “The Sock Monster” (Disney’s Incredible Stories), ‘Billy O’Brien’ in “Stone”, ‘Paul’ in A “Man of Few Words”. “Delphine”, “Boy from Mercury”, “Custer’s Last Stand Up” (BBC/RTE) and “The Informant”. He played the part of ‘David Flood’ in a film about the “Stardust” tragedy (RTE), ‘Marcus’ in “Prosperity” (RTE) and ‘Diarmuid’ in the award winning short “An Creatur”.
In today’s show we talk with primary school teacher Áine Murray who has written a book called ‘The Pain in the Chest’ to help kids understand and manage their worries.
With a background in psychology, Áine believes it’s really important to understand that talking about your mental health doesn’t mean that something is wrong. Our mental health, how we feel in our head, changes all the time; sometimes it’s great and we feel really positive and then sometimes it’s more negative and we feel not so great.
But when we learn it is constantly changing, we know that if we are feeling anxious or down, that it won’t last forever and there are lots of things we can do to help ourselves.
The girl who features in her book has lots of worries as she grows up, but at the end of the book she decides to talk to her Mom about her anxiety and then we learn that when we start to talk, our worries start to walk…and we feel better!
Michelle and her team have a collective 50years experience working with kids as teachers, entertainers and parents!
www.TheKidsAreAllRight.ie
And if you enjoy our podcast we'd be delighted if you#d search The Kids Are All Right! podcast on Podchaser.com (or use the link below) to give us a review and a star rating. These reviews mean so much, Thanks!
https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-kids-are-all-right-1797447
Check out our social media to see more about the team, our guests, the topics we talk about, our competitions AND how to send us in your stories, jokes, comments or ideas for the podcast!
Social media:
Instagram:
thekidsareallrightpodcast
Facebook: @thekidsareallrightpodcast
GUEST OF THE DAY
Áine Murray
Áine is a young Primary School Teacher and Children’s Book Author from Navan, Meath. She is currently teaching 4th class in Ashboune ETNS – and loves it!
As well as teaching, Áine has an Undergraduate Degree in Psychology. She is passionate about her teaching and has a particular interest in young mental health, which can be seen in her new picture book. It is called “The Pain the Chest” and it tackles the issue of anxiety through rhyme and beautiful illustrations. The book reaches all primary school ages from 4-12years, and is an excellent resource for teachers and parents to start the conversation about mental health with their young person.
It introduces the language of anxiety, allows for reflection on what anxiety might look like, and normalises talking about our feelings in a child friendly way. It is engaging, inclusive and most of all, important.
Áine believes it is important to learn about your own Mental Health from a young age, and she really loved chatting to Buddy and Buster all about it!
GET THE BOOK:
The book can be bought online at TheBookmark.ie, Choicepublishing.ie or Antoniasbookstore.ie
And you can follow the Instagram account @the_pain_in_the_chest for more updates!
In today’s show we speak with Dr Mary O’Kane lecturer in Psychology and Education about how to beat the back to school nerves! She explains how it is completely normal to have mixed emotions about going back to school after time off, both excitement AND nerves. She gives Buster and Buddy loads of advice on how to keep the nerves in check by focusing on what you DO know and like about school and she gives lots of really handy tools and techniques to use to focus and calm their minds… ...As well as explaining how the fear part of our brains is trying so hard to protect us, that sometimes when we experience change, it makes a mistake and sees this as danger….So we need to know how to tell it that everything is OKAY! Listen to the show to hear what Mary teaches us, as well as lots of other fun stuff, like …and kids telling us their favourite jokes in Tickle Your Funny Bone! And remember to Stay Healthy, Stay Happy and Stay Well! http://www.thekidsareallright.ie/ (www.TheKidsAreAllRight.ie) Michelle and her team have a collective 50years experience working with kids as teachers, entertainers and parents! Thanks to Zapsplat, Audio Jingle and Alexander Korotkoff for the sound effects and music. Check out our social media to see more about the team, our guests, the topics we talk about, our competitions AND how to send us in your stories, jokes, comments or ideas for the podcast! Social media: Instagram: @thekidsareallrightpodcast Facebook: thekidsareallrightpodcast
GUEST OF THE DAY Dr Mary O’Kane Dr Mary O’Kane is a Lecturer in Psychology, Early Childhood Studies and Education. Mary started working in the media in 2015 with a Monthly Parenting Slot on the Anton Savage Show on Today FM. She continued working with Anton and his team for two years answering parent queries and giving advice on how to support children’s social and emotional development. She continues to work with Today FM, now on the Alison Curtis Weekend Morning Show. Mary is also a regular contributor on Ireland AM discussing a broad range of parenting and childhood issues while responding to viewers parenting questions. Website: https://www.drmaryokane.ie/ (https://www.drmaryokane.ie/) MINI MINDFULNESS MOMENT Louise Shanagher Louise Shanagher is a children’s therapist, mindfulness teacher and trainer. Louise has a BA and MSc in Psychology and further qualifications in Play Therapy and Mindfulness. She is the creator of the “Creative Mindfulness Kids” method and has trained hundreds of people to be children’s mindfulness teachers. She is the author of six books: The "Mindfully Me" series, Ireland’s first series of mindfulness books for children and the “Kindfully Me” series and the co-author of Ireland's first mindfulness curriculum the "Mindful Heart" curriculum. Louise is passionate about promoting positive mental health for children and young people. She believes that all children should get the opportunity to learn how to practice mindfulness and self-compassion and believes that these practices will help children lead happier, healthier and more fulfilling lives. Website: https://www.louiseshanagher.com/ (https://www.louiseshanagher.com/)
In today’s show we start a brand new segment to the show called ‘Mind Your Head!’ which is all about minding your head, as in looking after your head…you know, minding your Mental health!
And we talk to people who have done amazing things in their lives or have fantastic stories to tell about what they do and about what they do to feel well and happy!
Our very first Mental Health Ambassadors are The Happy Pear, otherwise known as twin brothers Dave and Steve who are well-known faces on TV and online for their absolute passion for vegetables and healthy living!
They talk to us about why vegetables are so good for us, how it’s the oxygen we breath when we’re out and about in nature that gives us energy, even more energy than the food we eat….and how our Gut Health is absolutely crucial in our overall health and wellness!
Buster and Buddy learn so much about how to look after and mind their Gut Health and promise Dave and Steve that they will join them soon for one of their fabulous sunrise sea swims!
www.TheKidsAreAllRight.ie
Michelle and her team have a collective 50years experience working with kids as teachers, entertainers and parents!
Thanks to Zapsplat, Audio Jingle and Alexander Korotkoff for the sound effects and music.
Check out our social media to see more about the team, our guests, the topics we talk about, our competitions AND how to send us in your stories, jokes, comments or ideas for the podcast!
Social media:
Instagram: thekidsareallrightpodcast
Facebook: @thekidsareallrightpodcast
GUESTS OF THE DAY
Dave & Steve Flynn aka The Happy Pear
The Happy Pear started out back in 2004 with Steve, Dave, a tiny shop and a dream of helping people to eat more veg!
Fast forward 15 years, The Happy Pear now consists of 4 cafes, 40 products, 6 online courses, 4 cookbooks, a farm, a roastery, hundreds of amazing employees and a community of over 1 million people living healthier!
All that said, the mission is still the same, to help everyone to get healthier and be happier!
Founders of The Happy Pear, Dave & Steve are plant-based chefs with over 20 million views on their recipes on YouTube. They are bestselling authors with restaurants, shops and a wide range of vegan products on sale across Ireland.
They believe that our minds have so much power, they hold the key to achieving our goals. But to access this power we need to tap into what makes our minds tick and, in a sense, become its master. This is where a plant-powered, health-driven lifestyle comes to play.
Website: www.thehappypear.ie
SHOW NOTES
So guys, today we are kicking off our brand new segment on the show called ‘Mind Your Head!’
Yeah, I’m so excited about this new part of the show! Me and Buddy spent all day yesterday getting our questions ready. But Michelle I don’t really understand the name, Mind Your Head like What? that sounds strange…like something is gonna drop on top of our heads….“HEY GUYS, MIND YOUR HEAD!!!”
Yeah, you’re right Buster, it sounds funny alright. However, in this case Mind Your Head actually means minding your head, as in looking after your head, you know minding your mental health.
Oh right, so Mind Your Head, like everything we’ve been learning about making sure to look after how we feel, our emotions and all that, yeah?
Yeah THAT’s why we were writing the questions yesterday all about Health, Happiness and Wellness Buster! Things to help….Mind your head.
Yes, exactly, that’s it Buddy. So what we will be doing is devoting a whole show to speak with people who have brilliant stories to tell or have done amazing things in their life and they will tell us all about what they do to feel well and happy! Sound good?
