Rhythm of the Home

Spring 2012 Index

Jules — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 08:30:37 +0000

Rhythm of The Home Book Query Guidelines

Rhythm of the Home — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 06:35:48 +0000

Rhythm of the Home was created as a collaborative voice, a way to open the world to perspectives on educating and raising our children. It has always been our hope that through sharing the voices of many, we would all one day look back and be proud of the changes that we had made, the new paths we set for the next generation.

It is with that thought in mind that we invite our contributors and readers to submit a query for the Rhythm of the Home book. This book will be a collaborative effort that weaves together crafts, recipes and cooking, reflections, prose, poetry, short stories, art work, etc. for our readers to enjoy.

The book will be arranged into the four categories of warmth, play, celebration, and connection, as in our magazine, and will also be seasonal in nature.

At this time we are accepting queries for consideration in the first book.

To be considered, we ask that you submit a query with your proposed title, detailed description, season, and a sample of your photography and writing. (If you are a past contributor, we would be happy to use your piece as consideration along with other samples of your work.)

Please submit your query by March 21st, 2012 to roth@audreypress.com. Of course, only new work which has never been published or submitted elsewhere will be considered for publication. If you have any questions regarding the query process, please direct them to roth@audreypress.com by March 7th, 2012.

All those who submit a query will be notified through email regarding acceptance.

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Rhythm of the Home has carefully weighed many options for putting Rhythm of the Home onto the printed page. It is our honor to now be working with Valarie Budayr and her team at Audrey Press to do just that. Valarie has created a unique publishing house that breaks with the traditions and norms of the literary world and involves the author in the entire process, trusting in their instincts and visions.

“When we weave collaborative play into the fabric of our everyday life, we open the door to transforming our relationships, our viewpoints, and perspectives on creating happiness and the joy of innovating with our children.” -Valarie Budayr

Audrey Press was created in 2010, and was born of a passionate desire to inspire children, families, and communities to experience, discover, and create a world together through the power of books.

Located in foothills of the breathtakingly beautiful Smoky Mountains (Maryville, Tennessee), the Audrey Press team prides themselves in working hard to create books, e-books, interactive stories, and enhanced digital books.. Their main focus is to create paths that open up the world of possibilities for readers of all ages, through the magic of books.

Home of the “Book Jumping” concept, Audrey Press creates and publishes stories that reawaken the passionate idea of living inside the pages of a book. Each story is a gateway into a magical world that takes reading from a solitary act to a group adventure that includes friends, families, neighborhoods, schools and communities.

Our Mission: The mission of Audrey Press is to inspire children, families, schools and all of our communities, no matter how small or how large, to experience, discover, and create our world together through the power of books. Audrey Press strives to plant the seeds of adventure, magic and togetherness by taking books off shelves and stories off pages. Discover, Inspire, Share.

“We All Live In a Tippy Red Canoe . . .” : Paddling With Kids

Rhythm of the Home — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 01:30:03 +0000

Spring is the time when our bodies start to twitch and you’ll find our whole family staring out the window longing for sunshine and brighter days. One of our favorite springtime activities is getting outdoors in our canoe. Canoes offer a fun, traditional way of experiencing the outdoors. Designs and materials have changed with time and technology, but modern canoes still evoke memories of the functional boats used by Native Americans and early wilderness explorers. For us trips can vary in both time and distance, from an hour-long excursion on a nearby lake or a four-day camping trip to remote mountain lake. In spite of or perhaps because of this diversity, it is an activity we always come back to.

Before having children my husband and I did a bit of white water rafting, but we were not very familiar with canoes or kayaks. So we approached canoeing with our two-year-old daughter with a bit of trepidation. Would she sit still? What if we capsized? Did we have the equipment or the know-how to do something like this?

Our fears were quickly put to rest. Our daughter is now six, and she and our 18-month-old son love the canoe. The pure bliss of being able to relax and listen to the healing sound of the water rejuvenates us and reminds us why we love being outside. Paddling in the canoe allows us to connect with nature and opens our eyes to things we don’t always see when hiking or exploring on land. While coasting across the surface of a lake or stream we have glimpsed bald eagles diving for fish, cliff swallows feeding their young in the nest, and gopher snakes swimming in the reeds. Being on the water also allows us to get up close and personal with painted turtles and western toads.

Here are a few tips to start your own water explorations:

Keep the kids involved in what’s going on. From unloading the car to paddling the boat there is always something they can do. And keeping them invested in what’s going on makes the trip that much more rewarding because they are able to contribute.

We think of outdoor activities in terms of three simple words: discover, wonder, connect. I like to try to bring toys or think up activities that encourage these. We sing songs, play “I spy,” bring fishing poles, or use binoculars to look at the world in more detail. Water is an ideal medium for contemplation so I also like to encourage everyone, myself and my husband included, to just relax and take time to reflect or just daydream.

