Turn, Turn, Turn

Cute Apple Sacks found at Sono-ma

The current under-current of cool air has me thinking of Fall.  And though I still have batches of salsa to make and green beans to freeze, I am feeling little waves of excitement when I think about the changes that September will bring.  My oldest will be heading back to nursery school for a few mornings a week, and her little sister and I will be enjoying more one-on-one time (a rarity around here).

Now is the time to prepare for the transition back to school.  As parents, there is so much that we can do to make that transition easier for the whole family.  There are many wonderful resources to help you find the best backpack and prepare for that first day, and today I want to share a few tips for staying close when schedules start to take family members in different directions.

Draft a rhythm.  First, think about what you need to pull off to get everyone out of the door on time.  What can happen the night before to take the pressure off in the mornings?  And, where can you build in some family time in the midst of getting ready for the day? 

• Family Pig Pile- everyone can pile into your bed to say good morning and talk about what's coming up.
• Breakfast Together- simple weekday breakfasts make it easier to sit down together to share your morning meal and talk about the day ahead.
• Clean Up Game- make getting ready fun (and fast) with little touches you can all enjoy.  Sing some silly songs or play their favorite music; say "yes" to more of their choices so they can feel excited about getting ready; celebrate with a quick game or the next chapter of a beloved book before you head out the door.

Be realistic.  Decide now how you would like your afternoons to flow.  How many afterschool activities will be manageable?  Don't forget the incredible value of downtime for children.  This is when they can rest, or just play and be free to use their imaginations.  If its helpful, ask older children to create a list of both structured and unstructured afterschool fun, and then choose 1-2 structured activities and several more unstructured that they will enjoy at home or in the neighborhood.  This way, everyone decides together what will suit the entire family.

Make time to connect.  Our children are finding their own way in this great big world, and as you may remember, that's not always easy.  The more time you all spend "hanging out" at home after school or on the weekends, the more opportunities your children will have to come to you when something is bothering them.  A mom in one of my workshops remembered that her own mother always gave the kids a snack after school and then sat down to knit or read a book.  She didn't pester them for details of their day, but she was open and available to her children if they needed her.  What daily rituals can you use to show your kids that "your door is always open?"  If you need some help, check out these clever conversation starters.

While you're enjoying these last weeks of summer, take some time to talk about these topics with your spouse or a friend.  Imagine the best school year, with the perfect balance of independence and family time, then work strategically to make it a reality!

Simple Summer::Our Big Backyard

My daughters and I had a blast yesterday at the Roger Williams Park Zoo's newest installation, "Our Big Backyard."  If you are close to Providence, I highly recommend a visit.

The new outdoor play space incorporates many elements of nature with simple toys and a beautiful aesthetic to create a dream of a backyard!  An amazing (and handicapped accessible) treehouse towers over the play yard, complete with binoculars, wooden chimes, rainmakers and a scavenger hunt.

Down below, you will find more music making, as well as a stage for impromptu animal puppet shows, and an area for creating forts and tunnels and whatever your little mind can dream up when presented with playsilks and clips and chains and bins full of wooden blocks.  So cool!

The play space also has a fun water garden, where kids can control sprinklers and experiment with hoses and funky water wheels made from repurposed materials.  There's even a pond to go "fishing" with good, ol' fashioned wooden sticks!

My friend Jeanine wrote a great review of the play space last month.

So, come up to Providence and spend a morning in "Our Big Backyard."  Guaranteed you'll find inspiration for your own backyard, too!

Simple Summer::Obstacle Course

In case you missed it, I was over at Kidoinfo this week with ideas for a simple backyard obstacle course.  How does your family like to play together?   Leave a comment about your family's favorite games or pastimes. 

Have fun this weekend!

Simple Summer::Bucket List

We welcomed Summer on Wednesday night with lovely friends and good conversation. I hope the season continues in much the same way- easy gatherings with loved ones, and classic summer fun for the kids. It’s these little joyful moments that will make the sweetest memories someday. And, what might the joyful moments look like this summer? I created a Summer Bucket List for inspiration...

Go strawberry picking

Design a fairy garden

Make art, outside, with the kids (sketch, paint, collage)

Learn to hoola (this one's for me!)

Picnic in the backyard

Take walks in the woods, find treasures for our nature table

Read stories and poetry in the fresh air

Spend lots of time at the beach

Tag the neighborhood with happy sidewalk chalk

Giggle under the big top

Listen to their music under the trees

Camp out in the backyard

Go to the county fair

It will be so very helpful to have this list to refer to as summer gets into full swing. These simple activities will be the priorities, and I will make space for them as we establish our summer rhythm and as we start to schedule things on the calendar. Weekend family time will feel easy and purposeful when we have a short list of ideas to go to.

So now it’s your turn! What joyful moments would you like to experience with your family this summer? What’s on your Summer Bucket List?

What would we do without TV?

I get the draw of television…I really do. I’m a stay-at-home mom, also trying to work from home a few hours each day. I’ve turned on the television so that I could squeak out another half hour on the computer, or so that I could get dinner started in peace. I get it!

