By Anne McCarthy, Cattails teacher
Children in deep play are like whales who only come to the surface, every once in a while, to breathe—out of sheer necessity. Children want to stay deep, immersed in the waters of their imagination, only coming out when a need arises. That’s why ending play abruptly must feel like a small trauma to them, a sudden yank, crumbling the place they had been before to nothingness. Like waking up from a dream, you wanted to last just a bit longer… How then can we as parents transition our children gently when the time comes to end play?Singing to them—putting your request in song—is a wonderful method. Singing carries children from one state to the next, allowing them to come to the surface slowly. They have time to acclimatize, realize, and are therefore much more willing to transition out of play and into what’s next.
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We built a ship upon the stairs
All made of the back-bedroom chairs, And filled it full of soft pillows To go a-sailing on the billows. We took a saw and several nails, And water in the nursery pails; And Tom said, "Let us also take An apple and a slice of cake;"-- Which was enough for Tom and me To go a-sailing on, till tea. We sailed along for days and days, And had the very best of plays; But Tom fell out and hurt his knee, So there was no one left but me. Robert Louis Stevenson Get To Know Your Plant Neighbors by Lia Grippo What volunteer or wild plant is growing nearest to your door?
Getting to know plants is like getting to know people. Knowing someone's name doesn't usually tell you much about them. In order to get to know someone we have to pay attention and engage our curiosity. It is the same with Nature connection.
Tin Foil Sculptures By C.J. Cintas Gum was a specialty when I was growing up and whenever my sister and I would get a piece of gum, we would peel the tin foil from the wrapper and create people from it. Here’s how we’d do it: Gather sheet of tinfoil Doesn’t need to be anything special and can even be some that’s already been used as long as it’s not too dirty. Make 5 tears for the head, arms, and legs of your person: Holding the tin foil so it is taller than it is wide, split the top of the tin foil into three parts (a left arm, a head (middle) and a right arm), then make two tears at the waist and one tear at the bottom for either leg. Begin to twist or scrunch the individual sections: This is where you get to shape your person. Does it have a large head, small hands, toes? Form and shape: Have fun with your person. Take it outside, stand it up, dress it, make it a sword or a basket to carry! OR... just sculpt with tinfoil, a great recycled art material! Art by Gwendolyn McCarthy, Cattails class What kind of shorts to clouds wear? Thunderwear What type of tree fits in your hand? A palm tree What did one volcano say to the other? I lava you What runs but never goes out of breath? A river How does the rain tie its shoes? With a rainbows Person 1: Knock-knock. Person 2: Who's there? Person 1: Lettuce. Person 2: Lettuce who? Person 1: Lettuce in, it's cold out here! How many people can jump higher than a mountain? None! Mountains can’t jump Set up the tent!
Pro-tip#1 Do you have a camping tent? If you set it up in the yard or the house, put a special toy inside(keep it simple) just legos, just drawing supplies, just beads and string....this will give your child a different environment to retreat to while you get some work done. If you don't have a tent, build a fabulous fort. Allow your child to feel that the tent is just for them. It's important not to combine this tent with parent boundaries, like time outs, clean up or napping. If they feel it's their special space just for them, they will enjoy it longer. Pro-tip#2 Give yourself permission to do what you can, which is not everything and then tell yourself..."I'm doing enough"And remember to laugh at yourself and tell jokes in unexpected times, especially to other adults. Just remember - you are never really completely useless, you can always serve as a bad example. just kidding :) If you need any specific survival tips, feel free to email us, we got your back! The Did You Know Project
Posted by Erin Boehme Did you know that every day there is something to wonder about? It’s true! What can you discover about the birds, beasts and plants that live around you? What do your children have to share about their relationship to nature? You can start a “Did you know?” board in your home.
Say “huh?” instead of “no”. Become comfortable with not knowing. Allow your children to lead the discovery. The answer is less important than the journey. Honor the relationship that is being built between the human and nature. We promise it will be magical and much more fun than seeking facts adult style…borrrring. Hold the answer, you can do it. Allow imaginative, creative and playful facts and stories to thread through your board. My daughter was the Antelope when she was 5 and her “Did you know?” stated: “Did you know that antelopes have 5 legs, that is why they run so fast.” True, the Pronghorn Antelope is the fastest land mammal in North America. Children know things: There’s no need to make corrections of their "facts" Children also grow up and they can iron out the details later. What’s important is that children get to keep the connection now. The Beginner's Mind: If you are a seasoned naturalist, use the beginner’s mind when you practice collecting “Did you knows?” with your children. If you are truly a beginner or truly in beginner’s mind, celebrate! You are about to embark on an exciting journey. Add drawings to your board: some things need to be expressed in pictures. Not you friends: Google and scientific/environmental studies are not the right resources for this project. Your friends: Keen observation(even out the window while you wash dishes) long walks, curiosity, field guides, stories and phone calls to grandparents and friends. Pssst, secret...grandparents like to be asked lots of questions about nature, they’ve been around a long time). This is not a homework assignment: Please do not treat this like an assignment, get a couple started, model by being curious, put up "Did you knows?" when they happen, this is an authentic wonder moment, enjoy! Caution: Once you start this project could go on your whole life! |
AuthorWild Roots staff authors include Erin Boehme, Lia Grippo, CJ Cintas, Anne McCarthy, Tyler Starbard, Jenn Sepulveda, Heather Young, Amalia Smith Hale, Natalia Pareja... Archives
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