Speaker 1: You're listening to a MoMA Mia podcast.
Speaker 2: Mama Mia acknowledges the traditional owners of land and waters
Speaker 2: that this podcast is recorded on. Hello to all our
Speaker 2: little builders and their grown ups. Welcome to how to
Speaker 2: Build a Universe where stories build worlds. I'm Jen Muer.
Speaker 2: I'm an obstetric social worker and mum to four boys,
Speaker 2: and my co host is actually missing. Hang on, what
Speaker 2: the fuck did you just fly in through the window.
Speaker 3: Sorry about that. I'm still getting the hang of this
Speaker 3: landing thing. Jet Boy makes it look so easy, though
Speaker 3: I probably shouldn't have tried his loop de loop de
Speaker 3: loop trick anyway. Hello to all my mighty mini heroes. Boy,
Speaker 3: oh boy, do I have a super story for you.
Speaker 3: I've just been zooming around the clouds with our superheroes
Speaker 3: Jet Boy and Glow Girl, and guess what they told
Speaker 3: me a secret They're looking for some new junior superheroes
Speaker 3: to join them to save the day. I wonder if
Speaker 3: they could mean you.
Speaker 2: Oh, superheroes. As a mom to four boys, I'm not
Speaker 2: gonna lie today is my favorite of all our themes
Speaker 2: so far, partially because I had about ten years where
Speaker 2: there was always a hero in the backseat of my car,
Speaker 2: but also because of what hero play represents to little kids.
Speaker 2: Both boys and girls love heroes Batman, Spidy, wonder Woman,
Speaker 2: all the heroes that often start to fill the minds
Speaker 2: and the play themes of little kids through the preschool years.
Speaker 2: While it might look rough, sometimes it's actually quite the opposite.
Speaker 2: Lots of kids warn to be heroes, the one who
Speaker 2: does right, saves the day, and even saves the world.
Speaker 2: I've learnt that kids love heroes because the idea that
Speaker 2: there are good guys who can defeat all the bad
Speaker 2: guys somehow makes the complexity of life feel workable for
Speaker 2: their huge hearts. Heroes can also help us tackle some
Speaker 2: of our big feelings, especially worry and anxiety. Whether your
Speaker 2: child is struggling to separate, worried about trying new foods,
Speaker 2: or worried about the dark, we can use hero play
Speaker 2: to help kids overcome worries or play out struggles from
Speaker 2: their days. The key message is that even superheroes feel
Speaker 2: worried when they tackle their problems, and the strength lies
Speaker 2: in small steps in the right direction.
Speaker 3: Alrighty, well, you know what direction We're all going up. Everybody,
Speaker 3: stretch those arms up super high and so that we're
Speaker 3: all ready for launch. Are you stretching up?
Speaker 2: I'm stretching up way We're gone.
Speaker 3: Coming. Oh wow, Oh chie, just getting used to this
Speaker 3: super power thing. I'm still a bit rusty. Please keep
Speaker 3: the faith for today's adventure. Hello, most fellow superhero. Are
Speaker 3: you ready to join me on a magical airborne journey
Speaker 3: up into the sky today? Great? I knew you would. First,
Speaker 3: let's get our bodies ready for lift off with a
Speaker 3: deep breath in and breathing out. Okay, because we're about
Speaker 3: to float up up up into the clouds, I need
Speaker 3: you to wiggle your fingers and your toes. Go on
Speaker 3: wiggling fingers and toes. Can you feel yourself getting lighter? Right,
Speaker 3: it's time for liftoff. Stretch your hands up because we're
Speaker 3: about to fly up into the sky. Are you ready? Three? Two?
Speaker 4: One?
Speaker 3: Go?
Speaker 4: Wow?
Speaker 3: Can you feel it? We're lifting up higher and higher
Speaker 3: towards the clouds. Wave goodbye to the ground below. Can
Speaker 3: you feel the wind tickling your ears? Look down? The
Speaker 3: houses and our streets are getting smaller and smaller, and
Speaker 3: the people look like little ants scurrying around. Oh wow,
Speaker 3: we're so high now that the birds are flying below us.
Speaker 3: Can you hear them calling hello as we passed by?
