Circling inward, eyes down, the sweeping lines of the labyrinth guide me. Though my mind wants to make sense of it, and plan ahead, I quiet it down. All I need is trust: follow the pattern, go with the flow. My feet follow the spiral path which will lead me to the center and out [...]
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This is the second in a series of pieces we are doing that follow the progress of Mountain Sage Community School, as they bring their school to life. We hope that you enjoy reading about the development of this Waldorf-inspired Charter School. “I think it’s fine for the little guys, but I’m not so sure [...]
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“Will you take my picture with the girls?” My grandpap asked this question often. He always followed it up with, “I don’t know when something is going to happen to me, and I want them to see their great-grandfather and know that I love them.” I would set my happy girls on his lap, and [...]
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I love to spend time outside. Before I became a mom I spent all of my free time hiking and paddling or meandering along a forest trail with my dog. The same was true of my work life–all but six months of my time as an employee was spent predominantly out in the fresh air, [...]
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How we deal with our own slip-ups can teach our children about self-love and compassion. As parents we can sometimes be consumed by a fear of judgment from relatives, peers, or even strangers. We can be hard on ourselves, and this makes us more vulnerable to real or perceived judgment from the outside. It’s fairly [...]
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In the Christian tradition, Lent is a time of repentance and reflection, preparing our hearts for Easter, life, and renewal. Nature too follows this course as the barrenness of winter leads to spring, bringing birth and growth. I love to help my children understand the changes that take place during this season in visual ways. [...]
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Every few years, I feel the need to re-read Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. I discover something fresh in its pages each time I do, and without fail come away sorry to have finished it, but better for having read it. I cannot think of any work of fiction that has had the same lasting [...]
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It started in college, responsible only to myself, away from home, with some idle time. I remember vividly flipping through the phone book yellow pages and seeing a half-page ad for a “discovery flight”– one hour of flight instruction at a discounted rate at the local airport. I remember looking at the image of the [...]
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I had the desire to home school my children long before they even arrived in our lives. I had wished and prayed many times for my mother to home school me, and passion for individualized education had been a seed that was planted early on in my adult life. Homeschooling is a tough choice, by [...]
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Most things that we seek deeply are found nearby. That was the case with my search to create rhythms for our family. At the tender age of three, our daughter Dane craves the feeling of predictability. Her growth is bursting at lightning speed and I can see her reaching for rituals that she can lean [...]
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Photo by Karli Feser We arrive at Michael and Virginia’s a few minutes before nine o’clock. A handful of families are just getting to work, donning work gloves and gumboots and chatting in the spring dawn. Others are unloading rakes from the backs of cars, or sporting pot-luck dishes draped in tea towels. One of [...]
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I am standing outside in the garden with my bare feet in the earth for the first time in six months. I am watching my daughters peel off layers—sweaters, boots, socks, leggings. They put their hands in the soil and drag buckets up the hill, filled with water. Water is sloshing over their toes. Cold, [...]
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As the snow begins to melt, and nature begins to wake from its slumber, we gather around the open windows and budding trees to a collection of spring stories. We hope that you enjoy our list of spring books, gathered from the love of so many families in our community. The Reasons for [...]
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