This is gonna be great!
GUEST INTERVIEW
Great and that’s why we are so pleased with our first Mind Your Head show, because you know what, guys? Not only do we have one special guest, we have two. They are twin brothers that many of you will know from TV where they show us how to cook amazing vegetable based meals. They talk about living healthy and happy, and they just have bundles and bundles of good, positive energy. And I never thought I'd say this, but they may even have more energy than you, Buster.
What? No way.
They are the happy pair otherwise known as Dave and Steve. Guys, you're so welcome. We're thrilled to have you on the show. And the lads have so many questions for you.
Well, I'm really excited. Hi, guys.
Steve, stop doing a handstand. Come on over here.
OK, ok. OK!.
Oh Buster, Come on. Don't try to copy Steve doing a handstand!
Hey hey, I can do it better!!
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Michelle, you just said that these guys have more energy than Buster. Well, I have to say I don't believe that for one second because one time Buster stayed in the trampoline park for five hours. So, Dave and Steve, what's the most energetic thing that you guys have ever done?
Sheesh. We we've run marathons, if that's any good. We've run lots of marathons. We can hold a handstand for three minutes.
Oh, three minutes.!! Now I have to say, Buster, I think we have a new record.
Oh I don't know, I think we need to do a challenge off of energy!
Oh lads I think I do think we've got a winner here for sure!. Listen, it's time to calm down. It's time to calm down so you can start asking Dave and Steve some of our real questions. So, OK, guys, Buster & Buddy, if you have your question cards at the ready, you can take it away.
Yes. OK, guys, we put loads of questions together about how you guys Mind Your Head.
Yeah. You guys mind your head loads of different ways, with your food, with your exercise and all the mindfulness stuff you do.
So one of the main things that people know you guys for is vegetables. You sell them in your vegetable shop, you grow them, you cook them in your cafes, you come up with some yummy vegetable meals and are actual real life TV chefs showing us how to cook these meals. And you just have loads of cookbooks with veggie recipes. So why do you guys love vegetables so much?
We love vegetables great question. We love the question, really really love the question! So we've always loved vegetables. But they're so important for giving you loads of energy, for making you feel good, making you sleep good, for making your body strong.
Yeah. That's so important in so many ways. And inside our stomach we have like another pet that if we feed it well, it'll help keep us strong. So it's really important to eat our vegetables for that reason.
It is. It's like a pet in your tummy and your pet loves vegetables. And the more vegetables you give it, the healthier that pet will make you feel. And it makes you have loads of energy and makes you really smart. It'll make your immune system strong. It's it's so important.
Oh, yeah, that's cool. That's really funny idea that I have a pet in my stomach that I have to feed the right food to keep alive and well.
Yeah I suppose it is Buster, but the idea of a pet in your tummy, it’s….we’re really talking about Gut Health….it’s really interesting but our gut isn’t just our stomach, it goes all the way from your throat, into your stomach and all the way through and out the other side! So it’s really a huge part of our body isn’t it?
Yes, it's sixteen metres long and it's as Stephen said, it's like a pet that lives in your gut. And when you feed that really healthy food, when you sleep well, when you exercise, when you spend time in nature, that pet just flourishes. And therefore it makes you feel really healthy, really strong. It makes you feel calm. I mean, you can focus.
And some of you may have heard that the term your immune system and that's kind of like your army that protects you and keeps you strong and healthy.
And the more vegetables you eat, the more beneficial it is for this pet inside you, which is kind of the home of most of your army. But it could be like vegetable soup, it could be having porridge for breakfast. It could be eating fruit on your little break. It could be having like a nice sandwich with some hummus and other things in it.
…so you might have heard this word before. Fibre. Fibre is so important for your pet and your immune system and all your health and you only get fibre in fruits and vegetables and whole grains and beans. You know, you've probably heard that expression beans, beans …the more you eat, the more you.
Fart!!
Well, beans are so healthy for you, all that stuff is so healthy for your pet.
So I think for anyone listening who kind of wants to be healthier and stay strong and, you know, have a strong immune system, that's kind of five basic things you can do to have a healthy gut, just healthy at large. Number one, try to eat more fruit and vegetables. Number two, try to exercise. So at playtime get out into the yard, run around, do gymnastics, do tennis, do whatever sports you can do because it's so important….
Handstands…Or five hours on the trampoline like Buster!
Ha ha!
Exactly. So that's number two. Number three is your sleep. But sleep is so important for all those aspects, particularly that pet in your tummy. Number four, spend time in different environments if you can so nature, nature so important.
Like if you can get to the park, if you can get to the beach, you can go on walks. Nature is so important.
I love to go for walks.
Yeah. If you've got a pet, if you actually do have a dog, dogs are great walking coaches. And if you don't have a dog, maybe borrow a neighbour's dog. We call in our neighbours, we call into our neighbours and we borrow their dog and bring it for a walk quite often.
Oh, really?
Yeah, we do genuinely, Bailey.
Oh, so that saves them one day of having to walk the dog.
Yeah. And my my kids are delighted with it.
But can I ask you I suppose because all this about looking after our gut and it is a new concept, it is quite new. You know, you guys are so fit and healthy anyway in terms of what you eat and the exercise and everything you do. So when you started, I suppose, focusing more on your gut health, did you did you actually even notice a difference in terms of feeling better again?
Definitely. It's like a car. It's like a car. If you give a car a really good fuel, the car performs really well. It goes well, it never breaks down. It'll always start. And it's a bit like that with your gut and your food. You have to think of yourself like you've got this body and if you feed it really healthy food, it doesn't always have to be healthy food, but if you feed it, feed lots of fruit and veg, it really does perform really well. And that means you're going to be healthy, strong and it's easier to focus in school. You're kind of better at sports. You don't get sick. Your defense or your your immune system, your army is there to protect you.
Yeah, really. It's like I can't think of the last time we were sick. Like, I really I can't even remember Stephen being sick really ever. Really.
Wow. So I really like that analogy, you guys have of the car and fueling it with the right kind of fuel. So what kind of foods would be good for my gut, as you guys say.
So say for breakfast, if you can have porridge, if you can have, you know, Weetabix are quite good. If you can have those type of things for breakfast. For your lunch, if you can have like carrot sticks and hummus in it and maybe have brown bread. My kids like brown bread and jam sandwiches that they love and then generally they also get cucumber. And Ned wanted, what did Ned want…Ned’s four and he wanted cucumber and Galia melon. And Thea wanted cucumber and Blood orange.
And I don't know if you, have you ever heard of tahini?
So isn't that…. Oh no wait. That's Tahiti. That's a big foreign country somewhere else!!
Tahini is, it's like peanut butter. But instead of being you know the way nuts, my kids aren't allowed nuts in their school, so tahini is like peanut butter, but it's made of seeds. So it's made of sesame seeds and it tastes kind of like peanut butter. So I give them a little tub of that with some maple syrup and I mix that up. And then they dip that in it. They've carrot sticks and hummus. They get crackers.
And then sometimes today they have chocolate rice cake. There's loads of different things you can do, but it's really trying to eat lots of fruit and veg. They love mango, they like pear.
And it's to try to get as much variety as you can. So it's not just about like I think many people get caught up with labels like vegetarian and vegan. It's not about that. It's much more about just trying to eat more fruit and vegetables and that'll keep you stronger.
And if you can focus on getting a variety. So it's not just I only eat apples and bananas and carrots. We work with a doctor and he's he's a gastroenterologist. So he's a doctor of your gut, he's a doctor of that pet in your tummy, and he says the most important thing is to get 30 different types of fruit and veg in a week, and that means beans and whole grains as well. So if you can count, if you can put a sheet in the fridge and every time you eat a different fruit or vegetable or bean or whole grain, write it on that list and see if he can get 30 in a week.
Because if you get 30, your pet will be so healthy.
And I think this is a great project and activity just to learn about the diversity. Diversity is a fancy word, meaning the different types of, in this case, fruit and veg you're going to eat in a week. So it could be some peanut butter for lunch. I put a bit of that on it. A bit of brown bread. That's another one. I had a banana.
I had hummus. I had, you know, all these things. They all count because they're all really healthy, high fibre foods.
Oh, yeah. That sounds like a great challenge. But if those were the foods that are good for us, what are the foods that are bad for us?
Oh, good question.
A great question. So the foods that are bad for our gut are the ones like. I know everyone loves sweets and chocolate bars like we all love them. They're so tasty, but they're not the healthiest for your pet..
We call them processed foods. So it's when you're in the house, if you can try to eat things that aren't in a packet. So you know the way bananas and apples aren't in a packet. but try to choose things that are less than a packet because they're going to be the healthy.
