{"podcast":{"title":"play on words","slug":"play-on-words-6399561","podcast_index_feed_id":6399561,"rss_url":"https://feeds.zencastr.com/f/B4HeOMxA.rss","website_url":"https://www.bigcityreaders.com/","image_url":"https://media.zencastr.com/image-files/643d94b7e5cd786efbd7958c/e7504645-5337-4b02-8927-e5d3e551d61d.PNG","author":"miss beth","episode_count":83,"summary":"Learning to read starts with learning to play. This is the podcast for parents and teachers of kids ages 0-8 who want to have FUN learning evidence backed early development and literacy strategies in a short amount of time. This is the podcast for the teacher who needs a bestie to ask questions to and the parent who wants to know the best developmental practices to implement in the 3 minutes a day they have. You're not alone. Ask your questions here. If I can't answer them, one of my friends will be on to help! There are so many confusing parts about the learning to read journey. Miss Beth is here to simplify it, affirm you are the best person to teach your child, and give you the confidence you need in the early childhood education years. This podcast is for fun, community and confidence making tough topics more bite sized for every parent teacher and child.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-23T02:21:13.034856+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/play-on-words-6399561"},"episode":{"title":"Elf on the Shelf Haters Club (Holiday Meeting Now in Session)","slug":"elf-on-the-shelf-haters-club-holiday-meeting-now-in-session","published_at":"2025-12-05T14:49:59+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/play-on-words-6399561/elf-on-the-shelf-haters-club-holiday-meeting-now-in-session","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/play-on-words-6399561","url":"https://zencastr.com/z/HBbAlqhr","audio_url":"https://redirect.zencastr.com/r/episode/6932f1177d623a07e048dc7f/size/176132464/video-files/643d94b7e5cd786efbd7958c/c32f065f-39cb-43b6-b7bf-5d5185ed442b.mp4","summary":"EP 78: Beth and Susan host the first-ever meeting of the Elf on the Shelf Haters Club, a hilarious and heartfelt look at why this tradition stresses so many parents out. Using real listener DMs, we break down the surveillance storyline, comparison culture, mom mental load, and kid confusion — while offering alternatives, middle-ground solutions, and scripts you can actually use. Inside this 35-minute episode, we talk about: * Why the elf's surveillance storyline doesn't align with many families' values * The comparison chaos (especially in 2nd–4th grade) * The emotional load on kids AND parents * Moms drowning in the nightly setup expectations * Kids feeling sad or left out * Why some parents absolutely love the elf and why others are DONE You'll also get middle-ground ideas, alternatives, and scripts for navigating questions like: \"Why doesn't our elf bring gifts?\" \"Why don't we have an elf at all?\" \"Why do my friends have elves that do more?\" Whether you love the elf, hate the elf, or forgot to move the elf… this episode is for you. In this episode: The 25 Books of Christmas [https://bigcityreaders.myflodesk.com/iw5hdvwnf4]","meta_description":"EP 78: Beth and Susan host the first-ever meeting of the Elf on the Shelf Haters Club, a hilarious and heartfelt look at why this tradition stresses so ma…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2213,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/play-on-words-6399561/episodes/elf-on-the-shelf-haters-club-holiday-meeting-now-in-session/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/play-on-words-6399561/elf-on-the-shelf-haters-club-holiday-meeting-now-in-session.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}