If like me you grew up in a tradition that did not observe Michaelmas, you might be at a loss regarding its significance; you might also wonder how to bring it to your children if the Christian stories do not fit within your family’s faith. Marking the day so close to the equinox draws our attention to the changes in our world. It can be a really beautiful way to bring our children’s attention to the season’s change in the … Read More...
“Fine motor skills” refers to the small movements we do with our hands; they are the combined efforts of our thumbs and fingers as well as the coordination of the hands with one another. You might even think of the ability engendered by the term “fine motor skill” to be one of our most human traits, facilitated by our very mobile digits and our bipedalism. Children begin developing these skills very early; we’ve all seen ultrasound images of babies sucking … Read More...
In the hubbub of a busy morning, not many food choices will seem easy enough to bother with. The idea of making a sandwich can be insurmountable when you already know your child won’t eat the bread or can’t take peanut butter or only eats ham every third Tuesday when the moon is full. All your ideas of healthy food choices suddenly seem less important than just knowing your child will at least consume a few calories between breakfast and … Read More...
To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark. – Victor Hugo
Children are made readers on the laps of their parents. – Emilie Buchwald
We all know the importance of reading to our children, but there are many small things you can do in the course of your time with your baby, toddler, and preschooler in addition to reading to them that will help build the foundations of reading. The … Read More...
Maybe you’ve heard of the “Choose to Refuse” challenge which calls on us to give up single-use plastic for the month of July. Our family has gone through fits and starts with keeping plastic out of our house and out of the waste stream, but it can be very hard. Whether it’s toiletries like toothpaste and shampoo or the packaging for most food items, plastic can be hard to avoid. Its pervasiveness reflects how “cheap” it can be to produce; … Read More...
Some of you might read that title and think it’s a little ridiculous. But there are those who just are not all that interested in games; we like sharing work or pretend play or reading, but sitting down to an extremely simple game with a very young child can lack appeal. Having a few good reasons to play a structured game could make the difference in whether we teach our child how to play dominoes, memory, or spades. Perhaps that … Read More...
Imagine yourself and your child standing in the library. Or if you’re like me, imagine following your almost running child around and around the library. You have this idea that you can find a perfect selection of books if you could even read one spine, but your child is too intrigued by the long rows of books to give you a chance to browse.
The following list might help you, as you can just ask your friendly librarian for particular … Read More...
Many children are drawn toward farm play, even when their experience is limited to suburban sidewalks or city parks. They imagine themselves as both the busy farmers and the creatures of the field, sty, yard or barn. (What is that mooing, bleating and clucking I hear from behind a closed bedroom door?!)
In our family, the children also had favorite bedtime stories about farmers and the farming life for many years, leading to library and bookstore searches to … Read More...
Woodworking pleases many children. They can clearly see that their activity can lead to a change in their environment whether they are pounding nails, whittling shavings or sanding an edge to a luster. Still, it can be hard as an adult to see exactly how to safely bring this activity to your children, especially if you have limited experience with these skills.
You can actually begin woodworking through very small steps by introducing one skill and one tool at … Read More...
“Facts are fine, fer as they go… but they’re like water bugs skittering atop the water. Legends, now—they go deep down and bring up the heart of a story.” from Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry.
When your child slips a sword into the sheath at their side, dons a cap suited to Sherwood forest or adds another silk to their royal attire, they are exploring the archetypes that help us find our way in our world. These broad … Read More...