And then the other one, remember, we mentioned that word fibre, is a fibre so important it kind of helps you do number twos. It helps you go to the toilet and also not to be constipated or blocked up. So fibre is so important. And as I mentioned, you only get fibre and fruit and vegetables and beans, legumes, not seeds and whole grains. You don't get any fibre in meat. So it's not to say don't eat meat, but just try to eat more of the fruit and vegetables. I think that’s important…. that's because they're the healthier ones.
So me and Buster love our sports. I mean, he loves his hockey and I just really love playing rugby. So if I could ask my mom what kind of things should I ask you to put in my lunchbox you know, that will give me loads of energy for my sports.
Brilliant question. I think so. I don't know if you've ever heard the word of carbohydrate. These are one of our main fuel source that's kind of just give us this energy. So if you can get instead of just getting normal bread, if you can get brown bread, it has more fibre and it'll slow down the release of that energy. So instead of being really good at the start of the rugby match and really bad at the end, this will help release the energy more regularly, like a kind of battery.
So then so then you will be able to spend five hours on the trampoline like Buster!!
But it’s trying to have Brown things. It's trying to have like I put crackers in my daughter's lunchbox this morning and they were brown crackers. It was like Ryvita and they have loads energy them. So does fruit. Fruit is packed with energy. So if you're going to have rice, have brown rice, if you're going to have pasta, try to use brown wholemeal pasta.
Okay, so the brown foods have more fibre in them, which helps keep our digestive system working properly AND will give Buddy loads more energy for his rugby…
And just like Buster, Buster has got so much energy. Sometimes I look at him and I wonder what on earth is he eating that keeps him full of so much energy that the first thing in the morning till way late in the evening, he just never stops. Oh, I get tired looking at you sometimes, Buster.
Yeah, I'm full of beans. You geddit Buddy!
Sorry guys. He's doing his dad jokes again. But actually both of you guys have so much energy. It's incredible. But can I ask, were you always like this even as kids?
We always had lots of energy.
But then when we started eating more healthier foods, we got even more energy.
So like, I think the food you eat really has an impact on your energy levels and how you feel and how alert you can be at school and how good you can play a rugby
So, Buddy, when you're playing your rugby matches or your hockey matches, like if you can eat, like, more healthier foods, you'll be even stronger and have even more energy like Buster!
Buster, you've got competition!! But, you know, it's amazing...
In today’s show we speak with Dr Mary O’Kane lecturer in Psychology and Education about how to beat the back to school nerves! She explains how it is completely normal to have mixed emotions about going back to school after time off, both excitement AND nerves. She gives Buster and Buddy loads of advice on how to keep the nerves in check by focusing on what you DO know and like about school and she gives lots of really handy tools and techniques to use to focus and calm their minds… ...As well as explaining how the fear part of our brains is trying so hard to protect us, that sometimes when we experience change, it makes a mistake and sees this as danger….So we need to know how to tell it that everything is OKAY! Listen to the show to hear what Mary teaches us, as well as lots of other fun stuff, like …and kids telling us their favourite jokes in Tickle Your Funny Bone! And remember to Stay Healthy, Stay Happy and Stay Well! http://www.TheKidsAreAllRight.ie (www.TheKidsAreAllRight.ie) Michelle and her team have a collective 50years experience working with kids as teachers, entertainers and parents! Thanks to Zapsplat, Audio Jingle and Alexander Korotkoff for the sound effects and music. Check out our social media to see more about the team, our guests, the topics we talk about, our competitions AND how to send us in your stories, jokes, comments or ideas for the podcast! Social media: Instagram: thekidsareallrightpodcast Facebook: @thekidsareallrightpodcast GUEST OF THE DAY Dr Mary O’Kane Dr Mary O’Kane is a Lecturer in Psychology, Early Childhood Studies and Education. Mary started working in the media in 2015 with a Monthly Parenting Slot on the Anton Savage Show on Today FM. She continued working with Anton and his team for two years answering parent queries and giving advice on how to support children’s social and emotional development. She continues to work with Today FM, now on the Alison Curtis Weekend Morning Show. Mary is also a regular contributor on Ireland AM discussing a broad range of parenting and childhood issues while responding to viewers parenting questions. Website: https://www.drmaryokane.ie/ (https://www.drmaryokane.ie/) MINI MINDFULNESS MOMENT Louise Shanagher Louise Shanagher is a children’s therapist, mindfulness teacher and trainer. Louise has a BA and MSc in Psychology and further qualifications in Play Therapy and Mindfulness. She is the creator of the “Creative Mindfulness Kids” method and has trained hundreds of people to be children’s mindfulness teachers. She is the author of six books: The "Mindfully Me" series, Ireland’s first series of mindfulness books for children and the “Kindfully Me” series and the co-author of Ireland's first mindfulness curriculum the "Mindful Heart" curriculum. Louise is passionate about promoting positive mental health for children and young people. She believes that all children should get the opportunity to learn how to practice mindfulness and self-compassion and believes that these practices will help children lead happier, healthier and more fulfilling lives. Website: https://www.louiseshanagher.com/ (https://www.louiseshanagher.com/) SHOW NOTES Hello and welcome to The Kids Are All Right. A weekly podcast specially for kids, that's all about health, happiness and wellness. I'm Michelle and here with me are my co-pilots on this podcast, Buster and Buddy! Hey, guys. Buster here. Oh, yeah, fan favourite Buddy coming at you! And we're on a mission to help you all feel great and live happy. Here we go again. All right. TOPIC INTRO So, guys, it's finally back to school time for everyone this week. Are you excited to be back?
Yeah. Oh, it's great. Michelle, I'm so excited to see my mates again and to get to play in sports and Oh, and drama. Oh, and art! It's going to be brilliant being back.
Wow! That's a lot of things you're excited about Buster. What about you Buddy?
Well, I am super...
GUEST & SHOW DETAILS In today’s show we speak with world renowned comic book artist Declan Shalvey, who has worked with Marvel DC Comics, Boom Studios, Dynamite and all the other big comic book companies! Watching cartoons as a kid and seeing the credits he realised that real people and not just computers make these cartoons….and from that day he decided that THIS was the job for him! He has loved drawing since he can remember, even drawing on the walls of his bedroom! But it took a lot of time, work and patience to get where he is today, one of the most famous comic book artists! He talks to us about his favourite superhero characters, which he likes drawing most and least, and gives loads of great advice to kids who might be interested in trying to make comics their job too! He also talks about learning to fail, that the only way that you can get better is by trying different things and not always getting it right, telling Buster and Buddy that the only way to improve is by learning from our mistakes and not trying to be perfect all the time! And even though You Tubers can make it seem like success is easy and their lives are perfect, he thinks kids need to realise that this isn’t really the case and it takes a lot of work to ‘look’ perfect and to be successful. Listen to the show to hear everything we chat about, as well as lots of other fun stuff, like …and kids telling us their favourite jokes in Tickle Your Funny Bone! And remember to Stay Healthy, Stay Happy and Stay Well! Michelle and her team have a collective 50years experience working with kids as teachers, entertainers and parents!
Thanks to Zapsplat, Audio Jingle and Alexander Korotkoff for the sound effects and music. Check out our social media to see more about the team, our guests, the topics we talk about, our competitions AND how to send us in your stories, jokes, comments or ideas for the podcast! Social media: Instagram: thekidsareallrightpodcast Facebook: @thekidsareallrightpodcast GUEST OF THE DAY Declan Shalvey Declan Shalvey is an Irish comics artist and writer. He has worked for https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvel_Comics (Marvel Comics), drawing characters such as https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_Knight (Moon Knight), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunderbolts_(comics) (Thunderbolts) and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deadpool (Deadpool) and has written crime comics set in Ireland, including Savage Town and Bog Bodies. Shalvey grew up in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ennis (Ennis), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_Clare (County Clare) and studied Art at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limerick_School_of_Art_and_Design (Limerick School of Art and) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limerick_School_of_Art_and_Design (Design). He started his career in independent comics in Ireland and the UK. He moved into American comics in 2009, drawing ten of the first twelve issues of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boom!_Studios (Boom! Studios)' film spin-off comic https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/28_Days_Later_(comics) (28 Days Later). In 2010 he did his first work for Marvel, and over the next decade he drew lots of series for them, including https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunderbolts_(comics) (Thunderbolts), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Avengers (Dark Avengers), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venom_(comic_book) (Venom), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deadpool (Deadpool), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_Knight (Moon Knight), and Return of Wolverine (2018), and writing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_War_(comics) (Civil War II: Choosing Sides), and Deadpool vs. Old Man Logan and lots of others. In 2020 Marvel published Marvel Monograph: The Art of Declan Shalvey, a trade paperback collecting highlights of his work for the company. Check out: https://dshalv.tumblr.com/ (https://dshalv.tumblr.com/)...
