Last Saturday, I completed my LifeWays training and was left with bittersweet feelings. It was a wonderful, emotional year full of challenges and growth (I am pictured with some of my classmates to the left in the black dress surrounded by my loving kids). After emotional goodbyes to the lovely, strong, and passionate women I […]
Settling into Our Rhythm, by Mara Spiropoulos Read More »
A warm welcome to Mara Spiropolous who will be taking on the role of Blog Coordinator for the LifeWays blog. Mara just finished her LifeWays training in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She is kept busy by three little ones at home, ages 3, 2 and 1! She will be sharing her experiences of working with the LifeWays
Welcome to the New LifeWays Blog Coordinator! Read More »
Children love the jolly jack-o-lanterns, but at Spindlewood we like to keep our pumpkins alive all year round, beginning with hunting for them in the overgrown summer garden. Then we keep one to stand guard until the frost on the pumpkin finally renders it food for the sheep and chickens. We save some
Pumpkins All Year Round! Read More »
By Lisa Boisvert Mackensie “There is a garden in every childhood, an enchanted place where colors are brighter, the air softer, and the morning more fragrant than ever again.”- Elizabeth Lawrence The young child is still very much in a state of at-one-with-the-world, completely open to receiving sense impressions from the world. A garden provides
Gardening with Small Children: A World of Wonder and Rhythmic Impression Read More »
Here at The Orchard, our in-home, LifeWays-inspired child care place, being outdoors, rain or shine, hot or cold, is a given. It is also a challenge because, although we value and promote unstructured free play outdoors, we look for opportunities to share nature together. Apart from unstructured, surprise encounters with nature, this happens in two
Children In Nature Read More »
Living on islands surrounded by thousands of miles of ocean in every direction, Hawaii’s children are connected to the rhythms of tides and the seasons through the powerful, pervasive element of water. For those living on the Big Island, fire and air are also ever present elemental realities, as Pele spews out molten lava at
Gardening as an Integral Part of My LifeWays Care Setting Read More »
Outdoor play! Grass to roll down, gardens with mint and nibbles to eat as it is all edible, a pit to dig in, rain water to play in, room to run with little hills and slopes, boards and driftwood to balance on….no expensive outdoor play equipment needed! Dirt is not dirty, rain is for catching
I didn’t mean to be a gardener. Somehow it just happened -or did it? My earliest memories of gardening were the ones of an annoyed teen being forced to help dig and build beds for a large succulent garden that would one day become the front yard for a LifeWays center in San Diego set in
How Does Your Garden Grow? Read More »
After experimenting with a natural, authentic home rhythm and routine to suit our values, needs, and interests over the yeras, it was a joy to see that healthy habits and a sense of responsibility have taken root. I’ve been sick for over a week with a flu and fever. Last Monday, on my third day
Letting Children Say YES! Read More »
Creating a YES! Environment By Simone DiMarzi What does it mean to say YES when taking care of children birth to three? The child’s first words are often “No.” One of the best ways not to chime in with the children and always have to say “No” is to create a YES environment. The
Creating a YES Environment Read More »
