Testimonials
Professional Reviews of Growing Memories:
A Musical Audio Circle Story of Love, Loss, and Resilience
Professional Review of Growing Memories
by Dianne McKissock OAM
Bereavement Counsellor | Co-founder, Bereavement CARE Centre | Co-founder and Patron,
National Centre for Childhood Grief, Australia
“Your program is beautifully and thoughtfully produced, well researched, clear and appropriately simple.
I agree with comments made by other reviewers and people who have used GROWING MEMORIES - it is gentle, safe and heartwarming and I can imagine it being an invaluable resource for many schools, therapists and families.”
Dianne McKissock OAM is a highly experienced Australian bereavement counsellor with 55 years of professional counselling experience, including 45 years specialising in bereavement. For four decades, she and her husband have facilitated support groups for bereaved children and young people.
Through her longstanding work with bereaved people of all ages, Dianne has contributed to supporting children, young people and families as they navigate grief and loss. Her approach recognises the importance of creating safe, trusting environments that respond to children's individual needs and experiences.
Professional Review of Growing Memories
Reviewed by:
Ami Armagost, MSW, RSW
Toronto, Ontario
It was a pleasure experiencing the first chapter of Growing Memories. The story and language is simple yet thoughtful. The illustrations, music and sounds add a gentle tone while activating the imagination and enhancing engagement. The story is touching and beautifully put together.
This digital storybook provides adults with a practical framework for supporting children in understanding death and emotional responses to loss. The use of story, illustration, and music, connected to the world around them, creates a meaningful and engaging learning experience. There is an overall sense of calmness consistent throughout the chapter. The child-appropriate and thoughtful prompts encourage emotional expression, reflection, and learning. This is a gentle, compassionate, and valuable resource for adults supporting children.
Thank you for sharing your work, and for all the effort you put into creating a resource for children and the adults supporting them.
Ami Armagost, MSW, RSW
Grief Therapist
AWC Grief Support
She/her
ami@awcgrief.com
www.awcgrief.com
Ami Armagost is a Registered Social Worker and grief therapist with AWC Grief Support, specialising in supporting children, youth and families navigating grief and loss. Her practice draws on advanced training in child development, trauma-informed care and grief support, with an emphasis on compassionate, playful and developmentally sensitive approaches.
Professional Review of Growing Memories
by:
Ally de Ruiter
The Nightingale Centre
Waterloo, Ontario
Thank you for sharing this wonderful resource with me. I really appreciated the thoughtful flow of this resource. The lessons build naturally on one another, and the content feels very relevant and meaningful for children who are grieving. I especially valued how it incorporates learning from both students and educators. The inclusion of grief literacy and bullying also really resonated with me, as these are areas we encounter often in our work. I’m looking forward to exploring this resource more deeply over time and seeing how it can continue to support children and educators.
Ally de Ruiter
The Nightingale Centre
Ally de Ruiter is the Grow in Grief (GiG) Family Counsellor at The Nightingale Centre in Guelph, Ontario. She has more than 10 years of experience in grief and bereavement, working with children, youth, caregivers, and professionals in homes, schools, and community settings.
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Certified Child Life Specialist
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Early Childhood Educator
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Degree in Children’s Studies and Advocacy
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Master’s in Education
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Professor in the Early Childhood Education program at Conestoga College
Professional Review of Growing Memories
by Dianne McKissock OAMCo-founder, Bereavement CARE CentreCo-founder and Patron,
National Centre for Childhood Grief, Australia
“Your program is beautifully and thoughtfully produced, well researched, clear and appropriately simple.
I agree with comments made by other reviewers and people who have used GROWING MEMORIES - it is gentle, safe and heartwarming and I can imagine it being an invaluable resource for many schools, therapists and families.”
About- Dianne McKissock OAM
Bereavement Counsellor | Co-founder, Bereavement CARE Centre | Co-founder and Patron, National Centre for Childhood Grief,
Sidney Australia
Dianne McKissock OAM is a highly experienced Australian bereavement counsellor with 55 years of professional counselling experience, including 45 years specialising in bereavement. For four decades, she and her husband have facilitated support groups for bereaved children and young people.
Through her longstanding work with bereaved people of all ages, Dianne has contributed to supporting children, young people and families as they navigate grief and loss. Her approach recognises the importance of creating safe, trusting environments that respond to children's individual needs and experiences.
About GROWING MEMORIES
A Nine-Chapter Circle Story
With a Closing Epilogue · For Children Ages 5–8
Connect with Laurel
Have a question about Growing Memories, the Community Circles, workshops, or how the program might support your child, family, school or community?
Connect with
Laurel O’Cleary
Creator & Facilitator, Growing Memories
Email: laurelocleary@gmail.com
What is Growing Memories?
Growing Through Story, Child-led Creative Expression, and Connection
Grief is a deeply personal experience, even for the youngest among us. Children may not always have the words to explain what they feel, but through stories, songs, movement, and moments of reflection, they can begin to make sense of their experiences in their own time and in their own way.