In today’s show we start our brand new segment called ‘Super Kids!’ where we celebrate super kids doing super things with a fantastic secret surprise planned for them! Our very first Super Kid is 12year old Robert Mockler from Dublin, Ireland who has suffered with DLD, or Developmental Language Disorder since he was little. A developmental language disorder is when a child hasn't developed words and sentences in the way that we would expect. Some have difficulties learning new words and remembering words when they are talking. Others might have difficulty making sentences or understanding long sentences that other people say to them, and some might have difficulty telling and understanding stories. And many will take words literally, finding it difficult to read between the lines, that is, understand the hidden meaning behind words A hidden disorder, experts say that approximately one in 14 kids suffer from some form of DLD. Take a listen to see how we surprised Robert, who is a huge Avengers and Marvel Movie fan with an incredibly special Superhero surprise in his house!
And remember to Stay Healthy, Stay Happy and Stay Well! http://www.thekidsareallright.ie/ (www.TheKidsAreAllRight.ie) Michelle and her team have a collective 50years experience working with kids as teachers, entertainers and parents! Thanks to Zapsplat, Audio Jingle and Alexander Korotkoff for the sound effects and music. Check out our social media to see more about the team, our guests, the topics we talk about, our competitions AND how to send us in your stories, jokes, comments or ideas for the podcast! Social media: Instagram: thekidsareallrightpodcast Facebook: @thekidsareallrightpodcast SHOW NOTES Hello and welcome to The Kids Are All Right, a weekly podcast specially for kids, that's all about health, happiness and wellness. I'm Michelle and here with me are my co-pilots on this podcast, Buster and Buddy. Hey, guys! And we're on a mission to help you all feel great and live happy! Here we go again, Yeah! All right. So, guys, this is the week that we kick off a very special segment on this podcast. Oh, I'm so excited. It's finally time. It's going to be brilliant! I know, Buster, it is exciting because this is where we dedicate a whole show to celebrate super kids doing super things…take a little listen to this…..(Super Kids Jingle) Cool. That sounds really dramatic!
Well, actually, it is Buddy, because what we will do is find out more about the kids that are nominated, what they are doing that is so brilliant and basically why they are a super kid. And then we plan a really cool surprise for them that we know they will love.
Oh, it's just so brilliant. And they have no idea. It's genius. Oh, I can't wait!
Neither can I!. So who is our first super kids of the series, Michelle?
Well, it's 12 year old Robert Mockler from City Western Dublin, who has lived with DLD, or Developmental Language Disorder all his young life.
Michelle, what is developmental language disorder?
Well, it's a disorder which causes problems with speaking and understanding language. So kids with it will find it difficult to talk and explain themselves, maybe tell a story to a friend in the right order, or maybe even find it tricky to tell a parent what has happened in school.
But that must be really annoying when people don't understand you. Yes, it is.
And as well as difficulties expressing themselves, they also find it difficult to understand what people are saying. So it's not just the words they're saying, but also the meaning behind the words. So they spend their days trying to work out not just what people are saying, but what they really mean.
Oh, wow. That must be so exhausting. Do many kids have this?
Well, it's called a hidden disorder, as it can be difficult to know which kids have it, especially as teachers and parents haven't really been told how to spot it; you know,...
In today’s show we speak with Environmental Scientist Dr Cara Augustenborg about the things that we can do in our own lives to help stop climate change. She explains how climate change is caused when carbon dioxide from the fuels we burn gets trapped in our atmosphere and act like a blanket, making the earth heat up. And this heating up is what creates climate change, where we get extremes of weather. Buster and Buddy find out that there are lots of things however that we can do to stop climate change, like using less energy, using our bikes instead of the car for short trips and using Bio-Diversity as a big part of the solution! Listen to the show to hear what Dr Cara teaches us, as well as lots of other fun stuff, like …and kids telling us their favourite jokes in Tickle Your Funny Bone! And remember to Stay Healthy, Stay Happy and Stay Well! http://www.thekidsareallright.ie/ (www.TheKidsAreAllRight.ie) Michelle and her team have a collective 50years experience working with kids as teachers, entertainers and parents! Thanks to Zapsplat, Audio Jingle and Alexander Korotkoff for the sound effects and music. Check out our social media to see more about the team, our guests, the topics we talk about, our competitions AND how to send us in your stories, jokes, comments or ideas for the podcast! Social media: Instagram: thekidsareallrightpodcast Facebook: @thekidsareallrightpodcast GUEST OF THE DAY Dr. Cara Augustenborg Dr. Cara Augustenborg is an Environmental Policy Fellow at University College Dublin and Presenter of the Down to Earth show on Newstalk. She is also an honorary member of the President of Ireland’s Council of State and received the ‘Woman of Influence’ award at the 2020 Irish Women’s Awards. Recently, Silicon Republic named her as one of the top https://www.siliconrepublic.com/innovation/sustainability-environment-influencers (10 changemakers creating a more sustainable world). https://www.siliconrepublic.com/innovation/sustainability-environment-influencers (https://www.siliconrepublic.com/innovation/sustainability-environment-influencers) http://www.caraaugustenborg.com/ (http://www.caraaugustenborg.com/) SHOW NOTES Hello and welcome to The Kids Are All Right. A weekly podcast specially for kids, that's all about health, happiness and wellness. I'm Michelle and here with me are my co-pilots on this podcast, Buster and Buddy! Hey, guys. Buster here. Oh, yeah, fan favourite Buddy coming at you! And we're on a mission to help you all feel great and live happy. Here we go again. All right! So, guys, I think we all know how important nature is in our lives and how important it is in helping us feel well and happy and, you know, this probably became even more clear during Lockdown's during coronavirus when we realized how our trip to the park or our walks on the beach or hikes in the mountains or in the countryside were so very important. It's incredible how much we really need the great outdoors and not just for exercise, but to feel well and happy. Yeah, defo, I think I only realized for the first time just how much nature was right outside my door. I couldn't believe it. How did I not notice it before? My daily cycles, all the picnics in the park were brilliant, walking up hills near me. Yeah. And I also discovered so many cool things just here in my area that I never knew were there. Like there was this lovely walk along the river just down from my house. I couldn't believe it. I never noticed it before. Yeah. I found loads of new walks and trails near me too that I never know about before. And I do think this realization of the power and the importance of nature has helped focus people's minds on the climate change crisis that is happening right now. And if we don't take action quickly, our environment and so much of this nature that we love will be destroyed. Yeah, I've heard of climate change, but I've never really understood exactly what it is and how it's...
In today’s show we speak with Sharon Flanagan, founder of Fitness for Kids about why it is so important to do some form of regular exercise to keep not only our bodies, but our minds healthy too.
Sharon explains how important it is to get small amounts of regular exercise and how even if you don’t really like sports, there are loads of other ways to get enough exercise to keep you fit and well…including something called Movement Snacking! Sounds yummy!
Buster and Buddy were amazed when Sharon told them that exercise is so powerful that not only can it make a person feel less pain, but doctors around the world are now prescribing exercise instead of medicine to help patients suffering from certain diseases!
She gives Buster and Buddy loads of great ideas for ways to make sure they get enough exercise and how to make this as much FUN as possible!
Listen to the show to hear what Sharon teaches us, as well as lots of other fun stuff, like …and kids telling us their favourite jokes in Tickle Your Funny Bone!
And remember to Stay Healthy, Stay Happy and Stay Well!
www.TheKidsAreAllRight.ie
Michelle and her team have a collective 50years experience working with kids as teachers, entertainers and parents!
Thanks to Zapsplat, Audio Jingle and Alexander Korotkoff for the sound effects and music.
Check out our social media to see more about the team, our guests, the topics we talk about, our competitions AND how to send us in your stories, jokes, comments or ideas for the podcast!
Social media:
Instagram: thekidsareallrightpodcast
Facebook: @thekidsareallrightpodcast
GUEST OF THE DAY
Sharon Flanagan
Sharon Flanagan (Walsh) the founder of Fitness for Kids. Her two greatest passions have always been working with children and exercise. She has many more now, including her 3 little girls, husband and dog Cooper. From competing in Irish dancing for 13 years to loving long walks anywhere especially Howth cliffs and taking part in Crossfit, she always remains active. Running after a toddler adds to that!
Sharon has spent over twenty years working with children to include owning and running her own creche and also being a nanny, this led her to combining all her passions to make a real difference in children’s everyday lives. In today’s world many children spend too much time being sedentary having too much ‘screen time’. Fitness for Kids aim to get kids moving more and enjoying exercise all in a positive fun environment. We base each class on physical development first while incorporating intellectual, language, emotional and social development.
