So there we were last spring: in the middle of a global pandemic. School, childcare, everything, shutdown! Then all summer we wondered: Yes, school? No, school? We humans like predictability and routines we can count on, but what happens when all that’s thrown out the window? One thing that happens is we remember another human […]
“Look a worm. We should make it a home!” If you’ve spent any time with young children, you’ve likely heard a phrase similar to this one. Sure, the specifics may have been different, but generally young children love to take care of animals. In fact, caring for animals is where we often first notice young […]
The memory of my grandmother’s voice and joy as she declared, “Serendipity!” came flooding back to me last week. I was spending the day with my friend’s 5-year-old daughter and towards the end of the day, as Sydney stopped suddenly and called out “A slug!” I immediately thought of my grandmother and serendipity. After all, […]
Ok, I admit it—it’s difficult for me when my kids go back to school in the fall. I’m one of those adults who has a tough time saying goodbye to my children’s summer vacation. In some ways, it’s my summer vacation too because I hang out with them in their flow of the days. No […]
Bursts of sunflowers, spirals of a cucumber tendrils, different leaf shapes of the sassafras tree, and the large number of acorns during an oak mast year. These are just a few examples of the rich mathematics opportunities plants provide. Mathematics is the study of numbers, quantities, shapes, and patterns. There is no better place to […]
It was the most healing thing I’d seen during this whole COVID time: children playing together—finally. After how long? Too long. My two sons, 8 and 5, were lucky to have each other during our long social isolation time and their connection deepened immensely. But not every kid has had a sibling to bond with. […]
