The camp brochures are starting to hit the streets and Austin Waldorf School has just sent us a beautiful ad for their amazing list of summer camps. Starting with the wee ones AWS has a whole list of lovely offerings. Including, my personal favorite, a camp called Endless Summer that sounds to me just like my memories of what summer can be. Check out their ad in the sidebar and go to their website to read more.

If you’re looking for something fun to do on the school holiday of February 20th, I, in my Future Craft Collective Hat will be offering a one-day camp at Austin Children’s Museum for kids ages 8-11. It’s called the Art of the Letter and we’ll be reading old letters, making tons of cards, folding up origami envelopes and reigniting the ancient Art of the Letter.

Or if you’re looking for something fun for everyday, you can always check out the incredible happenings at Austin Tinkering School. Kami is definitely blowing some minds over there and at the same time, gearing up a whole generation to participate in Austin’s Mini Maker Faire.

I love this town!!!

This time of year there is much academic assessment going on. In schools across the country teachers are trying to determine what each child already knows as they cross the threshold of the classroom. Different ages, different needs, different abilities, different tests. There’s a lot of pressure on teachers to perform according to state standards and hence a lot of pressure on the kids too to perform according to those same standards. With not a lot of wiggle room for different kids, different likes, different talents.

Magical Childhood just posted a beautiful entry entitled: What a Four Year Old Should Know. It’s a beautiful and thoughtful list that talks of the humanness of our being-ness. It’s not about being able to count by a certain date on a calendar but holding the belief that you are safe . It’s not about knowing the states or planets, but knowing that you are loved. It’s for 4 year olds but really, it’s true for all ages of children. Read it when you have a minute.

Childhood should not be a race to the most or the end or the biggest. But rather a lingering in the true magic of childhood. We only get this one fleeting time. Why rush it?

If you’ve been on this site for a while you may remember a post about a documentary called Consuming Kids. It’s put out by the Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood and it’s all about making sure that the marketing machine that is aimed directly at families and kids stays regulated. And believe me, they’ve got a big job ahead of them.

Just recently this same center had a big victory with getting Disney, (yes, big giant Disney) to offer a refund for any Baby Einstein products purchased since 2004. The threat of a class action lawsuit regarding false advertising claims of smarter infants and toddlers and kids was what convinced Disney to take this step.

It’s a limited offer, so help us spread the word by sharing this info with any parents and especially grandparents you may know. The grandparents seemed to be an equally large target for those claims of producing bigger, smarter, faster infants.

And now does this mean that infants and kids can be left to their own pace? Well, it’s a step in the right direction to be sure.

I was talking to an 11 year old the other day who was greatly dismayed that at his new middle school there was no time during the day to run around and play. The only physical activity is one semester of P.E. and that’s not until spring. He had to wait until he got home before he could move his body at all. Even the 30 minutes of free time during the day that they were given, they were not allowed to go outside. He was bummed and his parents were worried that with no physical outlet during the day, his learning would be impeded.

Just after that conversation a friend sent me this article from the New York Times about the importance of play entitled: Let the Children Play (some more) by Stuart Brown. It’s not just about having a good time or about getting physical exercise, it’s about behavior and attention span and overall wellness.

Parenting for a Peaceful World, written by Robin Grille, is a book for parents who want to learn to get inside their parenting with true compassion and understanding of both their children and of themselves. It is for child health professionals who want to gain insight into every infant and child, and even adult, they encounter. It is for adults who want to gain insight into their whole selves again and indeed, the whole self of every person they meet.

This book is nothing short of a manifesto for policy-makers, teachers, community leaders, and anyone who wants to deepen their connection to themselves and humanity as a whole. If the findings outlined in these pages are put into practice, the result may be a revolution of peace, humanity, and a world beyond our imagining.  And it can all begin in ourselves and in our very own families.

During our time together we will:
* Examine the whys of who we are
* Discuss the book
* Explore how our own early experiences influence what we believe about ourselves and how we parent
* Share some of the messiness and joys of parenting today
* Learn and practice mindfulness techniques that will help reduce stress and model good emotional health and regulation to partners and children

Time: 7-9pm
Dates: Every Wednesday for six classes starting July 29th
Cost: $250/person or $450/couple
Location: 919B Cardinal Lane Austin TX 78704

This is for mothers and fathers with children of all ages who are ready to explore and create new understandings of themselves, their children and their world in general.

Click here if you are registering as an individual.

Click here if you are registering as a couple.

Please contact Carrie at carrie@earlyparenting.com or 512-694-7794 if you have any questions.

Amy Pertl-Clark, an Austin-based slow mama, alerted us to this New York Times article on slowing down kindergarten.

As an early parenting guide with a pretty clear understanding of brain development and nervous system regulation, I feel strongly that children, especially young children, especially kindergarteners, should NOT have homework. Why? Because they’ve been at school for many hours using their brains — learning things, trying new activities, navigating social interactions — and managing big feeling without mom or dad. That is a lot of work. In order for them to properly integrate what they have learned, tried and experienced they need a break. They need to have space and time to relax. They need to be…time to putter around the yard, play with their toys, look at books, cuddle with someone who loves them dearly, play with friends, do some art if they feel like it. Basically, time to do what they want to do. Or not do anything at all. When we allow children an intellectual pause at home all the neural connections that have been stimulated at school  link up and create new pathways in the brain. This is really good and important stuff that should not be underestimated or overriden by a bunch more learning.

Perhaps there needs to be a movement to abolish homework? Oh, look there already is one.

We love this question. And more than the question itself, we love the answer ,because the answer actually doesn’t come from us, it comes from within each parent. And it can change from day to day, hour to hour even.

So many times we are told, as parents, that “we must be consistent with our children.” And that is true. The missing piece to this answer however is that the consistency isn’t in the behaviour or in the schedule or in the rules applied, rather the consistency is in the temperment of the parent. In other words, the boundary lies within.

If one day you are well rested and feeling strong and capable as a parent, then you might feel totally fine with letting your 3 year old climb to the top of a very big slide and slide down. “Hooray!” You say as they reach the bottom. If however you are tired, or mentally preoccupied, or stressed out or distracted, that same slide another day might seem too overwhelming, so the boundary then shifts, within you, and that day the slide is off limits.

“But won’t my child be confused?”

Perhaps they will for a minute. But when you say no to them in as kind a way as you say yes, and you tell them, “I know you want to go up there but I’m really not up for it today. I know you did it last week, but you’ll have to wait until another day because today it’s freaking me out.”

In the big picture of parenthood and childhood, it is far better for the child to melt down from the no, than for the parent to melt down in the allowing something that is freaking them out. Because the end result of the parent freaking out is that the kid feels wrong or shamed or uncertain of whether your yes means yes or no or ends up freaking out anyway.

What do you think about that?

…this seven year old person is full of goodness.

Hop on over to our classes/workshops page to see what we’ve cooked up for y’all. There’s something for everyone, even you folks outside of Austin. Be sure to scroll down to see it all.

Hope to see you soon!

We’re just bringing it back to light. This sign is from the pre-bubble head sign era from the neighborhood where I grew up.