{"podcast":{"title":"Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten","slug":"kindergarten-cafe-podcast-simple-tips-for-teaching-kindergarten-6572540","podcast_index_feed_id":6572540,"rss_url":"https://feeds.captivate.fm/kindergarten-cafe/","website_url":"https://kindergarten-cafe.captivate.fm","image_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/43ded674-b13d-46a6-9132-2eb4f043a173/Kindergarten-Cafe-Podcast.jpg","author":"Zeba McGibbon","episode_count":138,"summary":"Are you an overworked or overwhelmed kindergarten teacher? Or maybe you're just a kindergarten teacher looking for fresh, new ideas. You are in the right place. The Kindergarten Cafe podcast will share weekly tips and tricks to help you save time, work smarter (not harder) and support students with engaging and purposeful lessons. I'm here to help you with everything you need from arrival to dismissal. Let's get started!","last_synced_at":"2026-06-04T18:17:26.904654+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/kindergarten-cafe-podcast-simple-tips-for-teaching-kindergarten-6572540"},"episode":{"title":"119. Easy Small Group Ideas for Blending and Decoding Success","slug":"119-easy-small-group-ideas-for-blending-and-decoding-success","published_at":"2026-01-29T08:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/kindergarten-cafe-podcast-simple-tips-for-teaching-kindergarten-6572540/119-easy-small-group-ideas-for-blending-and-decoding-success","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/kindergarten-cafe-podcast-simple-tips-for-teaching-kindergarten-6572540","url":"https://kindergarten-cafe.captivate.fm","audio_url":"https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/d2d59170-500c-47c9-94ac-e8da06ba23d2.mp3","summary":"Have students who know their letters and sounds… but freeze when it’s time to blend them into a word? This episode is for you. I’m walking you through exactly how I support early readers in small groups who need extra help with blending and decoding and it’s simpler than you think. In this episode I share: My go-to small group structure for decoding support Why a quick sound review still matters How nonsense words help build real skills A simple trick using decodable books for more independence Why Elkonin boxes are game changers Easy, hands-on activities to make blending stick Send Zeba a voice message Related Episodes: Kindergarten Small Groups for Teaching Letter Sounds ~ Ep. 106 Kindergarten Case Study: Supporting Kindergarteners With No Letter Knowledge ~ Ep. 105 Resources: Decodable Readers - and general recommendations CVC Words: Beginning, Middle, End Sounds Phonemic Awareness Games and Centers Connect with Zeba: Instagram - @kindergartencafe Facebook - @kindergartencafe Website - www.kindergartencafe.org Tik Tok - @kindergartencafe Mentioned in this episode: Kindergarten Essentials Grab the year-long, mega-bundle kindergarten activities here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Kindergarten-Teacher-Essentials-Year-Long-Mega-Bundle-Kindergarten-Activities-8356704","meta_description":"Have students who know their letters and sounds… but freeze when it’s time to blend them into a word? This episode is for you. I’m walking you through exa…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":717,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/kindergarten-cafe-podcast-simple-tips-for-teaching-kindergarten-6572540/episodes/119-easy-small-group-ideas-for-blending-and-decoding-success/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/kindergarten-cafe-podcast-simple-tips-for-teaching-kindergarten-6572540/119-easy-small-group-ideas-for-blending-and-decoding-success.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}