In a few weeks my oldest kiddo will be finishing middle school, and my daughter will be finishing the sixth grade. I am grateful that the transition from childhood to adolescence has been pretty smooth for the kids and for our family so far. Yet, it has required an adjustment in parenting and in ourContinue reading Reflections on Navigating the Middle School Years
A Kid-Friendly Home
Over the weekend we moved around the furniture in our house in an effort to connect our learning space (formerly the dining room) with the living room to create one learning space. I like to think of it as a learning studio, where I can tutor students, hold art classes, and a placeContinue reading A Kid-Friendly Home
Invitations to Write
“Writing is making marks that have meaning.” -Jennifer Hallissy It is an exciting time when children begin writing. Young children make marks and scribbles on paper and imitate the letter forms they see around them when they start writing. As some children move from early childhood to childhood their interest in writing wanesContinue reading Invitations to Write
Connecting with my Kids
I’ve written a few posts about taking time to slow down and spending quality time together with my kids. In this post I would like to share how we as a family spend time together and how we spend quality one-to-one time with each of our three kids. One of reasons,Continue reading Connecting with my Kids
Back-to-School
After a wonderful summer of travel, we are back home finding ourselves adjusting to the back-to-school routine. When I last wrote an entry the kids and I were spending time learning about art. We took time to learn about Renaissance artists form Florence, Impressionist, Post-Impressionists and Modern art in preparation for our tripContinue reading Back-to-School
Middle School Learners
When my kids were young, I would direct their attention toward nature, building blocks, art supplies, etc to keep little hands busy. We also took trips to the zoo, the park, science museum and gardens. At home, I would place materials out for them to play with and and use. It was a very naturalContinue reading Middle School Learners
Taking Time to be Mindful
The winter and spring season is filled with the kids’ sports activities. We enjoy being active and the kids love to participate in sports they love. We spend late weekday afternoons at practice and Saturday mornings the kids have meets or games. Sometimes it feels like we are always headed out the door and rushing.Continue reading Taking Time to be Mindful
Spending Time Together
The last couple of weekends have been a little busy for our family. Saturdays seem to belong to the kids’ sport meets, games, or practice. We feel worn out when the weekends are busy and don’t include time to refresh or relax. During busy weekends, it feels extra important to find ways to connect and spendContinue reading Spending Time Together