The Child’s Inherent Love Of Nature

child's inherent love of nature

What do you do to find yourself when you are out of sorts? Frustrated? Sorrowful? Despairing? If you are like most people, you try to find a quiet spot to commune with nature and seek peace or solace. Solace, a word from the Latin sol for sun, meaning to find the sun. We have to […]


Using A Child’s Positive Psychology

using a child's positive psychology

Children under the age of seven are in a developmental period for creating social relationships. Children want to connect and develop bonds of trust, respect and love with the people around them. Children are designed to want to connect positively with the adults in their lives. Children are naturally motivated to love. Unfortunately, the dynamics […]


The Myth Of Sharing

myth of sharing

Parents, picture this scene: Your folks stop by to visit with two people you don’t know, but are close to your age. Your dad says, “Give me your car keys, please. John saw your new car and he wants to take it for a spin. I know you’d want to share. Oh, and Sue wants […]


Imagination In The Young Child

imagination in the young child

Imagination is the ability to visualize something that is not physically present. Infants have little if any imagination. If the familiar is gone, distress and tears usually follow. A new situation, such as being left alone, can be painful to the child until the child learns that this situation is safe or parents return. Experiences, […]


Children Seek To Create A Flow Of Activity

children seek to create a flow of activity

Up. Down. Up. Down. Eight-month-old Dana stood holding onto the coffee table doing deep knee bends. Day after day, over two hundred at a time, perhaps thousands a day. In amazement, I watched as Dana tirelessly exercised. There was no way I could do a thousand deep knee bends in a day, or at least […]


A Child’s Actions Are Development Driven

child's actions are development driven

“What’s that? What’s that?” two-year-old Joshua asked about every new person, place, item or sound encountered on a shopping excursion. Tim and Marcy, Joshua’s parents, began to realize that their chances for a conversation or a cup of coffee on this outing were futile. Joshua’s behavior made it truly “out of the question”. Joshua fussed […]


The Child Has Time Sensitive Opportunities For Growth

child has time sensitive opportunities for growth

“No.” If we could have one word to associate with a two-year-old, it would be the word “no”. When a two-year-old realizes that he or she has the power to decide by saying a simple yes or no, we can observe a time-sensitive period in a child’s development. Establishing independence around age two, and exerting […]


The Child Is Always Becoming

the child is always becoming

Whether we know it or not, each of us is on a continuum of growth. Not being open to growth and change, though, can make us falter on our journey through life. We all know people who have eddied out of the flow of life. They appear stuck in a routine and can’t seem to […]


The Child’s Love Of Place

child's love of place

“Education should be a social and human endeavor of interest to all.” ~Maria Montessori “We want to go see Ms. Maren,” was the request of three of my former preschool students. Their mother, Pat, made arrangements for the boys to visit after school. The day arrived, and the boys came through the door, gave me […]


A Child’s Natural Love For The Adult

child's natural love of the adult

In my kitchen at the back of the drawer that holds the hotpads, is a green oven mitt. Worn, with a few holes in it, the mitt is visible every time I open the drawer. Its mate, regrettably, was lost in a move. The mitt’s been around for almost 30 years. It is my hope […]