Speaker 3: And for some reason they're all geese. Now, can you
Speaker 3: put your arms out on either side like you're an
Speaker 3: eagle with wings flying. That's it, both arms spread out
Speaker 3: as far as you can reach. Oh, we're entering the
Speaker 3: first layer of clouds. Now. It feels like flying through
Speaker 3: very foss. Doesn't it feel soft and fluffy? The clouds
Speaker 3: are so puffy and soft, they're like big marshmallow pillows. No,
Speaker 3: I've always wondered if you jump onto a cloud, would
Speaker 3: we bounce up off it like we're on a trampoline.
Speaker 3: Why don't we give it a go. Let's land on
Speaker 3: these big puffy clouds right here, careful now, and they're
Speaker 3: quite poutsy. I'm just gonna put my foot right hip
Speaker 3: like giant trampolines in the sky. Oh my goodness. Look
Speaker 3: over there, do you see those two figures zooming through
Speaker 3: the sky. It's Jet Boy and Glow Girl. They're superheroes
Speaker 3: of the sky. Jetboy can whizz through the air as
Speaker 3: fast as a well a speeding jet, and right next
Speaker 3: to him that's Glow Girl with her power awful shining lights. Wow,
Speaker 3: but wait, they look worried. Is everything all right? Jet
Speaker 3: Boy and Glow Girl. He's whizzing right up to us.
Speaker 4: Hello there, I'm Jet Boy. It's my job to keep
Speaker 4: our Cloud village safe by using all my superpowers. But
Speaker 4: today I'm a bit stuck. Something terrible has happened down there.
Speaker 1: The bridge to the school has disappeared. All the children
Speaker 1: are stuck on the wrong side of Sky River, which
Speaker 1: means they can't get home from school for dinner.
Speaker 3: Oh no, that's awful, Jet Boy and Glow Girl. The
Speaker 3: kids have to get home for dinner. They must be
Speaker 3: so hungry. Okay, made a little superhero. Shall we help
Speaker 3: Jet Boy and Glowgirl. Nod your head if you're ready
Speaker 3: to take a look. Great, I can feel a lot
Speaker 3: of you nodding. Oh look down there, I could see
Speaker 3: Cloud Village and there's the big gap where the bridge
Speaker 3: should be. Oh hang on, and who's that sitting on
Speaker 3: the moon. It looks it's like Moon Mischief. Now, Moon
Speaker 3: Mischief is a puffy man made of clouds who lives
Speaker 3: on the moon. They're laughing to themselves. Come on, fellow heroes,
Speaker 3: let's float closer and have a listen. No more noisy children,
Speaker 3: crossing my bridge. No more singing and laughing while I'm
Speaker 3: trying to sleep during the day.
Speaker 1: Peace enquiet at last time.
Speaker 3: Ah, so that's what happened. Moon Mischief knocked down the
Speaker 3: bridge because the happy children were too noisy. Jet Boy
Speaker 3: looks really worried, doesn't he.
Speaker 4: I don't know how to fix this. I'm super fast,
Speaker 4: but I can't build a bridge all by myself.
Speaker 1: My life powers can make a rainbow bridge, but I've
Speaker 1: never made one even close to this big before.
Speaker 3: Okay, my mini superhero, We're gonna need your help to
Speaker 3: build this cloud bridge. Let's gather up some clouds to
Speaker 3: make this bridge. Are there any small things nearby you
Speaker 3: that could be the clouds? This is a great chance
Speaker 3: if you've got any toys nearby, or I'm using some
Speaker 3: white Lego juplow bricks that I can pop together here.
Speaker 3: But you can use anything you like. So let's get
Speaker 3: going collect those clouds and put them together.
Speaker 1: Wow, they're helping.
Speaker 3: That's it. Yes, grab anything you can making our imaginary
Speaker 3: cloud bridge.
Speaker 1: Yes, keep building.
Speaker 3: Amazing cloud collecting. Now Jet Boy can use this super
Speaker 3: speed to line up the clouds all the way across
Speaker 3: the river.
Speaker 4: I'm nervous about getting this right, but I'm going to
Speaker 4: be brave.
