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I know no parent who has not struggled at times to feel that their child is hearing their message. Some phases of childhood can be more challenging than others and some children can hear their own drummer more clearly than...

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...

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...

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...

“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...

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...

“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...

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...

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,...

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...

Is your crafting cupboard or drawer bursting with broken bits of crayons, uncapped, dried out markers, crumpled paper and bits of yarn all randomly stuck together with leaked glue from the left-open bottle? Does the sight of glitter and the...

We’re still looking at a foot of snow in Vermont, but our minds are focused on all that’s happening beneath this thick, white blanket. Our seasonal tables tend to reflect what we’re hoping for in this season of waiting more...

To tell the truth, babies do not need much—love, a clean body, warmth and nourishing food. Still, we all like to give gifts to welcome new little souls. We like to see babies react to new experiences and we like to...

Whatever the game, children can always find uses for a playsilk. They’ll twist them into royal crowns or wrap them into pirates’ kerchiefs. They can bundle a doll into a carrier or swing one around a shoulder for a cape. They’re...

A friend recently confided that she loves hammocks, but mostly to look at; she’s not the sort to laze about on a summer afternoon. Despite being, like my friend, averse to slothfulness, I choose to hang out a hammock. I have my reasons...

When I was a child, “Go outside and play,” was a phrase my sisters and I heard frequently from Mom and Dad. We were lucky enough to grow up in a neighborhood where most homes came with large yards or...