At Rainbow Bridge we always scheduled our “Winter Festival” on the last day before winter break. We would invite all the parents to come from 11:30-12:30 and take their children home with them—no afternoon care that day because it’s so hard for children to have parents come and go without taking them home. Because […]
A Winter Festival Celebrating Community, by Rahima Dancy Read More »
(Note: this article is re-printed with permission from the blog Joyful Toddlers. The original article can be viewed here.) Dear Miss Faith, My little guy is starting daycare and while I’m sure that it will be a wonderful, loving place for him, I am dreading dropping him off and saying goodbye. We have had a
Starting Daycare and Saying Goodbye Read More »
At Spindlewood we always begin the year with a Family Work Party. It’s a bit of a Parent-Child Morning Garden, with work projects, and an opportunity to observe the children out of the corner of our eyes as they imitate our meaningful and cooperative activity. Yes, I always feel that I am asking too much
Family Work Day to Start the School Year Read More »
I’d like to share with you something I learned last Fall. It was mid-September, and there was a new little boy in the room, one of many. This boy however, rather than bond with all the teachers equally, bonded exclusively with me. I must admit, it made me feel special. I alone had the power
Helping a New Child, Then Stepping Back Read More »
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
The Art of Apples in the Fall 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 »
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 »
Paradise Farm is the home of the new garden for LifeWays Early Childhood Center in Milwaukee. Mary O’Connell, director of LifeWays, and her husband Jim have recently become owners of this historic farm about 45 minutes northwest of the city. It’s the perfect location to grow natural, pesticide-free produce for the children and caregivers at
Milwaukee LifeWays Gains Paradise Farm 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
