LifeWays
Before I had children I didn’t even know how to spell “rhythm.” I had gotten used to doing whatever I wanted whenever I wanted as a single person: making my own schedule where I could paint 24 hours straight and sleep for 12 hours every other day; loving my footloose and fancy-free life of being …
Kerry writes: The story of Mumbuto and the White Bird is a transformative tale written for young children. The life-giving baobob tree holds the central position on the set. The base of the tree is a needle-felted trunk with a jar of water within – which holds branches of fresh green leaves to denote the branches …
For years, advent – the four weeks prior to Christmas – in the O’Connell household has been celebrated with the gradual building of an advent nature scene on our kitchen table. I love this tradition, because it blends the Christian tradition of the advent wreath with a deeper appreciation of the natural world. It begins …
Here is a little autumn story poem for autumn harvest days. I make apple finger puppets to help make this visual. Just draw a small fingertip size apple – cut 2 out with red felt, add a brown stem and green leaf…easy! Sew around it, leaving room for your finger at the bottom. This one …
Because young children love stories, and magic, and anticipation, it can be especially enriching for children if we add those three aspects to any project that we do with them. Let’s take the idea of making Apple Crisp: it can be done in half a morning. Simply chop up some apples, stir in some cinnamon …