I will be the first to admit that my idyllic dream of floating along contemplating nature is often interrupted by a crying baby, or another child asking for food or complaining of boredom. Be practical and bring one or two non-essential toys. If they are water-friendly toys you can tie a string to them and attach them to the gunwales so they can float alongside the boat.

Snacks. Bring lots of snacks. They tend to keep spirits high, relieve boredom, and help when the kids, and adults, get cranky and tired during that last bit of paddling back to shore.

As far as equipment, we bring lifejackets, paddles, snacks and plenty of water on every trip.

Other useful equipment includes a bailer (a bucket or suction water gun also works); a dry bag for keys, wallets, cell phone, etc.; and a padded seat, towel or blanket (I recommend fleece since it dries out easily back at camp or the car) to cushion little ones sitting in the bottom of the boat and your own backside. As with any outdoor activity we find it’s a good idea to have a change of dry clothes for each person, more snacks and extra water bottles waiting at the car when we get back.

It should be obvious, but remember to practice good water safety. When launching the boat everyone needs to be wearing a life jacket. In the canoe, sitting is a must. Before heading out, think about the time of year and where you are travelling. If we are heading to a larger lake in early spring I will take a set of extra clothes in a dry bag; if someone falls out of the boat it is much more essential to put them into dry clothing and get them warm to prevent hypothermia before we get back to shore than it would be if we were exploring a stream or inlet in August.

There are lots of options out there when it comes to canoes, but do not be intimidated. We started by renting a canoe from a local outdoor equipment store several times before purchasing our own. Canoes in the 16-foot to 17-foot range are among the most popular. They offer a nice combination of speed, maneuverability and carrying capacity. When looking for a boat keep in mind that the wider the boat, the more stable it is. The narrower the boat, the more efficient and easier the paddling. Narrow boats are slightly more “tippy,” but they tend to be lighter and easier to keep on a steady track.

On longer trips space can become an issue, but there is still plenty of room if you pack light and think ahead. In many ways it is like backpacking: if there is one device that can do three jobs, bring it and leave the other devices at home. Our first multi-day trip transformed our canoe from a recreational toy into a mode of transportation. From that time onward camping took on a whole new dimension for us and our kids.

If you find yourselves out on the lakes and streams this spring, listen. If you hear multiple voices making up their own lyrics to the tune of the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine, it is probably just us, floating along in our tippy red canoe.

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Crystal Atamian is an environmental educator who fell in love with the wildlife biologist who taught her how to dissect a duck. When she is not living in her tippy red canoe she knits, gardens, plays, and creates with her two children in Spokane, Washington. She blogs about the dirt and discoveries at Duck Duck Moose.

Indoor Spaces for Imaginative Play

Rhythm of the Home — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 22:18:09 +0000

Call me seasonally cliched, but when springtime rolls around, I awaken. I open the windows wide, letting crisp breezes freshen stale air. I scrub forgotten corners. I clean closets. Spring is raucous with new life; what better time to invigorate your child’s play space?

My dream playroom is crisp and spare, so it is not surprising that my thoughts on indoor play spaces may read as a treatise on modern architecture. Never fear! You needn’t be a nerdy architectural history major (such as say…myself…) to follow.

Let us begin.

Less is more. -Mies van der Rohe

When it comes to toys, less is definitely more. Children easily become lost in piles of toys. It can be hard to settle into play when another toy vies for attention. Trim those toy drifts into the shockingly sparse and behold: what may seem to you like the same old wooden bear who sits nearly alone on the shelf, alights in your little one’s hand and stomps over to dear friend fox to share an acorn cap of soup. See for yourself: uncluttered play spaces foster imaginative play.

The ‘less is more’ mantra can also apply to individual toys. If a toy lights up and sings and dances a jig, what is left for the child to do? Toys that don’t ‘do’ anything, on the other hand, require active participation. The child becomes the singer and the dancer, all under her imaginary spotlight.

Form follows function. -Louis Sullivan

This one’s easy: design a child’s play space for a child. Watch your child play and plan accordingly. For starters, make the play space accessible with low shelves. Make it tidy so that the toy in need is easily found – try using baskets to store blocks & balls. Make it approachable – setting up figures in little scenes instead of burying them in aforementioned baskets. (I made this mistake mere days ago when I tossed little animals into a basket; after clean up, my five year old remarked: “I stood up the animals so I wouldn’t have to dig through a pile.” Point taken.)

Return to Nature

‘Organic’ toys needn’t be spendy. Gather pine cones and seed pods, acorns and stones. Voila – you’re providing your child with props for imaginative play.