Fitness for Kids make fitness a part of life and sets children up on their fitness journey. We work on teamwork, co-operation, friendship and self-confidence. We encourage fun, games and activities to keep the children motivated and having as much fun as possible.
Fitness for Kids caters for EVERY child. It is not just for the sporty, confident kid. Our main focus is bringing out the best in each child. We encourage only positive outlooks on fitness and fun is key to every class.
Our motto is from Baby steps to giant leaps. We start with each child at the very beginning and bring them to whatever giant leaps means to them. Every child is an individual as is their program.
www.fitnessforkids.ie
MINI MINDFULNESS MOMENT
Louise Shanagher
Louise Shanagher is a children’s therapist, mindfulness teacher and trainer.
Louise has a BA and MSc in Psychology and further qualifications in Play Therapy and Mindfulness.
She is the creator of the “Creative Mindfulness Kids” method and has trained hundreds of people to be children’s mindfulness teachers.
She is the author of six books: The "Mindfully Me" series, Ireland’s first series of mindfulness books for children and the “Kindfully Me” series and the co-author of Ireland's first mindfulness curriculum the "Mindful Heart" curriculum.
Louise is passionate about promoting positive mental health for children and young people. She believes that all children should get the opportunity to learn how to practice mindfulness and self-compassion and believes that these practices will help children lead happier, healthier and more fulfilling lives.
Website: https://www.louiseshanagher.com/
In today's show we speak with Stella O’Malley, psychotherapist and best-selling author of three parenting books about ways kids can learn how to deal with change in their lives. Kids have experienced massive changes in every aspect of their lives during Coronavirus and while this amount and extreme amount of change is not normal, Stella discusses how change at a more regular pace is a completely normal part of everyone’s life. Buster and Buddy learn from Stella that instead of worrying about change, by accepting that change is normal and realising that many changes, while uncomfortable or difficult to go through, most lead to great and exciting life experiences! She gives Buster and Buddy loads of advices and tools they can use to help them the next time change comes knocking on their door! Listen to the show to hear what Stella teaches us, as well as lots of other fun stuff, like …and kids telling us their favourite jokes in Tickle Your Funny Bone! And remember to Stay Healthy, Stay Happy and Stay Well! Michelle and her team have a collective 50years experience working with kids as teachers, entertainers and parents! Thanks to Zapsplat, Audio Jingle and Alexander Korotkoff for the sound effects and music. Social media: Instagram: thekidsareallrightpodcast Facebook: @thekidsareallrightpodcast GUEST OF THE DAY Stella O’Malley Stella O'Malley is a psychotherapist, best-selling author, public speaker and a parent with many years’ experience working in counselling and psychotherapy. Born in Dublin, Stella now calls Birr, Co. Offaly home where she lives with her husband and two children and runs her private practice. Stella holds a B.A. in Counselling and Psychotherapy, an M.A. in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and diplomas in Youth Studies, Psychometric Testing and Gender Identity counselling. Much of Stella's counselling and teaching work is with parents and young people which culminated in the publication of her two bestselling books ‘Cotton Wool Kids’ in 2015 and ‘Bully-Proof Kids’ in 2017. Stella’s latest book Fragile, was released in 2019 and focuses on overcoming anxiety and stress. Forging a career in the Irish media, Stella is a regular contributor to the Irish Independent and the Sunday Independent and also writes extensively about mental health issues for newspapers such as the Irish Times, Sunday Times, Irish Examiner, Evening Herald, Daily Mail, Irish Tatler, Pregnancy and Parenting magazine and many other media outlets. Stella frequently appears on national and local media such as RTE Radio 1, RTE television, TV3, Newstalk, Today FM and BBC Northern Ireland to discuss a broad range of topics such as mental well-being, mindfulness, conflict resolution in the workplace, communication skills, parenting and childhood issues in Ireland today. Fast becoming one of the leading voices on what’s influencing people’s behaviour in Ireland today, Stella gives public talks and lectures on a range of topics for different organisations, nationwide such as ETB, VTOS, the Dept. of Education, Merrill Lynch, the Dept. of Finance and Grow. She lectures in CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) and Mindfulness for Laois Offaly ETB as well as presenting different talks in libraries and schools around the country on a variety of issues. www.stellaomalley.com SHOW NOTES Hello and welcome to The Kids Are All Right. A weekly podcast specially for kids, that's all about health, happiness and wellness. I'm Michelle and here with me are my co-pilots on this podcast, Buster and Buddy! Hey, guys. Buster here. Oh, yeah, fan favourite Buddy coming at you! And we're on a mission to help you all feel great and live happy. Here we go again. All right. So I don't know about you guys, but when coronavirus happened and everything had to stop during lockdown, all the normal things I was used to doing day to day changed completely and I found it hard to deal with so many massive...
On today's show we spoke with Deirdre Doyle, Health Coach and owner of the Cool Food School about how to think about vegetables in a different and fun way! Buster and Buddy find out why parents always go on and on about their kids eating their vegetables and how vegetables are the jigsaw to keeping our bodies AND minds healthy and well. AND we HEAR about lots of fun and exciting ways to look at vegetables in a totally new way!! Listen to the show to find hear what Deirdre tells us AND to hear kids talking about their favourite veggies…as well as telling us their Jokes of the Day! And remember to Stay Healthy, Stay Happy and Stay Well! Michelle and her team have a collective 50years experience working with kids as teachers, entertainers and parents! Check out our website to see more about the team, our guests, the topics we talk about, our competitions AND how to send us in your stories, jokes, comments or ideas for the podcast! Website: www.TheKidsAreAllRight.ie Social media: Instagram: thekidsareallrightpodcast Facebook:thekidsareallrightpodcast Thanks to Zapsplat, Audio Jingle and Alexander Korotkoff for the audio effects and music. GUEST OF THE DAY Deirdre Doyle Mum of 3, Deirdre Doyle is a BTEC-qualified Health Coach with a mission to teach children of all ages about the joys of healthy eating. And it is with this vision in mind that she set up The Cool Food School in 2018. “At the Cool Food School we promote healthy eating in a fun and interactive environment for kids of all ages. We travel to schools, preschools and parties to teach children the value of eating healthy through a range of fun workshops and camps designed to encourage them to develop healthy habits. We’re all about encouraging children to enjoy wholesome food for a happier and healthier life.” http://www.thecoolfoodschool.ie (www.thecoolfoodschool.ie) MINI MINDFULNESS MOMENTS Louise Shanagher Louise Shanagher is a children’s therapist, mindfulness teacher and trainer. Louise has a BA and MSc in Psychology and further qualifications in Play Therapy and Mindfulness. She is the creator of the “Creative Mindfulness Kids” method and has trained hundreds of people to be children’s mindfulness teachers. She is the author of six books: The "Mindfully Me" series, Ireland’s first series of mindfulness books for children and the “Kindfully Me” series and the co-author of Ireland's first mindfulness curriculum the "Mindful Heart" curriculum. Louise is passionate about promoting positive mental health for children and young people. She believes that all children should get the opportunity to learn how to practice mindfulness and self-compassion and believes that these practices will help children lead happier, healthier and more fulfilling lives. Website: https://www.louiseshanagher.com/ (https://www.louiseshanagher.com/) WATCH LOUISE DOING THIS WEEKS’ MINI MINDFULNESS MOMENT Wiggle Your ToesMichelle Hello and welcome to The Kids Are All Right, a weekly podcast specially for kids, that's all about health, happiness and wellness. I'm Michelle and here with me are my co-pilots on this podcast, Boaster and Buddy. BusterHey, guys, Buster here. BuddyOh, yeah and fan favourite Buddy coming at you! Michelle And we're on a mission to help you all feel great and live happy!
BusterHere we go again!
Michelle All right. So, guys, I have the most gorgeous meal last night, it was roasted cauliflower risotto, delicious!!
BusterRoasted What with the what what!!? Urgh, That's disgusting!
Michelle No, really, it was so tasty.!
BuddyMichelle, what is it about parents always going on and on about kids eating their vegetables? I just don't get it yet?!
