After 20 years of raising three my own children, reading dozens of parenting books, hundreds of articles, and working with thousands of children I’ve learned a thing or two that might make your journey a little bit easier.
Many years ago I was a 25 year old mother who thought that my 6 year old daughter might find Mars Attacks entertaining. She didn’t. And she still talks about how wildly inappropriate it was for her to watch at that age. The more I learned about children’s cognitive, social and emotional development the more … Read more
What is rough and tumble play? and why is such a hot topic in Early Childhood Education these days? Rough and Tumble play is exactly what it sounds like! It’s full body engagement, running, wrestling, grabbing and pulling. It’s exciting, it’s energizing, it’s fun, and it’s important. Rough and tumble play is what we call … Read more
Living on the cheap isn’t about being poor or not having nice things. For me it is about making the choice to consume less and to live more simply. When I need something I turn to the local classifieds, thrift stores and my friends first before I venture out to the store. Likely the OCD memory serves me well because if I do stock pile anything I have a photographic recollection of where it is.
I posted this in a Facebook group to inspire some conversation on the subject. The arts are being threatened with all sorts of cutbacks in my country for some strange reason people put little value on it. They forget that without artists their lives would be far duller. Art inspires, it entertains, it encourages and nourishes the very essence of what is human in us. We are unique because we can experience and appreciate art in all it’s forms.
Throughout ancient and to an extent modern history artists may have been forgotten but their work lives on. In some cases it is our best insight into the inner workings of that society. Periods and timelines are often distinguished by their art. Historically great works of art were reserved for the wealthy however even peasants frequently owned relics (often of a deity) that were crafted by an artisan.
We celebrate the Winter Solstice in our house. It is a tradition that I find has been a lot of fun and the kids have really gotten into it. The best part is that they’ve learned things by doing it! Ha ha I tricked them. The main things we do are to decorate a ‘winter tree’ and turn out the lights.
During the day of the Winter Solstice I will pop popcorn and fetch some dried cranberries which the kids will then string onto short threads that we can droop over branches of random trees in the yard. In past years we have also done toast with peanut butter and bird seed and various other bird feeder type crafts. The popcorn and cranberries is a pretty constant one though.
I have in recent years spent a lot of time with a lot of kids. Not a classroom size or anything but more along the lines of large family. For me parenting is about setting kids up to succeed. It is my job to do the setting up and give them the tools they need in order to meet the expectations that have been laid out.
I, as the parent or caregiver, provide structure and a clear set of simple global rules about how they are to behave as well as treat each other and the things around them. Kids are remarkable in their ability to adapt and understand different sets of rules in different places. Children who go back and forth between parents have proven, in case there was any question, just how efficient they are. So long as love is at the forefront of what you are doing with them.