Muster up some energy and make your own blocks from tree branches you’ve collected. (Not hard – simply sand cut ends and oil with olive oil or beeswax. Better yet – enlist your child to sand and oil.) Easily craft balls from wool roving or pompoms from yarn. Go really crazy and pull out a needle, thread and some wool felt. Warning – after seeing your child’s joy with his newly minted toy, you may officially become obsessed with toy-making.

…the flat plane; the square; the triangle; the circle!…All are in my fingers to this day. -Frank Lloyd Wright

Wright attributed his architectural inspiration in large part to Froebel blocks. He believed that playing with the blocks as a young child shaped the way he saw the world. Wright’s insight reminds me that what we play with as children can stay within us as we grow. Provide a few thoughtfully chosen toys that allow for open-ended play. Your child will create worlds with these toys, and these impressions, these early imaginative worlds, will stay with her.

Believe me, I am not a toy purist. My son’s favorite toy at present is a plastic space shuttle. (He is, however, so accustomed to receiving handmade toys that he asked me how his grandparents made it.) But I try to give consideration to my children’s play spaces. I don’t want my children to see their surroundings as a dispensable heap, with more always on the horizon. I hope that natural materials and uncluttered spaces will incite a strong respect of the natural world and a sense that their environment is as unique and important as that beloved old bear plodding with purpose to dear friend fox’s house.

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Susannah Wood obsessively crafts toys for her two children in Charlottesville, Virginia. She also has a small shop where she sells her toys and patterns.

Discovering A Sense of Place

Rhythm of the Home — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 18:07:03 +0000

“No matter how much one may love the world as a whole,
one can live fully in it only by living responsibly in some small part of it.”

-Wendell Berry, The Unsettling of America

“Nobody can discover the world for somebody else.
Only when we discover it for ourselves does it become common ground
and a common bond and we cease to be alone.”

-Wendell Berry, A Place on Earth: A Novel

I have been thinking lately about a trend in my life over the past ten or so years. For a long time I was very interested in international issues and causes; my focus was broad and far-reaching. I felt myself drawn to what I saw to be the issues of “real” or “major” importance in the world and tended to dismiss concerns closer to home.

Yet, as the years have gone by, and especially in the years since my sons were born, and more recently, since settling our family on our small homestead, I notice myself and my perspective turning inward, refocusing on this place. My place. The land and rhythms that I am surrounded by and living within. The idea of a “sense of place” has been hovering in my thoughts, its voice growing louder, sounding calm, steadfast, nourishing, drawing me closer.

Looking back, one of the main influences that brought about this change in perspective has been my interest in local and sustainable agriculture, and this interest led me, in turn, to Wendell Berry’s writing. I deeply believe that, as Berry says, “one can live fully in [the world] only by living responsibly in some small part of it,” and that “only when we discover it for ourselves does it become common ground and a common bond.” First we must draw into ourselves and our surroundings, be present in and with them, learn about them and sink into them before reemerging, more grounded, centered and present, able to more fully connect with and create community with others and the wider world.

It used to be that having a “sense of place” was a given; it was unusual not to have a strong connection to a particular place. Today, however, in our very mobile and frantic society, there is a growing need to consciously create and nurture the knowledge and understanding of where we are – physically as well as in our inner selves. A need to create and nurture a sense of who we are, being grounded in our surroundings; to lay a footing for setting our own roots and establishing our own rich history whether we or our family have lived in a home for generations or months.

We need these roots, and this sense of being grounded, of belonging in the place we call home. If we allow and encourage ourselves to be open to observing our surroundings and our inner selves, this knowledge will give us the foundation for a greater awareness and connection to the nature of our place, to the particular rhythms enfolding us. There are practical benefits to this: knowing and being able to teach our children the names of plants and animals we see each day and learning how to care for them, finding edible plants to add to our meals, or maybe gaining a better understanding of why certain plants do better or worse in our gardens. At the same time there are also personal benefits: understanding the connection between natural rhythms and our inner selves (emotions as well as physical being), greater mindfulness and a lighter spirit from being out in nature more, from taking the time to pause and focus, seeing the beauty in small things we might have overlooked before. We can gain a greater respect and reverence for the nature and rhythms in which we live, and simply having a greater understanding of where we are helps point the way forward with more sure, steady feet.

This time of the year, with winter beginning to loose its grasp and spring starting to make inroads, is a wonderful time of year to begin to take steps toward finding our sense of place. It is a time of natural as well as spiritual renewal and regrowth. The year is still young and it is easy to find our spirits lifted and inspired by the newness and hope of regrowth around us. The natural world is in many ways a blank slate. Starting from the decay and dormancy of winter, it is easy to see the changes taking place, easy to begin to notice the shapes of the land, the flowers blooming and trees leafing, and to begin to identify these, to notice the changing weather and rhythms as they unfold. It is the start of a new year’s cycle of growth.