BusterI don't get to either! It's like it's all they can think about, all they can talk about is....Eat more vegetables. It's like "Here's another spoonful of your lovely veggies." I mean, it's like they're
In today's show we speak with Louise Shanagher, Child Therapist and Mindfulness Teacher about ways we can calm our busy minds and get ready for a great nights’ sleep! Louise explained that it is very normal for lots of kids and adults to have busy minds at the end of the day which even though we are tired, can sometimes make it difficult to get to sleep! She taught Buster and Buddy some super tools they can use at night to relax their bodies and calm their minds to settle down for sleep. Now they have a plan and some tools to use, Buster and Buddy feel so much more relaxed and confident now for night times. Listen to the show to hear what Louise taught us, as well as lots of other fun stuff, like the Big BB Quiz…and kids telling us their favourite jokes in Tickle Your Funny Bone! And remember to Stay Health, Stay Happy and Stay Well! Website: www.TheKidsAreAllRight.ie Email us on info@TheKidsAreAllRight.ie Social media: Instagram: @thekidsareallrightpodcast Facebook: @thekidsareallrightpodcast Find out more details about the team, our guests, the topics we talk about AND how to send us in your stories, jokes, comments or ideas for the podcast! Michelle and her team have a collective 50years experience working with kids as teachers, entertainers and parents! Find out more about the team on our website. With thanks to Zapsplat and Audio Jungle for the music and sound effects.
Show Notes: Michelle Hello and welcome to The Kids Are All Right!, a weekly podcast specially for kids, that's all about health, happiness and wellness. I'm Michelle and here with me are my co-pilots on this podcast, Buster and Buddy. BusterHey. Hey, guys, it's Buster here!
BuddyHey! Buddy checking in too!
Michelle
And we are on a mission to help you all feel great and live happy.
Buddy
Each week we speak with experts who have changed advice to share on how to feel in our heads, healthy in our bodies and happy in our lives.
Buster
Oh, and we'll also be chatting with people who've got really interesting stories to tell or have cool jobs or like a really cool attitude to life. Yeah!
Michelle
And kids, this is your podcast, so we want to hear from you.
Buddy
Your opinions, your questions, your stories.
Buster
Oh, yeah...and your favourite jokes, because laughter really is the best medicine!
Michelle
Whatever is on your mind, we want to hear. All you have to do is record yourself on the voice recorder on an adult's phone and then email us into us. And you might just hear yourself on this podcast.
Buster
Yeah! Woooah, let's get started!
[00:01:12.745] - Michelle
So, guys, how did you sleep last night?
[00:01:15.145] - Buster
Oh, I had the best sleep, but I had the craziest dream ever. I was driving a car on a racetrack. I think I must have been a racing car driver or something. But it was really weird because I was wearing my swimming costume and my arm bands. My crazy dreams, they never make any sense! [00:01:34.655] - Buddy
Yeah, sometimes I have crazy dreams too. But if I'm honest, it takes me ages to settle down and actually get to sleep. I mean, it's funny because I am tired, but then I lie down but then it's like as if my brain is having like a big party in my head!
[00:01:50.515] - Michelle
Yeah, that happens sometimes to me too. It's like the more tired I feel the busier my brain gets.
[00:01:56.215] - Buddy
Exactly! And it's really annoying because I love my bed and I love my sleep. But it really bothers me when I feel my brain getting busier and busier instead of quietening down. And then I start to worry that I'll never get to sleep. And then everything just gets even crazier in my head!
[00:02:15.145] - Buster
Oh, that's horrible Buddy!
[00:02:17.485] - Michelle
Yeah, I know. But you know what? I started researching into why this happens and it's actually quite...
In today's show we speak with Dr Yvonne Quinn, a clinical psychologist who specialises in resilience and wellness and helps kids and adults be the boss of their worries.
We talk about how feeling worried or anxious sometimes is perfectly normal; that most people will have worries at different times of their lives. And how after all the massive changes that Coronavirus has had on life, it is understandable that many kids will have experienced some worries and perhaps some anxiety during this time.
Buster and Buddy learn about the science behind the feelings we get in our body when we have worries, and how kids can take charge of these worries with some great tips and tools...letting them get back into the Drivers Seat of their worries!
And remember to Stay Healthy, Stay Happyand Stay Well!
Michelle and her team have a collective 50years experience working with kids as teachers, entertainers and parents!
Check out our website to see more about the team, our guests, the topics we talk about, our competitions AND how to send us in your stories, jokes, comments or ideas for the podcast!
Website: www.TheKidsAreAllRight.ie
Social media:
Instagram: thekidsareallrightpodcast
Facebook: thekidsareallrightpodcast
With thanks to Zapsplat and Audio Jungle for the music and sound effects.
Shownotes
Michelle Hello and welcome to The Kids Are All Right!, a weekly podcast specially for kids, that's all about health, happiness and wellness. I'm Michelle and here with me are my co-pilots on this podcast, Buster and Buddy.
BusterHey. Hey, guys, it's Buster here!
BuddyHey! Buddy checking in too!
Michelle And we are on a mission to help you all feel great and live happy.
BuddyEach week we speak with experts who have changed advice to share on how to feel in our heads, healthy in our bodies and happy in our lives.
BusterOh, and we'll also be chatting with people who've got really interesting stories to tell or have cool jobs or like a really cool attitude to life. Yeah!
Michelle And kids, this is your podcast, so we want to hear from you.
BuddyYour opinions, your questions, your stories.
BusterOh, yeah...and your favourite jokes, because laughter really is the best medicine!
Michelle Whatever is on your mind, we want to hear. All you have to do is record yourself on the voice recorder on an adult's phone and then email us into us. And you might just hear yourself on this podcast.
BusterYeah! Woooah, let's get started!
MichelleSo, guys, I'll have to be honest, I'm feeling pretty tired today. Yeah. Why is that, Michelle?
BusterWell, I've been studying a new course and I have an exam coming up soon, so I've had to spend a lot of time getting ready, which means lots and lots of late night study.
Buddy I hate exams. They get me so nervous and I worry so much that I won't be ready for them that I feel kind of sick at my stomach as the exams get closer and closer and closer. Sometimes I don't even want to eat the night before and I always, always love to eat!
BusterYeah, I get like that sometimes too, like when I've been off school for the holidays and then I have to go back and even though I love school, I worry I'll miss home and my family, my mouth goes all dry, my stomach pains and sometimes I even feel a little bit dizzy in my head.
MichelleYeah, that's called being anxious and it's feeling nervous or worried about something. But you know what, feeling anxious sometimes is perfectly normal. Everyone has feelings of anxiety at some point in their life, even adults. In fact, if you think about it, it would be a bit weird if you never felt worried or anxious about anything.
Buddy Yeah, you'd have to be living with your head right up in the clouds if you never had any worries.
BusterYeah, if you don't get worried, it will be like you don't care about anything or anyone. So when you think about it, worry, it means that you care, huh?
Buddy I never thought of it that way before, Buster.
MichelleAnd guys, you know, when you think back on the last year or so, it's really crazy times we have been through, don't you think? Like the way Coronavirus has affected every country in the world and pretty much changed everything about normal life. So it's really not that surprising that many kids have found that they have had extra worries on their mind and felt anxious at times.
Buddy Yeah, it has been crazy alright. And I did worry about a lot of things like when was I going to be able to hug my grandparents again, or catching coronavirus, when can I go back to having my playdates or when could I even just have a normal birthday party again?
MichelleExactly. So it's important to understand that feeling, worried or anxious at times is very normal. But also that we learn some tools that help us to be the boss of our worries. So we thought we'd ask you kids what kind of things give you that worry feeling in your stomach?
Kids Vox PopThere's many things you could be worried of, like getting lost in the shop or something.
Kids Vox PopI think I remember I wasn't going to get some of my work for religion done. I think I worried about that last. It kinda made me feel under pressure.
Kids Vox PopI felt worried when I started a new school .
Kids Vox PopSometimes I might worry cos I'm under pressure. Sometimes I might worry about like the safety of my family or my friends. Sometimes I might worry because I'm under pressure to do something.
Kids Vox PopAt the start of lockdown, I felt worried that one of my family would catch Coronavirus.
Kids Vox PopSometimes when I'm like presenting a project in front of the class, my hands start shaking and like, I just get a lot, like really nervous, I guess.
Buddy Oh, yeah. Oh, so all the other kids have things that they worry about too, it's not just me.
MichelleSo that's why we're delighted to have Dr. Yvonne Quinn as our guest today. She is a psychologist and has worked with kids for many years and knows a lot about the kind of things the kids sometimes worry about and what we can do to take charge and be the boss of our worries. Welcome to the show, Dr. Yvonne.
Dr YvonneThank you. It's great to be here.
Michelle So we've just been talking about having worries and how to deal with them, and that's kind of what you do. You help kids with their worries and you're a specialist in resilience and wellbeing. So what does resilience mean?
Dr YvonneResilience is a really big word. But what we talk about when we we use the word resilience, it's really about how we deal with hard things. So we know that hard things happen to everybody. Life can be really hard at times. And that's just part of being a human being. And resilience is really about how we how we cope with those hard things when they happen and how we move forward.
Buddy Yeah, and Michele was telling us earlier that feeling worried or anxious, that's something that's actually very, very normal. Is that right?
