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Brave Learning: Poetry Teatime
Recently on Brave Learning…
Poetry Teatime [Public]
A simple idea with big implications
For as long as I can remember, adults and kids routinely confess a fear of poetry. They say, “Oh I hate poetry. It’s too difficult to understand.” In truth, most people assume they must do something with poetry—analyze it, make meaning from it, find its themes and imagery, identify its rhyme schemes. The provocative rhythms and sometimes old world vocabulary act as barriers to enjoyment, too, for so many smart, successful, fluent adults!Subscribed
Yet somehow I managed to develop a love of poetry from an early age. My grandfather gave me a book of poems to read aloud when I was seven years old. I still have it. I played with words and wrote my own poems on scratch paper and in my diary. Poetry felt like puzzles, riddles, inside jokes, and bursts of music to me. I didn’t worry too much about “getting” it.
When my children were coming along every two years, I hoped to pass my enjoyment of poetry to them. Yet the culture of anxiety around poetry was so strong, I worried they would resist or declare, “I don’t get it!” [More]
Subscribe to Brave Learning on Substack where we chat, discuss, problem-solve, and create together. Here’s what you can expect: weekly themed content, freewriting prompts, and a podcast for kiddos called Monday Morning Meeting (first 6 are free)!
[Podcast #284] Eating in Color with Jennifer Anderson
Feeding kids has become a high-stakes game, but it doesn’t have to be.
In this Brave Writer podcast episode, we explore responsive feeding, joyful food marketing, and how to ditch fear-based nutrition rules in favor of:
- connection,
- variety,
- and common sense.
Jennifer Anderson of Kids Eat in Color helps us rethink what it means to nourish our children without the stress.
Listen in to discover how food can be an invitation to connection, not control—and why it’s okay to let your child skip the broccoli sometimes.
Show Notes
Feeding children has become a loaded topic. From debates about seed oils to pressure around baby-led weaning, parents are inundated with conflicting messages about the “right” way to nourish their kids. But at Brave Writer, we’re all about approaching parenting—and education—from a place of trust, curiosity, and compassion. And that includes the way we feed our children.
There’s No One “Right” Way
One of the most liberating ideas we’ve encountered is the notion that there is no one right way to feed your child. What matters more than rigid food rules is responsive feeding—paying attention to your child’s hunger cues, offering variety, and trusting their body’s signals. This might look like letting go of the one-bite rule or choosing not to stress when your child passes on a particular dish. And it definitely includes resisting the impulse to turn mealtimes into battlegrounds.
Food as Function, Not Morality
Instead of labeling foods as “good” or “bad,” we can invite kids into a conversation about what food does in their bodies. Red foods support the heart. Orange foods help you see in the dark. Green foods boost immunity. These bite-sized messages help children make their own connections and develop a positive relationship with food—free from shame or pressure.
Yes, You’re the Marketing Department
Food marketing uses characters and fun names to entice kids, and guess what? We can use those same tools to our advantage at home. Rename feta as “rock cheese” and suddenly it becomes cool. Make a “yogurt sundae” station and watch your child enjoy a food they might’ve otherwise rejected. Framing matters, and so does play.
Picky Eating Isn’t Permanent
Another powerful insight: kids’ eating habits change over time. A picky eater at four might be the one experimenting with complex flavors at 14. Our job isn’t to control every bite they take but to create a safe, consistent environment where exploration is encouraged, not forced. We can focus on making one family meal with at least one safe food for each child and let go of the short-order cook pressure.
Nutrition Trends vs. Evidence-Based Eating
And when it comes to nutrition trends that spark fear—like the current obsession with seed oils—it helps to remember that these debates are often more about identity than evidence. Fads can create a sense of belonging, but they can also induce anxiety and misinformation. Instead of spiraling into fear over the latest headline, we can return to what we know: a diet rich in colorful fruits and vegetables, fiber, and shared meals around the table has lasting, measurable benefits.
Trust Yourself and Your Child
Ultimately, feeding our kids well means meeting them where they are. It’s about building trust, offering choices, and modeling curiosity rather than control. We can give ourselves permission to step back from the noise and trust the quiet, ongoing work of raising confident, capable, and nourished kids.
Resources
- See Jennifer’s work at kidseatincolor.com
- Instagram: @kids.eat.in.color
- TikTok: tiktok.com/@kids.eat.in.color
- Facebook: facebook.com/kids.eat.in.color
- Iron Rich foods for babies and toddlers: kidseatincolor.com/best-iron-rich-foods-for-babies-and-toddlers/
- Real Easy Mealtime Bundle: kidseatincolor.com/product/mealtime-bundle/
- Purchase Julie’s new book, Help! My Kid Hates Writing!
- Check out Julie’s new author website: juliebogartwriter.com
- Subscribe to Julie’s Substack newsletters: Brave Learning with Julie Bogart and Julie Off Topic
- Try out our Brave Writer Practice Pages
- Learn more about the Brave Writer Literature & Mechanics programs
- Read all Brave Writer class descriptions
- Start a free trial of CTCmath.com to try the math program that’s sure to grab and keep your child’s attention
- Sign up for our Text Message Pod Ring to get podcast updates and more!
- Send us podcast topic ideas by texting us: +1 (833) 947-3684
Connect with Julie
- Instagram: @juliebravewriter
- Threads: @juliebravewriter
- Bluesky: @bravewriter.com
- Facebook: facebook.com/bravewriter
Connect with Melissa
- Website: melissawiley.com
- Substack: melissawiley.substack.com
- Instagram: @melissawileybooks
- Bluesky: @melissawiley.bsky.social
Produced by NOVA
Simply Observe
I don’t know about you, but it’s easy for me to get lathered up about every sign of unhappiness in my kids. It’s almost as if I expect everyone to be happy all the time or it means I’m doing something wrong.
But maybe just the fact that people feel free to have emotions around me means I’m doing something right!
What if today you simply lived with your children and observed their emotions and made zero meaning from them? What would it be like to simply accept everybody and everything that happens rather than using what happens as a way to beat yourself up for not being a good enough parent?
I declare today:
“The parent doesn’t have to care so much” day!
In other words: Care Less.
Rooting for you!
This post was originally shared on Instagram.
Watch the accompanying reel for more.
Brave Learning: Babies, Books, and Boats!
Recently on Brave Learning…
Babies everywhere! [Public]
My book and a new grand baby launch! [More]
Build the Boat
What teens need and want may conflict with what you envisioned for high school [More]
Writing Prompt: Lost Sleep [Public]
Freewriting is that wonderful key that unlocks the writer within. [More]
Subscribe to Brave Learning on Substack where we chat, discuss, problem-solve, and create together. Here’s what you can expect: weekly themed content, freewriting prompts, and a podcast for kiddos called Monday Morning Meeting (first 6 are free)!
Help! My Kid Hates Writing: Julie ON-AIR
My new book, Help! My Kid Hates Writing, is out in the world, and I’m talking about it via podcast and news article! Check out these interviews.
Tune In
A huge THANK YOU to each podcaster and every listener!
