Every season seems more alive the more time we spend outside enjoying it. With all the demands on our time, it can be hard to remember to take just a minute here and there to enjoy the wonder of a changing season with our children. Here are a few ideas to mark the glory of fall. Some are quick, the sort of thing you can do between the house and the car, and some mean a few hours of fun.… Read More...
Note: as part of International Babywearing Week we’re hosting a Giveaway! See the bottom of this post to enter.
People easily recognize an infant cradled in arms as a universal symbol of parenting and nurturing; we know that babies mostly love to be carried and cuddled. Yet, this inherent part of tending an infant can be very challenging in the first couple of years. Whether you’re trying to wash clothes, buy groceries, make a sandwich or tend another child, … Read More...
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...
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...
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 a … 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...
We have a beloved Golden Retriever who can seemingly smell water from hundreds of yards away, making a beeline for anything deeper than dew and, without hesitation, diving in to make it a full-body experience. Like him, our children gravitated to every form of water from still ponds to running streams. From a tub filled with their first bath to their hours of rainy day play, they all loved interacting with any water they could find.
They stood under eaves … Read More...
Personally, I was delighted when my toddlers began pushing brooms around. As a trained Montessori teacher, I was always excited to see my own children beginning to engage in “work”, but first as a teacher and then as a parent, I knew that everyone was happier if I distinguished my children’s work from mine. I had learned that it was better to classify this work as very important “play”. Playing house is often one of the first ways adults … Read More...
We want to do so much to help our children, but life teaches us that their greatest gifts may be the intangible tools they carry inside themselves. Watching them, we see that some are born with a fully-stocked “toolchest” that will aid them on any path they choose. Other children seem to need a little more help, whether in recognizing what was there all along or in developing skills unfamiliar to their natures.
Regardless of how competent children are out … Read More...