Dr YvonneAbsolutely. You're so right. Buddy. Feeling worried is a really normal experience. And I've worked with people of all ages to help them take charge of their work from little kids all the way up to old grannies and granddads who need help managing their worry.
BusterWow. So they get worried too.
Dr YvonneAbsolutely. Even grannies and granddads worry sometimes.
MichelleI've heard, is this correct? That our brains are pretty much the same as the brain of the caveman times.
Dr YvonneI know. Can you believe that our brains are that old, but they're really clever actually. So thousands of years ago when we lived in caves and when we had to hunt for food, life was much more dangerous. And so we needed a way of keeping ourselves safe. And our body has this really cool alarm system called the Fight, Flight or Freeze system that has really helped us to stay safe and to live and exist for as long as we have. So for a minute, I want you to use your mind and imagine that you are out in a Savanna and you're hunting for food, OK? You're starving and you come across a sabertooth tiger.
BusterOh, woah!
Dr YvonneYeah. Could you imagine?! So our body is so clever and our brain is so clever that it switches on this alarm system. And when this button gets switched on our body, it does all sorts of really clever things. So it makes our heart beat faster and it moves all of the energy down into our legs that we can run faster. And so this is so we're able to fight the tiger or run away from it. So this is a really, really clever thing that we've got in our bodies. And it has helped us to stay safe for thousands of years.
Buddy Oh, yes. So you're saying, that even though it's thousands of years later, our brains are still pretty much the same as a caveman brain?
Dr YvonneYeah, and that's good and bad. So we've still got this part of our brain, the fear system. So this system still gets switched on and off. And we need to we need to be able to keep yourself safe sometimes. So imagine if we were about to cross the road and we didn't look and a car was coming....our brain automatically switches on the system that would give us a bit of a fright and we would jump back onto the footpath to keep ourselves safe. So we still need this part of our brain and it's really important. But over time, our brains have actually changed. And we now have this other part of our brain called this thinking part of our brain. But now the thinking part of our brain can also switch on this fight or flight system.
Wow. Our body is actually trying to protect us, to keep us safe when we get those anxious feelings.
Dr YvonneAbsolutely. It is our bodys' really clever system of keeping ourselves safe and we need it. But what we also need to be able to do is we need to be able to take charge of it. And remember, we don't live in caves anymore. So life is not nearly as dangerous as it once was. But now the problem is that our thinking brains can think about things being unsafe. So, for instance, imagine if you were about to do a maths test and you think you don't know the answers, you get pretty scared and your thought switches on the alarm system in the same way as a tiger might. And so you end up having all of those feelings in your body, your heart might race, your palms might get sweaty when actually you're not in danger at all...you've just got a math test to do. So when I meet children, one of the first things they often ask me is; I really want you to help me get rid of my worries. But we know that we can't do this because worry and stress comes from this, the system in our body. But what we can do is we can learn how to take charge of it and we can learn how to be in the driver's seat.
BusterWow, that's amazing. But what can I do when I have so many worries racing around my head so fast that I can't even think straight.
Dr YvonneThat is such a good question. So the first thing that's really important to know is that when our alarm system gets pushed, so we were in a fight or flight state, that unfortunately the thinking part of our brain switches off. So the first thing we need to do is we need to calm our bodies down because it's only when our bodies are calm that we can even start to use our thinking brain. And I often tell boys and girls that one of the most helpful things we can do is to breathe or to move our bodies. So our breath is a little bit like having a superpower, actually. So our fight or flight system can get switched on, and our breath can actually switch it off, but we need to breathe in a certain type of way to breathe in a certain type of way.
BusterBut, I know how to breathe...In and Out?
Dr YvonneAbsolutely! And that's what we do, just breathe in and out. But the thing we also know is when we get worried, we're going to breathe much faster. And so the thing we need to do to calm our bodies down is we need to take slower, deeper breath.
BusterYeah, because when I get worried or scared, I get shaky and I start to breath really, really, really, really, really fast.
Dr YvonneExactly. And that actually makes our bodies even more stressed. So the superpower is breathing deep, slow breaths. So I often tell boys and girls that it's about breathing right down into their bellies. And for me, an easy way to help me to do this is to put my hands on my belly and take a deep breath and put my hand on my belly. OK, put your hands in your belly and you take a big breath in through your nose. And you might feel your belly filling up like a balloon.
Buddy Yeah. I feel like it might pop, ha!
Dr YvonneAnd then you breathe out nice and slowly through your nose again. Yeah. So you're doing it, breathing in through your nose and out through your nose.
BusterAnd I'm going to do that all the time!
Dr YvonneWell, that's a really important point, actually, because if we want to get really good at this, it's like learning how to do anything. We need to practice it at times when our body is calm. And I get the boys and girls that I work with to practice this a lot throughout the day, so that when you actually get worried, your body already knows what to do.
MichelleThat's a really great tool to actually have, because sometimes when you're in the middle of all that worry and your heart is racing, it can be really hard to know what to do.
Buddy Yeah, it's quite scary. Yeah, exactly.
Dr YvonneSo that's why our breathing is really useful. And the other thing, just to help with our bodies getting calm is we can shake it out of our bodies. So moving or jumping or shaking our arms and legs, all of that can help us get rid of all of that fight or flight energy that we have in our body.
BusterYeah, because sometimes when I'm really nervous or I'm really anxious, it's like I just want to explode. So if I run around or shake.
Dr YvonneYeah. And it's because your body is so well able to fight or to run. But if we don't need all that energy, we need to kind of shake it off. Sometimes I just ask the boys girls to just shake, shake your legs, shake your arms, do a bit of jumping or some jumping jacks and that moves it out of your body. And then once our bodies are calm, then we can start to talk to ourselves in a way that can be really helpful. So, for instance, if we're feeling really scared about, let's say we've got to stand up in front of our teacher and our friends, and that can be really scary.
Buddy I get really scared.
Dr YvonneYeah exactly and you know, most people don't like doing it. And how we talk to ourselves can really help us or it can hold us back. So, for instance, imagine, Buddy, if you are about to stand up in front of all your friends and you say to yourself, in your mind, I'm so scared, I can't do it, everyone's going to laugh at me. Yeah. What's going to happen?
Buddy Well, my voice is going to get really shaky and probably get really nervous and get, you know, I'll be afraid to do it in the future.
Dr YvonneExactly. But imagine if instead of that, you just said to yourself, I know I'm feeling scared because I can feel it in my body right now because my heart is racing a bit faster. But I also know that I can do this and I know that when I do it, I will feel really proud of myself. So how would that help if you told yourself that instead?
Buddy Well, already I'm saying it in my head and it actually puts a big smile on my face and I actually feel so much more confident doing it.
Dr YvonneAnd remember, you are in charge of what you think in your brain so you can decide to tell yourself that you're going to be OK or you can decide to tell yourself that things are really scary and you can't do it. And it's much nicer to tell ourselves that we can do it or things aren't as bad as we. And remember, that's the other thing about the worry, the worst job is to make you feel like things are really awful. That's its job, but it doesn't always get things right. So it's your job to use your clever brain to think I know that's not really true or I know that I can do this. So I often tell boys and girls it's almost like sitting in the car and having a chat. So the worry might start off being in the driver's seat. But you're going to say to it, that I'm in charge here and I know that I'm scared, but I also know that I can do it. And I know that things are never as bad as you tell me they are. So you need to tell the worry to get into the back seat.
It's great to understand the science behind why we feel anxious sometimes, it really makes it much easier to make a plan of the different things that we can do to help ourselves feel better. But it's probably still a good idea to talk to your mom or dad when you may be feeling worried or anxious about something.
MichelleI would absolutely agree, Michelle. We know that talking to people about the things that are hard, so our worried feelings or our sad feelings is one of the best things we can do to keep ourselves well. But we know sometimes for boys and girls that they might be afraid to tell their moms and dads because they're worried that moms and dads are busy and they don't want to worry moms and dads. But telling somebody about how we feel, even just doing that can help us. And for moms and dads, the most important thing they can do is they can listen. So all we need them to do sometimes is to listen to us and to say, I know it's hard, but I'm here and I can help you. Because sometimes we can't make things better. You know, sometimes things are hard and we don't have a way of making things better. We don't have a magic wand. So that's why for boys and girls, so important.
MichelleDr. Yvonne, thank you so much. I just know there'll be loads of the kids listening that will have found this really, really helpful.
MichelleYou're so welcome.
Buddy Dr Yvonne, can I ask you our favourite question that we aske all our guests?
Dr YvonneOK, buddy.
Buddy OK, so it's called Big Me to Little Me!. So basically, if you could go back in time and speak to little Dr. Yvonne, what would you say to her?
