“Trees are all different, as you know, and I am sure some tiresome person must have told you that there are no two blades of grass exactly alike. But in streets, where the blades of grass don’t grow, everything is like everything else. This is why so many children who live in towns are so extremely naughty.” – E. Nesbit, The Five Children and It
Even a century ago when Ms. Nesbit was writing, people were concerned about the amount … Read More...
Most children respond to music from their earliest days; parents’ rhythmic crooning soothes, at least momentarily, a newborn. A silly song or jumpy nursery rhyme can divert an upset toddler. A song with a strong beat can help a preschooler march along beside you as you try to finish a grocery trip. Up until about age 13, a long car ride can be made more pleasant by singing all these songs and more. We are born with music inside us, … Read More...
As you head into summer with your school-age children, you might be trying to find ways to support the academic advances they’ve made during the school year without making summer feel like an endless extension of school. Summer and other breaks are important for letting learning sink in, giving young minds time to mull over what they’ve covered in their school time and having plenty of free time to explore other interests. Still, there is evidence that shows that longer … Read More...
Maria Montessori, Rudolf Steiner and Charlotte Mason might not have agreed on many things regarding children and the best way to support their development. However, they all shared at least one similar premise, that children enjoy and even need work and other kinds of purposeful activity. They each had different ideas on how adults should meet this impulse but they all agreed it was there.
One place you might see it surface in your own children is through their … Read More...
Many of our generation did not have the privilege of regular gardening with a parent or grandparent, and we’re trying to simultaneously learn and teach our own children the joys of the garden. But, gardening, like parenting, can at times be a tremendous amount of work with few obvious joys. Gardening is rewarding, and often on a shorter timescale than parenting, but it can lack an immediacy for children. You might find additional frustration in thinking your children should be … Read More...
These little gem-like eggs will be bright spots in your home this spring as the sunshine floods through them. They’re very simple to make—all you’ll need is card stock or heavy paper, glue, a brush and tissue paper. We used our wonderful Art Tissue Paper, which comes in a great range of colors.
Start by printing out our Stained Glass Window Egg template onto card stock (or feel free to make an egg frame of your own design!). Kids … Read More...
Stitch these sweet, little, felt eggs, filled with batting, and hang them up for Easter! Wool felt is an excellent fabric for kids to practice sewing on; it’s thick and sturdy, and it doesn’t unravel at the edges. It’s also forgiving if you make a mistake and need to take out some stitches. For batting, we used wool here, but bits of quilt batting or even shredded t-shirts can be used.
We found that you could get two to three eggs … Read More...
Embellish egg candles with colored wax to create charming and bright Easter decor. Cutting out simple shapes and sticking them onto candles is an activity that young children can easily master, making the process both fun and rewarding. Let’s get started!
You’ll need a Beeswax Egg Candle, Decorating Wax, and some Pattern Cutters. You might notice that your beeswax candle is covered with frost-like white spots; this is called “bloom” and is harmless—it’s actually a sign of … Read More...
What’s more egg-citing than an Easter egg treasure hunt? Take your treasure hunt to the next level by hiding the clues inside of real eggs. When the children find an egg, they have to crack it to retrieve the next clue. Brilliant!
It’s easy: follow our instructions for making cascarones. After your eggs are dry, gently tuck in paper clues instead of confetti. Then glue a square of tissue paper over the hole to finish.
Hide your eggs inside … Read More...
We had one of these in our refrigerator for years when I was growing up and every Easter we would free it from its cold home and put it in a place of honor! The inside was, of course, all dried out, but it still looked fine from the outside! Here’s what you’ll need to make your own Easter Bunny Egg: A hard-boiled egg, card stock, brown, pink or grey paint (depending on what color you want your bunny to … Read More...
