Hands-On Learning & Healthy Tech: Raising Future-Ready Kids with Illumine | Lenita Flores
Release Date: 12/09/2025
Smart Door-Slam Safety with Moshun (Protecting Little Fingers)
Raising Innovators
Door slams are not “little accidents.” Each year, an estimated 300,000 children visit the ER due to door-related injuries. In this episode of Raising Innovators, host Marnie Forestieri talks with Tim Boundy, Co-Founder & CEO of Moshun, about a smart, mechanical way to stop slams without permanently closing a door. Why this matters (for schools & families) Classrooms and childcare centers need safety that works with real life—open when it’s calm, protective when it’s not. Moshun’s device uses non-Newtonian fluid to let a door close normally at slow speed and instantly resist...
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Hands-On Learning & Healthy Tech: Raising Future-Ready Kids with Illumine | Lenita Flores
Raising Innovators
Early childhood is changing fast — and so is the world our children are growing up in. 🌎✨ In this episode of Raising Innovators, Marnie Forestieri sits down with Lenita Flores, Director of School Success at Illumine, to explore what it truly means to prepare young children for the future. From hands-on learning and child development milestones to AI-powered tools that support teachers, this conversation uncovers how to balance play-based learning, leadership, and healthy technology in early education. If you're a parent, school owner, director, or early-childhood educator, this...
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The "Steady Beat" Hack: 5-Minute Games to Boost Focus & Math With Dr. Debby Mitchell
Raising Innovators
What if a simple clapping game could make your child better at math and reading? 💡 In this super hands-on workshop episode of Raising Innovators, Marnie Forestieri sits down with kinesthetic learning specialist and author, Dr. Debby Mitchell, to unpack the power of "Steady Beat." Discover the powerful, research-backed correlation between a child's ability to keep a simple beat and their future academic success. This isn't just about music—it's a foundational brain-building skill that starts in the womb and enhances everything from problem-solving to emotional regulation. Learn how to use...
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Inside the Montessori Mindset | Tim Seldin & Marnie on Raising Confident, Independent Kids
Raising Innovators
What if education wasn’t about control but confidence, independence, and joy? 💡 In this powerful episode of Raising Innovators, Marnie Forestieri sits down with Tim Seldin, author, consultant, and President of the Montessori Society, to unpack the timeless wisdom of the Montessori philosophy. Discover how this 120-year-old approach continues to shape today’s most creative, compassionate, and independent thinkers from classrooms to boardrooms around the world. 🌍 Learn how Montessori education empowers children to: ✨ Develop self-motivation and focus through hands-on...
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The Future-Ready Parent Mindset | How to Raise Confident Kids in an Uncertain World
Raising Innovators
Parenting in the age of uncertainty can feel overwhelming. 🌎 We’re raising kids in a world that changes faster than we can keep up new technologies, new expectations, new fears. In this episode of Raising Innovators, Marnie Forestieri unpacks the Future-Ready Parent Mindset: how to replace control with curiosity, fear with adaptability, and anxiety with confidence. Learn how to model lifelong learning, emotional flexibility, and calm curiosity the real skills our children need to thrive in an unpredictable world. 💫 ✨ Key takeaway: A future-ready parent doesn’t have all...
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The Movement Chart: A Doctor’s Play-Based Method to Boost Your Child’s Brain
Raising Innovators
Are you worried your child can’t focus or spends too much time on screens? 🧠 Discover how movement and play can build your child’s brain connections and focus. Join Dr. Debby Mitchell and Marnie Forestieri as they reveal The Movement Chart — a simple framework to boost learning through play. Why this matters Future-ready abilities focus, problem-solving, and pre-writing don’t start at a desk; they start on the floor. When kids connect words like high/low and fast/slow to physical actions, they lay the neural groundwork for abstract thinking and literacy. What you’ll get...
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The Future-Ready Family: Turn Everyday Moments into Innovation Labs
Raising Innovators
Busy between work, school, and chores? You don’t need extra hours or complicated projects to raise creative, confident kids. In this episode of Raising Innovators, Marnie Forestieri shows you how to transform routines you already have—meals, chores, and bedtime—into “mini innovation labs” that build real-world skills in minutes a day. Why this matters Future-ready skills—creativity, problem-solving, collaboration, adaptability—don’t only grow in classrooms. They grow in the in-between moments at home. When kids connect learning to daily life, they see innovation as...
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3 Digital Parenting Strategies That Work
Raising Innovators
😱 How do we find the right balance between technology and parenting? A mother asked the one question we ALL have. We want our kids to be ready for a digital future, but we worry about too much screen time. Is more tech the answer? In this episode, Marnie Forestieri reveals why preparing kids for the future DOESN'T mean more hours on a tablet. The key is to turn them into CREATORS, not passive consumers. Discover 3 practical strategies you can apply THIS WEEK to: 🧠 Use technology as a creative tool, not just a toy. 🧩 Foster "unplugged" problem-solving to build the foundations of...
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Screen Time vs. Storytelling: Which TRULY Builds Your Child's Brain?
Raising Innovators
Are you wrestling with the screen time dilemma? You're not alone! So many parents wonder if educational apps or YouTube videos are better than a simple, made-up story. In this episode, we're diving deep into the science behind what truly ignites a child's brain. You'll discover why five minutes of storytelling can be more powerful than an hour of passive screen time and learn simple, fun games to unlock your child's creativity and problem-solving skills. Let's build those innovative minds together! ✨ Keypoints (Timestamps) 0:32 - A Parent's Question: YouTube vs. Silly Stories, What's Best?...
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Autism Diagnosis? How Early Intervention Can Change Your Child's Future | ABA Alliance
Raising Innovators
Feeling overwhelmed after an autism diagnosis or concerned about your child's development? You are not alone! In this powerful episode, we sit down with the incredible team from ABA Alliance to demystify early intervention and share some truly exciting news. We're diving deep into what ABA therapy really is, the crucial first steps for parents, and how a family-centered approach creates amazing success stories. Get ready to feel empowered, hopeful, and inspired by a mission to change lives! ✨ KEYPOINTS ✨ 0:00 - Welcome to Raising Innovators! 0:24 - Meet the Experts from ABA Alliance 1:02 -...
info_outlineEarly childhood is changing fast — and so is the world our children are growing up in. 🌎✨
In this episode of Raising Innovators, Marnie Forestieri sits down with Lenita Flores, Director of School Success at Illumine, to explore what it truly means to prepare young children for the future.
From hands-on learning and child development milestones to AI-powered tools that support teachers, this conversation uncovers how to balance play-based learning, leadership, and healthy technology in early education.
If you're a parent, school owner, director, or early-childhood educator, this episode will challenge old assumptions, answer big questions, and offer practical insights you can use today.
🌱 What You’ll Learn
Why early learners must move, explore, and play — not sit still
The biggest mistake parents make with developmental milestones
How hands-on experience shaped Lenita’s leadership as a school director
How Illumine uses AI and multilingual tools to support teachers and families
Why technology should be an active tool, not passive screen time
How to prepare children for the world of tomorrow, not the past
Website: https://marnieforestieri.com
Facebook: /marnieforestieri
LinkedIn: /marnie-forestieri
Instagram: /marnie_forestieri
🎙️ Guest — Lenita Flores (Illumine)
Email: lenita@myillumine.com
Website: https://illumine.app
🏫 Young Innovators Schools
Website: https://yiaschools.com
Facebook: /younginnovatorsSchools
Instagram: /younginnovatorsSchools
YouTube: /younginnovatorsSchools
🎧 Raising Innovators Podcast
💡 Helping parents raise resilient, confident, future-ready kids.