Speaker 3: Let him go. Zoom zoom zoom. Right, the clouds are
Speaker 3: in position. Now it's glow Girl's tune. She needs to
Speaker 3: send a rainbow across the clouds to hold up the
Speaker 3: bridge from underneath. But she looks a bit scared too.
Speaker 1: Oh, I've never made a rainbow go this long before.
Speaker 3: What if I can't do it?
Speaker 2: Oh?
Speaker 3: Look, Logo's taking in a deep breath. Come on, and
Speaker 3: her whole body is starting to shine brighter and brighter.
Speaker 3: Come on, let's go. She's pointing her glowing hands at
Speaker 3: the clouds and oh yes, it's happening. The lights passing
Speaker 3: through the water droppers in the clouds and creating the
Speaker 3: most spectacular rainbow bridge you've ever seen. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo,
Speaker 3: all stretching across the sky river. It's the children of
Speaker 3: the cloud village are cheering. Now they can use the
Speaker 3: rainbow as a big, beautiful bridge across the river.
Speaker 4: No, oh, don't do that.
Speaker 3: Oh no, but Moon Mischief's frowning. What's going on?
Speaker 4: Nah, it's still going to be noisy during the day
Speaker 4: when I'm trying to sleep with no one.
Speaker 3: Cares that is a problem. Wait, Glow Girl has another idea,
Speaker 3: Moon Mischief.
Speaker 1: What if I create you a special sleeping mask made
Speaker 1: of gentle moonlight, and I.
Speaker 4: Could build you a soft cloud bed that floats high
Speaker 4: above the village where it's quieter.
Speaker 3: Those are pretty good idea, is what do you think,
Speaker 3: Moon Mischief? Well, why now, I suppose that might work,
Speaker 3: and the school children might like you to visit sometimes too.
Speaker 3: The children would love to hear your stories about the
Speaker 3: night sky. Oh they would, of course they would. Well,
Speaker 3: there you go. Jet Boy and Glow Girl tackled the
Speaker 3: mission even though they were feeling nervous. But they couldn't
Speaker 3: have done it without your help, my little superhero, and
Speaker 3: even Moon Mischief happy.
Speaker 4: Their laughter does sound rather knows.
Speaker 3: Jean, what a super powered adventure that was. I'm still
Speaker 3: catching my breath. Hey, did you notice that boy when
Speaker 3: he felt a little bit nervous, his knees were doing
Speaker 3: the shaky shaky you know, the jangling around like that.
Speaker 3: But you know what I always say, when you feel
Speaker 3: unsure about trying something new and your timmy feels like
Speaker 3: it's full of jumping jelly beans, that's just your courage
Speaker 3: doing some warmup exercises because everyone gets nervous.
Speaker 2: That's so true, and I feel like I'm a hero
Speaker 2: after that play Today. I love the idea where letting
Speaker 2: kids explore their idea of strength and triumph of good
Speaker 2: over bad. For kids, it's not only so fun, but
Speaker 2: it's a lovely idea we can carry into our weeks
Speaker 2: and incorporate a bit of superhero into the next situation
Speaker 2: that makes us feel worried.
Speaker 3: Alright, it was time to hang up your superhero capes
Speaker 3: for now. They get ready traw because next week we're
Speaker 3: going back in time to meet the dinosaurs. There will
Speaker 3: be a t rex, a brachiosaurus, a triceratops, a pterodactyl,
Speaker 3: velociraptor spinosaurus.
Speaker 2: Yeah, okay, until then, remember stories build universes.
Speaker 3: Oh, and your imagination is always ready for an adventure.
Speaker 3: See you next time, builders.
Speaker 2: Bye.
Speaker 3: The executive producer of How To Build a Universe is
Speaker 3: Courtney Armenhauser. Glowgirl was voiced by Taylor Strano and Jet
Speaker 3: Boy by Nahla Phillips, with Moon Mischief by Tiana and
Speaker 3: Isaac's Daddy. Story writing and sound designed by me Tom Lyon.
Speaker 3: Thanks for listening to today's episode of How to Build
Speaker 3: a Universe, we'd love to know what you thought of it.
Speaker 3: You can fill out our survey and go in the
Speaker 3: running to win one thousand dollars. There's a link in
Speaker 3: the show notes