The purpose of Screen-Free Week is not to burden families or to cause mayhem at home…quite the opposite, really. The purpose is to spend a week tuned-in to family life, to do just a little more connecting than you may normally do when the screens are lit up.

One of my biggest complaints about television is that it displaces moments of engagement. Couples could be engaged in conversation, children engaged in art or dramatic play, families engaged in hobbies or other pastimes. During Screen-Free Week, we are going to take those moments back!

Now this is the fun part! Make a long list of all of the wonderful screen-free activities your family might enjoy. Evening strolls, picnic in the park, dance parties, family game night… write down whatever comes to mind. Be sure to include the experiment you’ve been meaning to show the kids, and the long-lost hobby you say you never have time for. With a little bit of planning and perhaps some voting at a family meeting, this list will keep you going screen-free all week long!  And who knows? By the end of the week, your family may end up wondering how you ever had time for TV!

Need a kickstart? Here are some of my favorite activity lists!

Creative Kickstarters for Families from Mamascout


More Things To Do Instead Of Turning On The TV from Childhood 101


10 Ways to Make Today Magical from A Magical Childhood


120+ Activities for Ages 1-4 from Play, Create, Explore


 50 Things to do before you’re 11 ¾ from the UK National Trust

Screen-Free Week begins April 30th!  Will you pull the plug?

Branches, Wood & Fantasy Play

On a very windy day, two large branches fell from my backyard Maple tree. We were fortunate that the branches fell away from the house and my daughters’ swing set, though they did crush a section of our neighbor’s fence. We needed some help with the clean up, and when the tree service trucks drove away, I went outside to admire the awesome pile of logs and branches left behind. Most of it will be cut and stacked for firewood next season (we have a lovely little fireplace in the living room that certainly doesn’t heat our entire home, but does warm my heart every winter). But I decided to set some of the wood aside…for play!

What will my daughters see when they consider four large stumps arranged under the pine tree in a quiet corner of the yard?

A stage for dancing

A balance beam

A table and chairs for tea

 

And, what will my daughters create with wooden blocks of various sizes?

A fence

A tower

A miniature set of furniture

The possibilities are endless, which is the precisely the point of open-ended play.

By setting aside a little pile of wood, I am setting aside space for imagination and creativity. I am honoring my children’s need for interesting tactile experiences, opportunities to develop flexible thinking, and time in nature with natural objects.

As you look around your home, which toys provide the most opportunity for open-ended play? How can you present more of these toys to your child and encourage more time in fantasy land?

Parenting Simply: Pinecone Soup

Sometimes as parents, we are granted wonderful moments of true clarity. For me, one such moment came after an afternoon walk with my daughters. Our walk led to the discovery of an abundant supply of tiny pinecones at the end of our street, which immediately needed to be gathered, stowed in the back of a tricycle, and brought home to make pinecone soup....read more at Kidoinfo.

Ship Ahoy!

Going to the Providence Children’s Museum wasn’t in the cards today, but that’s what my daughter really wanted to do. When she woke up from her nap, she was hopeful that I’d reconsidered and figured out a way to cram a trip in between tidying up and dinner preparations. I completely understood how disappointing a “no” would sound to an almost four year old, so I tried not to say it at all…

Instead, I asked her what she wanted to do there, which exhibit was her favorite. This time, she said that the ship was her favorite. “Well that’s great,” I said, “because even though we can’t make it to the museum today, we can sail away on a ship—right here in the living room!” I proceeded to dash around the house, grabbing a broom and playsilks to make a sail, and set up a cabin under a table with blankets and pillows. Instant magic! Instant happiness! No need for disappointment.

My two girls sailed away for the next hour while I made dinner, occasionally coming ashore for supplies. And when I found myself standing on the couch, spotting pirates on the horizon, I knew I’d sailed away, too and I smiled….this is living.

If you have little pirates, too, check out the Pirate Hat in the Autumn edition of Rhythm of the Home.  I may have to try making a couple of these before we set sail again!

The Joy Jar

Living a slow lifestyle with two toddlers means that we stick pretty close to home most days. Our days sort of revolve around the happenings of the household, and the girls are part of it- helping with some chores, making our meals together, raking the leaves. They come in and out of these activities, as they come in and out of play.

Keeping things simple like this also means that we have plenty of downtime (a real luxury nowadays). I feel grateful for this time with the girls-- because these are the special moments of their childhood! And I want their memories of this time to be filled with JOY.

So, with that in mind, I decided to jot down all of our favorite (easy) things to do on little slips of paper.

• Have a tea party

• Build a fort

• Set sail on a pirate ship

• Pop some popcorn

Then, we folded them up, tucked them into a jar, added some glitter- and now we've got a Joy Jar!   We can pull from the jar whenever we need a fresh idea.  If we need a little inspiration on a rainy afternoon, or if I need a really quick way to divert a toddler showdown, the Joy Jar is waiting for us, bursting with ideas we all love.

I added a few ideas to bring more compassion and kindness into the fun of our days.

• Bake muffins for a neighbor

• Draw a picture for someone far away

• List all the things you love about _______ (pick a family member)

What would you put in your Joy Jar?

For more inspiration, check out the sweet ideas over at A Magical Childhood or Play Create Explore . There's so much fun happening out there!