BEDTIME STORIES

 When I wrote 'MAGICAL MOTHERHOOD, a series of Letters to Cheryl' technology had not taken hold to the extent we live with today. Most of us still read books you could hold in your hand and physically turn the pages rather than scrolling through on-line text.

Yesterday I was taking my usual mid-morning coffee break and switched on the radio to listen to classical music. Julie Nazrella was introducing her next piece and speaking about latest research regarding reading a bedtime story to a child. This research reveals the difference between holding a real book in your hand rather than a device and tells of the advantages, that there's an intimacy which is lacking when you read off a screen. Also, there's more opportunity for exchanges, and therefore more chance of connecting with your child.

Don't forget, though, the value of actually telling a story rather than reading it! My four still remember with great affection the stories 'Grandad' invented and told in his special story-telling voice. He had a special gift, yes, but small children are not critical (as wise daughter Kate once told me) and anytime you bring your imagination into play provides nourishment.

So, dear carers, read a book, invent a story.... make lasting MAGIC for your little ones.

EASING THE WAY WITH MAGIC:

 

GUEST POST FROM CLAUDIA P, Experienced Waldorf Teacher

A young child's fascination with a newfound object. Or, how to distract a young child to allow you to move on with your day.

Two year-old Melanie was adamant: she was not going home after a long walk in the wintry cold. Then something caught her eye. It was a pine cone. She was so interested in it she forgot everything else. 

I put one in the toboggan to see if that would catch her interest. It certainly did and so I put another one in and another one and another one. Finally, there were 10 pine cones in the toboggan and I said: "Now you may sit in there with all the pine cones." She couldn't believe her luck and carefully stepped in and sat down focussed only on these newfound treasures. 

I couldn't believe my own luck, with her now safely sitting, and not paying attention that we were quickly heading home. We reached the house within a few minutes and she looked up in surprise. We rang the bell and when mother opened the door, Melanie excitedly pointed to her treasure. In fact she had gotten so attached to these lovely pine cones that she wouldn't let the door close behind her without bringing a couple of them inside with her.

WINTER WONDERLAND

This morning I looked out my bedroom window and admired the fresh-fallen snow. A mom with two small kiddlies was trudging through the snow, pulling a sled behind her. The snowsuit-clad children were doing that magical childhood thing of delighting in the experience. And I thought 'Good for her!' i.e. the mom.

Most mornings, as I eat my breakfast, I see a few of the neighbourhood kids walking past my front windows on their way to school. Over the past couple of weeks we've had some severely cold weather, with the windchill something like -22. I'm glad I don't have to go out! But I get distressed to see girls around nine or ten years, wearing tights and no other covering on their legs. The kindergarten teacher who was my mentor emphasized how important it is for girls to keep the nether regions warm. Perhaps the daughters complained about putting on snow pants, but sometimes, mothers need to insist!

What a healthy childhood looks like

GARDENING! AND MORE!! (like practising fine motor skills)

This comes from my cousin in South Africa. Her great-grandson has just turned six. See his birthday present from her in the first sentence.

Well Gabriel loved his trowels, and wasted no time in putting them to use. He and Kalia had a fine old time in my pots of course, and much hilarity with taps on and taps off, and lots of mud every where. He carefully washed and dried them off when they had finished playing. Must be a first ! So I think I did well in the birthday department. The kids certainly don't play with toys. They are just a waste of money. Kalia loves sticker books, and at the moment it's cute to watch her concentration, when struggling to cut with scissors. It opens my eyes how children develop. She is quite determined to master the art, and carries on, showing no sign of frustration. She's been like that since she was very little. I watched her trying to get into a cardboard box once, which was very small, and I was quite convinced she would never be able to do it, but let me tell you, it was quite something to see. She tried it every which way. One leg in, one leg out, turn around, bend the leg.....it was astonishing, but eventually she got her whole self in, sitting down. She filled it ' wall to wall " so to speak. It took a long time, but the most interesting thing, was that she showed no sign of irritation, just concentration, on how to achieve her goal. She was very little at the time. 

An idea for Halloween

This is a guest post from Kim Hunter, early childhood winner of the Prime Minister's Award for Teaching Excellence 

The Halloween Squirrel.

A group of parents in the community where I raised my daughter came up with this idea to be rid of the  Halloween candy....

We carried the story of the Halloween Squirrel, telling our children that he was busy gathering at this time of the year and at the end of Halloween night we would blow out the candle in the jack-o-lantern and put the candy inside for him to collect, in the morning he would have left a gift in trade.

The gift was typically something to inspire outdoor play....a skipping rope when she was six, a (gently) used bicycle when she was 8....for this is the squirrel's domain.

Sometimes we parents would collaborate and get gifts for our children that were related....badminton rackets, a net and birdies so that the children could be connected in their experience of the squirrel's gifts and also that they would then bring the bits together to be used in the “tribe” of friends.

Kim Hunter – Time to Play, a film about early childhood principles.

https://www.facebook.com/timetoplayfilm/

http://www.timetoplayfilm.com/

To purchase an e-copy of Time to Play visit:

https://timetoplay.vhx.tv/products

A link for you and your little one

In case you're looking for wonderful underwear, I just ordered something myself from http://www.floweringchild. Plus, cheaper than Amazon!! Keep warm and comfy this winter dear readers.

THE FOUR TEMPERAMENTS

In my book 'Magical Motherhood', I only deal with the four temperaments in passing. This is because the focus of the book is more on the infant than the toddler and growing child. Here is the link to four excellent articles that will give you an idea what it's all about. I consider that recognizing your child's temperament and learning how to respond to that is one of the most helpful keys you can have.

Childhood is a time, of course, when the happy, sanguine temperament can often hold sway, in the same way that we tend to grow melancholic in old age.

So, dear readers, without more ado, here is the promised link for you to follow:

http://earthschooling.info/thebearthinstitute/the-four-temperaments-in-rhythm-of-the-home/