*Growing Memories* creates space for those moments — nurturing understanding, encouraging expression, and helping children discover that memories can continue to grow alongside us.
Growing Memories: Foundational Chapter One
A gentle 12-minute musical story inviting children ages 5–8 to explore grief stories, feelings, and remembrance through creative, child-led expression, while offering caring adults a model
for active listening and holding space for their child’s experience.
Through music, storytelling, body-breath regulation and sensory awareness
in the natural world, Chapter One offers a meaningful
way to begin gentle conversations.
**Chapter One may be experienced in two ways:**
**As a stand-alone experience** that enriches existing grief literacy and bereavement support programs for children.
**As the foundation of the full Growing Memories experience, introducing the themes, concepts and approach explored throughout the nine chapters and closing epilogue.
Whether experienced on its own or as the beginning of the complete Growing Memories journey, Chapter One offers children and caring adults a gentle opportunity to listen, reflect, and grow in understanding together, at their own pace.
Private Professional Preview of the nine-chapter story journey and closing epilogue,
Individual Access
Preview the nine-chapter story journey and closing epilogue, including grief-literacy discussion and listening prompts for the caring adults, child-led creative expression, reflection, music & movement,
and body-breath regulation experiences.
Request Private Preview Link
Please contact Laurel for more information
Created for Children & the Adults Who Support Them
Growing Memories™ is designed for:
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Kindergarten to Grade 3.
Ages 5–8 -
Schools & School Mental Health Teams
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Child & Youth Counsellors
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Bereavement & Grief Support Organizations
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Libraries & Community Outreach Programs
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Families & Caregivers
Explore the Resources
Chapter One may be experienced as a standalone introduction or as the beginning
of the complete Growing Memories 10 week storytelling program.
Explore the complete Growing Memories educational program, including the digital storybook, musical audiobook, educator resources, circle songs,
and body-and-breath regulation activities.
Growing Memories
A Collaborative Experience
The original music features creative composition and performances by **Matt Holland** [matthollandmusic.co.uk], whose piano, trumpet, and flugelhorn arrangements bring depth, warmth, and emotional dimension to the storytelling experience.
Seasonal nature soundscapes were engineered by producer **Jappreet Singh** with Desert Fish Studios, adding an auditory connection to the changing seasons and the natural world woven throughout Growing Memories
Together, the live narration, original music, and seasonal nature soundscapes create a rich listening experience that brings the emotional world of Growing Memories to life through story, music, sound, and creative empathetic expression.
A Circle-Based Educational Program.
Growing Memories is a circle-based child-led educational program that supports children’s emotional literacy (creative expression), bereavement awareness, self-regulation, and social-emotional learning through circle-based story, music, movement, & nature connection.
A Seasonal Grief Literacy Journey Through the Year
The nine chapters and closing epilogue of Growing Memories can unfold across the seasons, creating ongoing opportunities to explore grief, nurture emotional awareness, and normalize conversations about loss.
Recognizing that grief moves in cycles, children and their caring adults are invited to journey at their own pace, revisiting stories and activities as feelings, questions, and memories emerge. Through story, music, creative expression, and restorative listening, Growing Memories nurtures compassion, connection, and resilience.
Begin the journey and support children in discovering resilience through compassion,
connection, creative self-expression and story... at their own pace.
How Growing Memories Works
The Approach
A Gentle, Consistent Rhythm in Every Chapter
Read → Listen → Reflect → Regulate → Connect → Create
Each chapter follows a predictable rhythm that supports emotional safety, learning, self-regulation, and connection. Children move from story and listening into reflection, regulation, shared connection, and creative expression.
1. Read
Children enter Maya’s story through the illustrated digital storybook or follow along as they listen to the narrated musical audiobook.
2. Listen
Original songs, live acoustic music, and immersive nature soundscapes invite children to slow down, notice, imagine, and become present with the story.
3. Reflect
Thoughtful questions invite children to wonder, notice feelings, make personal connections, and explore the story together through circle discussion.
4. Regulate
Breathing, mindful listening, movement, and nature-based sensory experiences help children settle their bodies, notice emotions, and practise self-regulation.
5. Connect
Through circle-based learning, children develop empathy and belonging by listening to one another and sharing stories or memories if they choose. They discover that every voice matters and all feelings belong.
6. Create
Music, art, writing, dramatic play, and nature-inspired activities give children opportunities to express their understanding, honour memories, and extend their learning.
About the Author
Laurel O’Cleary, RECE, is a Registered Early Childhood Educator, grief companion and somatic practitioner. With more than 25 years of experience working with children and young people, her work is informed by early childhood education, bereavement support, nature connection and creative expression.
Laurel developed Growing Memories from her commitment to helping children and caring adults approach conversations about loss with compassion, curiosity and care.