Johnny Appleseed Day is a little-known holiday; no one gets the day free from work or school, but you might choose to mark September 26 with your kids as a way to reinforce harvest time and generosity. The story of Johnny Appleseed was one of my children’s favorites. We had a fairly recent biography rather than the more fabled version of his life. But his quirky commitment to the apple tree, as well as the good he tried to spread … Read More...
I once said to a friend that I could not know whether our parenting choices were “right”; I just had to do the thing that felt okay at day’s end. Now, we’re looking at much larger transitions than beditme— two children head to college this fall and the third heads into high school. All around us the little ones we watched climb trees and wield wooden swords through mythic quests are driving cars and turning to face the world outside. … Read More...
Not so long ago, we packed books of mazes, small games, or other diversions when we needed our children to quietly while away some time in a doctor’s office, at a restaurant table, or during a sibling’s violin lesson. The ubiquity of smartphones and tablets has brought ease to creating diversions and with it some peaceful
The long evenings and blustery weather of winter provide the perfect backdrop to hours of reading. In our family, we wandered the library and sampled picture books, storybooks and chapter books to find new tales and old favorites to visit and re-visit through the hours of a Vermont evening by the fire. The authors and books below are the ones my entire family anticipates, whatever their age, for wintery hours of reading.
Elsa Beskow- A hundred years later, her picture … Read More...
Perhaps you are a little tense thinking of yet more toys for your child and you to maintain and tidy. Maybe you are just looking for more ways to spend some precious free time with your child. The following ideas are all about one of the best gifts for any loved one- the gift of time.
“Too many cooks spoil the broth.”
or
“Many hands make light work.”
Endless turns of life take place in the kitchen. Much of our family life occurs around the table or somewhere between the kitchen sink and the stove, everyone’s spoon in the “broth” of the day-to-day rhythms. And I’m pretty sure many families find their own important work happens here, where we sustain ourselves body and soul. It’s in the kitchen that we model values around health, ecology, experimentation … Read More...
Halloween can be one of the most fun festivals of the year, but it often presents challenges to parents trying to foster a meaningful relationship with holidays. Add to that the current traditions that include so much candy and a sense of being “owed” treats and a family might want to sleep through October 31. There are ways, however, to bring meaning to Halloween. It shares qualities with traditions across many cultures that can inspire you to bring your own … Read More...
As noted scientist Temple Grandin titled her book of the same name, animals make us human. This can seem a very strong statement until one watches children and notes their affinity for and curiosity about animals. Some kids watch creatures from a safe distance. Others are more forward and grab every cat or dog they can get close enough to to touch. Most children will add the names of animals to their first few words. However they show it, new … Read More...
“Great hardships and great dangers are in store for him; but he shall win through them all.”
— From Isabel Wyatt’s The Kingdom of Beautiful Colors
This quote from Isabel Wyatt came to me a few weeks back as young people in Florida were standing up to the powerful, demanding the value of their lives over the profit of an industry. Our battered, mildewed copy of the storybook for middle-grade children, from which the quote comes, carries the older, less … Read More...
Perhaps you have noticed with your children that as they pass into the early stages of puberty (the so-called tween phase) they lose some of the contentment that accompanies middle childhood. Our children were more likely to be “bored” or to flit disconsolately from one once-favored activity to another, unable to really settle down. In this stage, children begin to seek work that they can see has meaning and purpose; they’ve passed the joy found in imitating adult work and … Read More...
