Dr. Diane's Adventures in Learning
🎧 Adventures in Learning with Dr. Diane 🎧
Inspire curiosity. Spark creativity. Fuel a lifelong love of learning.
Are you an educator, librarian, parent, or STEM/STEAM enthusiast looking to make learning come alive for kids? Adventures in Learning with Dr. Diane is your go-to podcast for hands-on, joyful learning that connects STEM/STEAM education, multicultural children's literature, and real-world exploration.
Join Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor, educator and explorer, as she travels the world (literally and virtually!) to bring you conversations with award-winning authors, illustrators, educators, scientists, and STEM leaders. Each episode delivers fresh ideas, engaging stories, and practical tips to inspire early childhood and elementary learners—in the classroom, the library, or at home. Wonder, curiosity, connection, and play -- we bring the world to you!
🌎 Featuring:
- Innovative STEM/STEAM experiences
- Diverse children's book recommendations
- Strategies for inquiry-based, joyful learning through play
- Voices from around the globe that inspire the WOW
🧠Perfect for:
Early childhood & elementary educators | School librarians | Homeschoolers | Caregivers | STEM/STEAM champions
đź”— Explore featured books: bookshop.org/shop/drdianeadventures
đź“ť Read full show notes: drdianeadventures.com/blog
đź’Ś Have an idea or guest suggestion? Email: diane@drdianeadventures.com
👉 Subscribe, rate, and review to support more Adventures in Learning!
Episodes
187 episodes
Fighting for the First Amendment: Comedy, Community, and Hope with Jesenia
What happens when artists refuse to stay silent? Puerto Rican actress and NBC Diversity Monologue Slam champion Jesenia joins Dr. Diane to discuss protecting First Amendment rights, creating comedy during difficult times, and why "productive de...
The Biggest, Highest Wave: Kerry McQuaide on Picture Books, Poetry, and Resilience
What if a picture book could help children feel brave in the face of something bigger than themselves? In this episode of the Adventures in Learning podcast, Dr. Diane talks with Hudson Valley author/illustrator
Ecotourism in the Galapagos and Ecuador: Protecting What We Love with Analu Huerta
What happens when travel, conservation, and community come together? In this Earth Day episode of the Adventures in Learning podcast, Dr. Diane talks with Analu Huerta about e...
Purpose Over Popularity with LeJuane "El'Ja" Bowens
When art is personal, playful, and purposeful, it can change the way people learn and connect. In Episode. 185, Dr. Diane talks with poet, teaching artist, and speaker LeJuane “El’Ja” B...
Little Monsters, Little Women, and Writing for Young Readers with Máire Roche
What makes a classic story feel new again? In this episode of Adventures in Learning, Dr. Diane talks with author Máire Roche about
Little Women, Little Monsters, and Beth Is Dead: A Book Talk with the March Sisters from Riverside Center for the Performing Arts
What happens when the actors in Little Women read modern reinterpretations (Little Monsters, and
Midlife, Meet Your Dragonfly: Self-Compassion and Reinvention with Dr. Ellen Albertson
What if midlife isn’t a crisis, but a portal to your next adventure? In this episode, Dr. Diane sits down with Dr. Ellen Albertson, the “Midlife Whisperer,” for a conversation about self-comp...
Relic of Thieves: Greek Myths, Anxiety, and Hope with Shana Targosz
What if a Greek-underworld adventure could help middle grade readers name anxiety, see hidden home struggles, and believe they’re worthy of rescue too?In this episode, Dr. Diane talks with author and former costume designer
Learning with Candace Fleming: Award-Winning Nonfiction, Curiosity, and Big Questions from Jonestown to Rhinos
In 2026, Candace Fleming did something no one else has ever done—she became the first author to receive both the Children’s Literature Legacy Award and the Margaret A. Edwards Award for Young Adul...
Co-Creating STEM Storytime With Ashley Belote's Pirate Sheep, Muddy Bears & Big Bad Fred
What if your next great STEM or STEAM lesson started with a pirate sheep, a muddy teddy bear, or a very confused Little Red who thinks a wolf is a cat? In this joyful springtime episode, author‑illustrator and former pre‑K teacher
Traveling with Kindness: Alicia D. Williams on Joy, Courage, and the Power of Story
What happens when you finally give that brave, younger version of yourself permission to come back out and play? In this episode, author and teaching artist Alicia D. Williams joins Dr. Diane...
Learning with Whales: STEM, Stewardship, and the Blue Ocean Society
What if your next STEM lesson started with a 65‑foot whale and a beach cleanup scavenger hunt?For 25 years, Blue Ocean Society has been quietly protecting whales and marine life right...
Protecting Our Oceans From the Inside Out with the Rozalia Project's Ashley Sullivan​
If you’ve ever walked along a shoreline, spotted trash, and thought, “How did this get here, and what can I do about it?” -- this conversation is for you. Ashley Sullivan
Why Kids “Live in Books” -- James Ponti on City Spies: Europa and the Power of Middle Grade Readers
What happens when a bestselling middle grade author joins you on World Read Aloud Day -- and opens the episode with a live read-aloud from his brand-new release?In this return conversation, ...
Rewriting the Myths: Identity, Empathy, and Belonging in Middle Grade Fantasy with Tracy Wolff
What happens when young readers are invited to question the stories they’ve always been told?In this episode of the Adventures in Learning podcast, Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoo...
The Missing Piece in Reading Instruction: Motivation (with Behind the Book’s Anmarie Paul)
What if the biggest gap in reading instruction isn’t phonics or fluency — but motivation?Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor sits down with
Indoor Days + Big Feelings: Play, Empathy, and Teachable Moments with Francine Prince
When cold weather keeps kids inside, big feelings can spike—for children and the adults supporting them. In this uplifting conversation, early childhood expert Francine...
Let Them Play: Rae Pica on Joyful Learning and Reclaiming Early Childhood
What if the most powerful thing we could give young children is time to play?Early childhood expert Rae Pica joins Dr. Diane for a candid conversation about why play, movement, and joy ...
From AfroBets to Spirituals: A Lifetime of Making Books That Matter Cheryl Willis Hudson on Just Us Books, Representation, and Freedom to Read
From AfroBets to We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices to a brand-new picture book that sings with history, l...
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Thanks to a Banned Book — Freedom to Read, Empathy, and Storytelling with Dynahlee Star Padilla-Vasquez
A book some adults tried to keep off shelves helped a seventh grader make sense of grief, addiction, and forgiveness and shaped the storyteller she became. This episode is a powerful reminder that books can be lifelines and freedom to...
Learning from the Wild — Writing, Conservation, and Hope with Brenda Scott Royce
What if hope isn’t a feeling—but something you do?From caring for orphaned rhinos to writing books that spark curiosity, this episode explores how learning, conservation, and community come together in power...
Books, Belonging, and Conservation — Lessons from South Africa with Ann Dye
In Episode 167 of Adventures in Learning, Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor welcomes Ann Dye, Vice President of ...
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How Illustrator Reggie Brown Brings Big Feelings to Life in The Snowman Code
What happens when an illustrator channels courage, mental health, and a 600-year-old sarcastic snowman into a single powerful story? In this inspiring conversation, The Snowman Code <...
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