Dr YvonneOh,...
On today's show we speaj with Professor Paul Moynagh, Head of the Biology Department in Maynooth University, Ireland about Coronavirus to find out just when Coronavirus will be over and life can go back to Normal?! Buster and Buddy find out loads more about Coronavirus started, how vaccines work...and most importantly, when they can get to hug their Grandparents again! Listen to the show to find hear what Professor Paul tells us, to hear kids talking about Coronavirus…as well as telling us all their brilliant Jokes of the Day! And remember to Stay Healthy, Stay Happy and Stay Well! Michelle and her team have a collective 50years experience working with kids as teachers, entertainers and parents! Check out our website to see more about the team, our guests, the topics we talk about, our competitions AND how to send us in your stories, jokes, comments or ideas for the podcast! Website: www.TheKidsAreAllRight.ie BGmnmW0zoIfGuyg7K6mE Social media: Instagram: thekidsareallrightpodcast Facebook: thekidsareallrightpodcast With thanks to Zapsplat and Audio Jungle for the music and sound effects. Shownotes Michelle Hello and welcome to The Kids Are All Right!, a weekly podcast specially for kids, that's all about health, happiness and wellness. I'm Michelle and here with me are my co-pilots on this podcast, Buster and Buddy. Buster Hey. Hey, guys, it's Buster here! Buddy Hey! Buddy checking in too! Michelle And we are on a mission to help you all feel great and live happy. Buddy Each week we speak with experts who have changed advice to share on how to feel in our heads, healthy in our bodies and happy in our lives. Buster Oh, and we'll also be chatting with people who've got really interesting stories to tell or have cool jobs or like a really cool attitude to life. Yeah! Michelle And kids, this is your podcast, so we want to hear from you.
Buddy Your opinions, your questions, your stories.
Buster Oh, yeah...and your favourite jokes, because laughter really is the best medicine!
Michelle Whatever is on your mind, we want to hear. All you have to do is record yourself on the voice recorder on an adult's phone and then email us into us. And you might just hear yourself on this podcast.
Buster Yeah! Woooah, let's get started!
Michelle So how are you guys this week? A brand new year, 2021?
Yeah, it's great to finally get 2020 behind us and start a brand new year fresh, cause I am sick of coronavirus!
Buddy What you're sick with coronavirus?
Buster No, I'm sick OF coronavirus. I just want to see my Grandad again and give him a big hug.
Buddy Well, that's OK. I mean, I miss being able to have fun with my grandparents and give them proper hugs too.
Michelle Yeah, 2020 was definitely a difficult year for everyone. And kids all around the world have been amazing how well they've dealt with all the changes that have happened.
Buster Oh yeah. I think I probably washed my hands like a hundred million times last year!
Buddy Yeah, like a Gazillion times for me! Everything has changed. Nothing is the same anymore. I haven't been able to go and play dates for ages and I didn't even get to have a birthday party. I miss things just being normal.
Buster Yeah, I'd like to know just when coronavirus will be over and things can go back to normal, huh.
Michelle Well, you're not alone there, guys. I think every kid out there just wants Coronavirus to disappear and let things go back to normal...like proper, normal. So we went out and asked some kids what they've missed most about normal life and if they think there were any good things to come out of Coronavirus?
Kids Vox Pop Oh, yeah, well, I miss going to Montessori which I'm going to in a few days. I don't like how we can't travel far or go to Portugal like we used to a long time ago. Going to the pool is so nice.
Kids Vox Pop I miss my friends. I miss sleepovers...
In today's show we speak with Seán Treacy, a young Irish You Tuber and filmmaker who has a loyal following on You Tube under his alias “Stellar Sean” as he Vlogs about life as a teenager in Ireland. He documents his journey into adulthood with lots of funny, irreverent, entertaining and many remarkably poignant and heartfelt videos touching upon issues that affect most teenagers – friendships, anxiety, dealing with social pressures and finding your place in the world…. Many would say he is a young man with wisdom way beyond his years with his powerfully positive outlook on how we all should live our lives; he talks about the importance of putting kindness at the heart of all you do and focusing on what you love and enjoy, irrespective of the ‘number’ of Likes or Follows you might get. And remember to Stay Healthy, Stay Happy and Stay Well!
Michelle and her team have a collective 50years experience working with kids as teachers, entertainers and parents! Check out our website to see more about the team, our guests, the topics we talk about, our competitions AND how to send us in your stories, jokes, comments or ideas for the podcast! Website: www.TheKidsAreAllRight.ie Social media: Instagram: thekidsareallrightpodcast Facebook:thekidsareallrightpodcast GUEST OF THE DAY Seán Treacy Seán Treacy has been an aspiring filmmaker since the age of seven. This dream came true at the age of 12 as he was titled ‘Ireland’s Young Filmmaker of the Year’ at his very first film festival in 2017. Since then he has gone on to receive over 25 international selections and awards, has accumulated 2 million+ views on You Tube for his short films, documentaries and vlogs, and is now working with industry professionals to tell the stories that matter, in the most exciting and fresh way possible! To See More about Seán: http://seantreacyfilm.com/ (seantreacyfilm.com) With thanks to Zapsplat and Audio Jungle for the music and sound effects. Show Notes Michelle Hello and welcome to The Kids Are All Right!, a weekly podcast specially for kids, that's all about health, happiness and wellness. I'm Michelle and here with me are my co-pilots on this podcast, Buster and Buddy. BusterHey. Hey, guys, it's Buster here! BuddyHey! Buddy checking in too! Michelle And we are on a mission to help you all feel great and live happy. BuddyEach week we speak with experts who have changed advice to share on how to feel in our heads, healthy in our bodies and happy in our lives. BusterOh, and we'll also be chatting with people who've got really interesting stories to tell or have cool jobs or like a really cool attitude to life. Yeah! Michelle And kids, this is your podcast, so we want to hear from you.
BuddyYour opinions, your questions, your stories.
BusterOh, yeah...and your favourite jokes, because laughter really is the best medicine!
Michelle Whatever is on your mind, we want to hear. All you have to do is record yourself on the voice recorder on an adult's phone and then email us into us. And you might just hear yourself on this podcast.
BusterYeah! Woooah, let's get started!
MichelleSo, guys, have you watched any funny videos on YouTube recently?
BusterYeah, my favourite one is of the donkey that can talk!
BuddyYeah, that's a really good one. My favourite is the Jurassic Park dinosaurs that go 'Yay'!
MichelleYeah, I haven't seen that one, but, you know, can you guess what video was most watched around the world in 2020? Have a guess.
Buddy Eh, Gordon Ramsay shouting at people !
MichelleWell, actually. Well, I tell you. OK, drum roll, please! It's the baby shark dance video!
BusterWow!
MichelleAnd can you guess how many times it was watched?
BusterTwo million?!
BuddyA bazillion?!
MichelleI didn't even know there was such a thing! Well, actually, the answer is 7 BILLION! That's massive!
BuddyBut YouTube really is brilliant. There's just so many
The Kids Are All Right! is a weekly podcast specially for kids that is all about Health, Happiness and Wellness! Michelle and her comical puppet sidekicks, Buster & Buddy are on a mission to help kids Feel Great and Live Well! Each week they feature a different topic speaking with experts who have the best advice and tons of experience to share! Covering everything from Coronavirus, to how to get to sleep easier, from dealing with their worries to the importance of eating healthy and exercise, from building self-confidence to bullying…basically Anything and Everything that affects their sense of happiness and wellness. Buster and Buddy question the guests from the kids’ perspective; asking the kinds of questions that kids want to know, with helpful takeaway ‘Tools’ they can use in their everyday lives. AND there’s plenty of other fun stuff too like Joke Time, Fun Time News, Competitions…and Super Kids! where we celebrate super kids doing super things with a fantastic secret surprise planned for them… …As well as ALL the chats they have with people who’ve done amazing things in their lives, or have cool jobs or inspiring stories to tell… And this is a podcast specially for kids, so whatever is on their minds the team want to hear as the kids record and send in their opinions, questions, stories to be included and featured in every episode! www.TheKidsAreAllRight.ie With a combined 50years working with kids the team are passionate it is a powerfully positive podcast which not only informs but encourages physical and mental health and well-being in kids by creating a unique Audio-Community where kids feel heard, empowered and supported to take real actions to mind themselves and their friends. “We encourage parents to listen to The Kids Are All Right! with their kids in the car as a handy conversation starter and so they can pick up valuable advice to support their kids build a happy and healthy life and develop a resilient mindset to negotiate their way through the unavoidable bumps in the road.” Michelle Connolly, Producer & Presenter of The Kids Are All Right! Podcast.