Whole Child Development
I’ve been so excited to tell you about a new book, The Artful Parent, written by my friend Jean Van’t Hul, who you may already know from her popular blog, The Artful Parent. This book is amazing, and so much more than just a collection of art activities!
Winter is notorious for being dark and dreary. Well, not when Jean Vant Hul from The Artful Parent gets a hold of it!
I was lucky enough to participate recently in a conference at Utah State University. It was so much fun (and a little surreal) to teach a session at the front of a room where I had sat through many, many classes more than a decade ago.
As much fun as I had teaching my session, I also loved going to a session taught by my friend, Kelli Barker, who was my counterpart while head teaching at the lab school and my partner for many deliriously late night study sessions. She taught a fantastic class, sharing all kinds of fantastic ideas for hands-on activities for young children.
I love fall! The crispness, the colors, all of it! Most of all, I love that it is traditionally a time of celebration and a time to gather as families. It is a perfect time for building memorable scenes for our children. Whether is coming together to bake a special treat or to decorate for the holidays, our children build not only fine motor skills and creative abilities, but they build family ties and a sense of place in the process.
In my experience blogging I have been blessed to meet many amazing women. Jean Vant Hul of the Artful Parent is one of them. She is absolutely lovely and gracious. And she is splendidly talented.
My mom is an amazing seamstress. I wish I could say I had half her sewing knowledge. While I certainly don’t aspire to the amazing creations she’s produced, she did instill in me a DIY attitude, and I have learned to sew a somewhat straight line. Luckily, that’s about all that was required for me to put together four baby projects I needed when our new little guy was born this spring. One of which was this great sling pictured above. (Kudos to my seven year-old for snapping this picture at the park!) This sling has not only given me the free hands I’ve desperately needed with four little boys around, but it is often the only way to soothe my sweet boy when he hits that fussy time of the day.
Here’s another blast from the past as I get back into the groove with my new little guy.
A friend recently asked if I could give a list of the things I keep on hand for creative art activities. In addition to the standard crayons, markers, and white paper here are a few of my favorite multitasking art supplies:
My boys have been looking forward to the Fourth of July since…well, the last Fourth of July! They love the excitement of the fireworks displays, and I love any summer day we can spend together! If you’re looking for some fun and simple ways to make your celebration memorable, here are a few ideas! (Read more about The Power of the Memorable Scene .) [Read more…]
A big “thank you” to Deirdre from the blog, JDaniel4’s Mom for being a guest and sharing a fun book activity just in time for the Fourth of July!
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