Help Your Kids Learn How to Be a Good Egg

Y’all I have another kid podcast for you to try out with your kids and this one is about eggs that go on adventures around the world and in their own backyard. The show is called The Good Eggs and just to make it cuter all of the character’s names have something to do with eggs, adorable right?

Links from the Episode:

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Sandy Ciaramitaro is the host and she describes the show like this: Follow the eggs as they learn lessons about virtues, diversity and service. Kindness, understanding and helping others are important things to learn as you grow into a good egg. The length of each episode is 15 to 20 minutes. The series is ongoing with new episodes available about once a month.

Kid Podcast Guide

Before we learn more about the vibe of the show, we’re going to take a quick break to talk about my Guide to Kid podcasts, one of my favorite parenting tool is Kid Podcasts. I use them when I’m running errands with the kiddos to keep them from complaining the whole time. Or when I need a mom break, I’ll just grab an easy activity like coloring pages or a sensory bin. Turn on a kid podcast and the kids will be entertained for at least half an hour. I know that Kid Podcast would help you in your life too, which is why I made a Guide to Kid podcast.

There are eight different categories ranging from science to mindfulness to audio drama with at least three podcasts in each category. There are 27 different podcasts in total on the guide. I’ve listened to each of the podcasts on this guide, so I can attest to them being kid friendly, and I put my email at the bottom of the guide so that if you try a couple with your kids and none of them are a good fit, you can email me and I will personally help you find a kid podcast that works for your littles and you. You can grab this guide at the link in the show notes.

Introduction to Sandy & The Good Eggs

So I’m Sandy Ciaramitaro. I am a high school teacher. Currently I teach at an all girls school in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan. And I also am a founder of a. nonprofit that I started, which is based off of a trilogy of children’s books that I wrote. So I have kind of two things going and my hope is to eventually outta teaching and move into my nonprofit work and my author work, my children’s author work as well full-time.

How the Podcast Came to Be

So the podcast is based off of the books that I wrote. So the books are called The Good Eggs and it’s a trilogy. I know we’re gonna be audio right just on yours, but I can show you these so it’s like, oh yes.

The first ones about virtues. And then the second one teaches diversity where they travel all around the world. And then the third one, they come home and they stay in their hometown and they learn about community service. Oh. So it’s a three part, like you see three years in their lives of them grow.

So I am marketing the books, obviously, but I also wanted to do them in an audible form. So that’s basically what my podcast is, is the audible form of the books. But I also give kids a little challenge at the end. Like to, say, you saw that Benedict acted this way. You know, how about if you try showing some understanding or write a note of love to somebody or a note of thanks or whatever happens in the book. I try to give the kids a little challenge at the end.

The Age Range for the Podcast & Books

The books and the podcast are I would say from six to 12.

I mean, it could be five to 12 as well. You know, getting on the older side, they might be getting a little bit old. But I would say elementary age. So we can do the five to 12, five to 10, 11 ish, you know, depending on the reading level of the child and the interests of the child as well.

What to Expect from The Good Eggs

Well, actually it is, like I said, story form. So the, the big first book is on virtues, so it teaches 10 different, or I’m sorry, 12 different virtues, like understanding, gratitude, forgiveness cooperation, manners.

You know, there’s 12 in all. So I would hope that, and I have gotten feedback from parents on this, that when their kids read through the books, or a parent or a teacher, read to them that they do incorporate the lessons into their young lives. Because as you know, kids. Very malleable, right? With, with their brains and they look at every single thing we say and do. So by us showing that example or by them reading about an example that when it comes time for them to be in a situation where they have to make some kind of a, of a goodness decision that they do the right thing. So that’s what the first book teaches.

So I have had feedback on that, hopefully that’s working, the kids will say, oh, mama, that’s what Benedict did, or that’s what Gregory said. Or you know, they’ll actually mention the characters and what they did, and then they would do that in their own lives.

I had one teacher they read the third book about community service and her fifth grade class wanted to do all the service in their own community that the eggs do in the books. They collected there’s the one chapter where they go to an animal shelter, so they collected things for an animal shelter. They went to an elderly care facility and made baskets for the residents there.

They tutored kids. I mean, they did everything in this book. So I was so happy cuz that’s exactly what I would want is for the kids to emulate kindness and compassion. And it’s just simple kids situations, you know? It’s nothing like groundbreaking things that they can relate to. And the hope is that as they do this at their young age, that it becomes part of them. Right? It becomes who they are. And then as they grow into an adult, it’s natural.

They’re gonna think that way. You know, they’re gonna think, oh, I should show some kindness here. Or, you know, maybe that person’s having a rough day, you know, maybe I can reach out. That hopefully that becomes part of who they are.

