Whole Child Development
In Section 1 of Last Child in the Woods, Richard Louv writes about our society’s apparent disconnection from nature. After describing the deleterious effects of what he has called, Nature Deficit Disorder, he wraps up the section by pointing out, “deficit is only one side of the coin.” In Section 2, he discussed the other side of that coin: “natural abundance”. [Read more…]
I’ve been having some fun telling people I shared a speaking engagement with Steve Spangler over the weekend. Technically it is true, though Steve and I never actually met. He was the keynote speaker at an early childhood education conference where I taught one of the breakout sessions.
I’m jumping right in at the deep end with this first topic in the Building Strong Boys Series — The Meaning of Manhood.
I was doing a training with a preschool/child care group recently where we were talking about the importance of relationships and connections — both between parents and children as well as parents and caregivers. During our discussion someone mentioned how common it was for parents to be chatting on their cell phones as they arrived to pick up their children.
Less than ideal from a connection standpoint.
My son cut a hole in his t-shirt the other day. Well, according to him, the scissors were just walking on the counter when they walked right over to him and cut a hole in his shirt. Now, you and I know which scenario is most likely true, but does he? That gets complicated.
I’m a boy mom. With four boys ranging from 8 months old to 8 years old, I live in a house filled with legos, light sabers, and a lot of noise. It’s actually a pretty good gig.
One of my more popular posts is the one entitled Praise Junkies Beware. It talks about research which contradicts the self-esteem movement of the 80s and 90s. Back then, we thought that if we heaped praise on kids and told them how wonderful they are, they would indeed be wonderful.
(This video can also be viewed on YouTube here. Do you think YouTube intentionally chooses the most awkward point of the video to use for the freezeframe?)
Many of the resources on imaginary friends center on a study published in Developmental Psychology (Vol. 40, No. 6).
I’ve tried to write this since Friday, struggling to process and put my thoughts into words.
Have you ever heard people joke about getting an extravagant gift for a child, and all the recipient wanted to do was play with the box? That’s because for all the bells and whistles you can find attached to today’s toys, the fact remains that children love any opportunity to imagine, create, and pretend. And as a parent and educator, I love to give kids that opportunity! Here, you’ll find some of my favorite gift ideas for igniting that spark!
*This post contains affiliate links to products I genuinely believe you’ll enjoy!
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