It can be an overwhelming prospect, thinking about where and how to begin learning about our surroundings, outside and in. I want to offer a number of suggestions, because we all connect to different things, we all learn differently and find some ways of interacting with our selves and surroundings more meaningful than other ways. So please keep this in mind when reading these ideas. Most of these ideas can easily expand to include children of all ages; it is never too early to start helping our children to develop their own sense of place, as well! So, pick an idea that grabs you and start there. Put any others that sound interesting in reserve, to call on when you are ready, but choose one to start. And start. Imperfectly, tentatively or boldly, take a step.

Getting To Know Your Physical Place

Keep A Record of What You See

Keep a journal or notebook handy and take five minutes each day (or as often as you are able) to make note of what is happening outside. You could choose to pick a place outside to visit each day, or a window to look out of and note any changes happening. Another option would be to simply write down some general observations from the day. This doesn’t have to be exceptional or extensive. Focus on what is of special interest to you (the phase or location of the moon, the types of flowers blooming, the birds or other animals you see…) and feel free to go beyond “just” words, to include pictures, leaves or flowers to press, information you learn about animals or plants you see – anything you would like to add. This can be as simple or encompassing as you desire.

Capture Your Place in Photographs

Take a walk around your home – inside or out – and notice the places that speak to you of home, of being centered. Take photographs of these spots and display them somewhere you will see them often.

Take Regular Nature Walks

Get outside several times a week and take a walk. This can be as short as walking around your home or up and down your driveway, or it can be longer if you like. Walking the same route often will help you get to know one portion of your place more intimately. You will have the chance to notice things you haven’t before, to see the beauty that has mostly gone overlooked. Sometimes when you go, take a field guide or two and begin to identify the names of trees, plants and flowers that you pass by. Listen for the bird songs or insect noises; look for animal tracks on the ground and see if you can identify them.

Map Your Place

Put pen (or crayons) to paper and draw a map of your place. This can include your home and yard, if you have one, nearby houses or businesses, parks, land features like streams or ponds, mountains or ravines. Include the places that are important to you, and that help to make your place yours. The goal is not to create a perfectly-to-scale map, but to create a picture of your home, your place.

Getting To Know Your Inner Place

Make a Reflective List

Set aside a block of time when you can be uninterrupted. Sit quietly and reflect on where you are, in this period of your life. As words, images or phrases surface, write them down. Once you have what feels like a complete list, read through your words, images and phrases and reflect on what they say about where you are, what your inner place looks like at this point in time.

Create A Picture of Your Place

Look through magazines or other sources for images that speak to you. Try not to censor yourself, but instead clip any and all images that you are drawn to, without first asking why. Once you have a stack of images, create a collage, or an image book from them. Spend some time reflecting on your finished piece: do you see any recurring themes, moods, images, colors? What might these say about what your inner space looks like now?

Map Your Inner Place

What makes up you at this point in time? What roles do you play? What inspires you? What obligations do you have? What feeds you? What drains you? Using your answers to these questions, take pens, crayons, paints – whatever medium you prefer – and draw a map of you. You might start with your name in the center, and expand from there, it might be a very detailed and orderly map, or perhaps more free-form and concept-oriented. Maybe it will be a word map, or maybe you visualize your inner place as a house with different, connecting rooms, or a garden with various beds. However you decide to create it, the goal of your map is to create an image that you can hold in your hands of who you are and what your place is like at this time.

And Then…

Once you have gotten to know your place and the natural rhythms surrounding you a bit better, take some time to reflect on whether there is a portion of your physical place that could use a little extra care. Are there many birds but not much for the birds to eat? Is there an area around your home that could benefit from some flowers to encourage the honeybees you saw, or some herbs to add to your dinner? Is there an area with a lot of litter that could be cleaned up? A neglected fruit tree that could possibly be brought back to health? And, as with your physical place, reflect on areas of your inner place that might need extra care, and take steps to give back to your spirit as well, for while we first must take the time to learn about and begin to understand our place, the next, natural, step is then to find ways to care for the nature around and spirit within us; to give back to what is supporting us.

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Annie Demko lives in Northeast Ohio with her husband and twin boys on a small, historic homestead where she spends her days caring for and playing with her sons, cleaning, cooking, creating, and attempting to coordinate and accept the chaos. She has recently begun blogging about her days and desire to find and celebrate the beauty and value in the ordinary at Moon in the Window.

Rhythm of the Home

Spring 2012 Index

Inspiring Projects to do With Little Ones

Sewing Projects

Knit, Crochet, or Fiber Art Projects

Recipes

Interviews and Glimpses

Articles to Inspire the Family

Rhythm of The Home Book Query Guidelines

“We All Live In a Tippy Red Canoe . . .” : Paddling With Kids

Indoor Spaces for Imaginative Play

Return to Nature

Discovering A Sense of Place

Getting To Know Your Physical Place

Getting To Know Your Inner Place