Last week, we went on a hike with a few friends. While we were getting ready to start our walk, a couple of children played nearby, greeting each other and chatting. A friend offhandedly mentioned that her son ” . . .  is an observer”  after he declined an invitation to play with a [...]

  Light. Natural light. Artificial light. Light can change the way objects look. It can make familiar paper or toys look bright. It can highlight an object’s properties making translucent things vibrant. It can create increased contrast between lit materials and those that lay out of light’s path.   At an age when children know [...]

  At the beginning of summer, our county produced a pamphlet designed to get the public to visit all the parks, or at least some, in the area. Children are encouraged to photograph or draw something at each park and share it with the parks’ office.  I decided to use this invitation to more deeply [...]

Today, Greysen and I left the park side-by-side in conversation.     What’s to take note of, you ask? Leaving anywhere enjoyable can be of the utmost disappointment to Greysen.   A couple of months ago as I relayed to Greysen one morning that we would be leaving the park, she gave me a passionate [...]

Greysen loves to play at the park. She slides, she swings, she walks about, sometimes not doing much more than watching other children. Leaving this playscape no matter the length of stay always comes way too soon for her. The later we leave, the closer to her midday rest we get.  Leaving the park does [...]

There is a shift happening in our home. The relationship that Moon used to invest the majority of her time and attention on is now sharing attention with something new . . . exploration.   Attachment and exploration go hand in hand. Moon is intent on discovering her place in the world. With me as [...]

At 12 months, Moon is eager to use a utensil at mealtimes. I interpreted this tool use as an indicator that she may be interested in using a tool with art materials too.   I offered Moon a brush and red watercolor at the table, where her sister was already painting.     Next time [...]

Life is brimming with struggle; childhood is no exception, though many adults make choices that indicate it should be an exception.   Parents can choose to to let struggle happen, or they can squelch it.  Adults can sometimes make loving decisions that prevent challenges by doing things for their children, or absentmindedly decide to have [...]

For this month’s Infant and Toddlers’ Art Group, I couldn’t settle on what to bring to the park. After rummaging through two cupboards and a box of materials (yes, I desperately need to get more organized), I settled on bringing some aluminum foil.   I set out the foil with sandy paint for a gritty contrast [...]

That’s what she said.   We were driving home when Greysen (2.3 years old) made this declaration that caused me to react with giggles from disbelief, but before I could respond to her, my quick-thinking hubby stifled them with a sharp look and kind reminder that she was being serious.   I turned around to [...]