The Vibe of The Good Eggs

So the vibe is, I would call it like a story time vibe. So if kids wanna journey through the books audibly, that’s how they can do it. If parents are in the car and they wanna put an episode on, right, so the kids can hear, they can do it that way.

But it’s definitely like a story time. So I’ll talk a little bit to the kids in the beginning and then I’ll say, let’s see what’s happening. And then chapter one or chapter five, whatever chapter episode they wanna put in, they do follow in succession. So it is kind of good to hear, you know, start at one cuz they’ll reference things that happened previously.

And then, you know, like I said, I go through the chapter and then at the end I talk to them like, wow, wasn’t that amazing? You know, what Seggourney said or what happened or, how Benedict had a change of heart. And then I’ll say, why don’t you try it this week? You know, and I’ll give them a little challenge, like I said earlier. Pertaining to the chapter. So it’s fun. And then I’ll say, okay, I’ll see you  next month. They go back to school in September. And then, and each month they learn a different virtue. So it goes September to August. So that’s how the podcast goes. Oh, that makes sense. And then October and then November. Yeah. So each month they have a new episode there you.

Where to Find The Good Eggs

So they can go to thegoodeggs.org and everything is there about the nonprofit. They can see it all the egging cuz once a month I egg an organization or family that’s in need that has to do with children. So like next month there’s an organization that helps refugee kids in our town. So I’m going to get them toys and clothes that they need. So each month it’s different. So they can look at all the egging on the Good eggs.org. There’s also a tab for books and if they go to that tab, there is a link to my Amazon page. So they can order the books there. They’re in Kindle version they’re in paperback and they’re in hardcover. So whatever version they like. And I’d appreciate a review cuz I need a few more to move up in the SEO. So that would be, awesome.

And I also have a parent blog so they can sign up for the parent blog that also journeys through the books on an adult level. So you know, I’ll talk about the virtue of, of understanding or whatever chapter we happen to be on. I think I’m already into book two on the blog, but you can read past ones. Sure. As well, so they can sign up for that. There’s a newsletter to keep up with all things good eggs. I just got the first book put into Videos. So there’s 12 video episodes. And they’re now airing on the Michigan Learning Channel, which is an affiliate of PBS. Those are airing through January. And once those are aired, they’re going to be available on demand on the Michigan Learning Channel. So that’s fun too. They can watch them in video form.

Sandy’s Favorite Character & Episode

It is so hard to choose cuz I love all the characters. I created them with different personalities. They all have egg in their name.

Like way have Seggourney and Reggie and Peggy and Megg with two G’s, Greggory with two G’s. And Benedict has a little trouble going on, but I must. My alter ego in the book is Ms. Poach. That’s the teacher. She’s kind of my favorite, only because I based her off of me a little bit, but I do love, I love all of them.

That’s why I, I only intended to write one book, but I ended, ended up loving them so much. I said, oh my gosh, I gotta take them around the world and then I gotta put them in their hometown and do community service. So it kind of ended up morphing into three. So I’m gonna go with Miss Poach, only because she’s totally in my head. You know what I’m thinking, the other ones, I kind of get into their character and put into words what they’re thinking. So Sure. I love them all. Love them all.

And my favorite episode actually hasn’t aired yet. I love all the episodes, I must say, but I’m also just starting on book two. The most fun one so far has been Egypt, because when they go to Egypt, all these adventures happen. They happen in all the countries, but there’s just some cool sound effects where Benedict goes into a pyramid and there’s a little girl crying, and he ends up rescuing her and, and Miss Poach gets slimed by a camel, and it’s just, it’s a lot of fun. That one’s scheduled in March, so, but they’re all good. They’re all fun. 

More The Good Egg Resources

Just pretty much everything is on the website. You know, if they wanna take a look at. I also have lesson. For the books, for teachers or parents they can do at home that follow chapter by chapter. There’ll be a synopsis for, you know, on an adult level and then what the lesson is about. And then maybe three or four things they can choose from to do at home that could reinforce things at home.

You know, just subtly. I believe in doing things very subtly, not in their face, just so they can, you know, you can lead by example, which I think is the strongest way to teach. And the thing is, in your own family or your own classroom things, situations are gonna come up that you can relate it to. So it’s very general that you can relate it to your own lives. You know, you can plug it in and say, oh, like this one mom, she emailed me and said her and her friend were talking about a Christmas gift for a family that was in need.

3 books to teach your kids: virtues, diversity and service, www.friendlypodcastguide.com

She didn’t even think her son was listening and he pulled on her arm and he said, mama, that’s just like The Good Eggs, Cause they did that at Christmas. So she goes, I didn’t even think he was listening to me and he picked up on that. So, you know, that made her happy. And she had to write and tell me that.

And I said, oh good. That’s what I want, you know, for kids to definitely internalize all of that.