Children thrive when we slow down and do things with a “sense of spaciousness”: the attitude that we have enough attention for our task AND the child(ren), and that we…
Category: Play & Activities
My Oat Bar Recipe for Play Garden
I know that parents are always on the lookout for healthy snacks that kids love. I serve these Oat Bars at my outdoor parent-child Play Garden classes, and parents always…
How to Get Your Kids to Do Chores (Without Resenting It)
About a week ago, a friend pointed me to a piece on National Public Radio Called How to Get Your Kids to Do Chores (Without Resenting It). I clicked on…
Pinterest for Play Yards
When I first started transforming my flat, boring, soggy yard into my Play Garden, my goals were for it to be fun and engaging for children, interesting and comfortable for…
The Benefits of Risky Play
A few days ago I heard an interview on NPR asking the question, “Is It Time to Bring Risk Back Into Our Kids’ Playgrounds?” (didn’t hear it? You can read…
Celebrating Advent
Advent is a time of waiting and anticipation. For some, it’s the countdown to Christmas; for others, it’s the countdown to the darkest day of the year and the beginning…
A Story of Autumn Light
Once upon a time there was a little boy who lived with his mother and his father and his baby sister. He played all summer long in his shorts and…
Quick Tip: Throwing Sand
If your child is a little too exuberant in the sandbox, what to do? Saying “Don’t throw sand” seems to have little effect, as does the ubiquitous “Be careful!” Instead,…
The Summer Play Garden
Last year I shared my efforts to transform my my large-but-boring back yard into a wonderful space that children and adults would both enjoy. This spring I opened my yard…
Make Your Yard Fantastic
When I haven’t been working on my book this past spring and summer, I’ve been working with my landscaper friend Tim Francis (http://www.nettle.co/) to transform our yard into a wonderful…
Play Structures
Do you want to make your play yard more interesting and functional for your kiddos? Spring is a great time to put new effort into your yard, to remind the kids (and…
Collecting & Dumping Toys
Dear Miss Faith, My 2.9 y.o. girl loves to make “nests” in every room of our house. This is something I would normally be fine with, and in fact I recall…