Tim, my Tai Chi teacher, instructed us to hold our bodies up straight with our gaze directed straight ahead, so that we might have a wider view of ourselves in relationship to where we stand. He demonstrated how little we see when we look down, seemingly to see where we are going. I think this Read the full article…
Dear Readers and friends of Growing Wonder, I am currently working on creating a book with a colleague, Ester Leutenberg for Wholeperson Press. Ester has written 41 books to date to help people lead a more balanced life. In the hopes of reaching many individuals, beyond early childhood educators, we have decided to ask individuals Read the full article…
Dear Readers and friends of Growing Wonder, I am currently working on creating a book with a colleague, Ester Leutenberg for Wholeperson Press. Ester has written 41 books to date to help people lead a more balanced life. In the hopes of reaching many individuals, beyond early childhood educators, we have decided to ask individuals Read the full article…
Our country is so amazingly diverse. I just drove through the concrete jungles of Manhattan to the green hills of Vermont. I left my husband off to do workshops on technology and research while I drove off to offer a workshop on nature and spirituality. Two worlds, two ways of thinking, all converge on us Read the full article…
As I was cleaning my book shelves I found myself holding two books of diametric interests although both were about young children. In one hand was a book titled First Delights by Tasha Tudor (1966). In the other hand was a much more current book titled Basics of Assessment: A primer for Early Childhood Read the full article…
The power of play and a child’s dispositions can be so strongly and consistently linked. As a researcher of spiritual development, I believe that when children are given free time to explore the world through play in their own way then more than learning is occurring. . . The child is actually building the person Read the full article…
The updated, expanded edition of Mary Rivkin’s book, The Great Outdoors: Advocating for Natural Spaces for Young Children, is out! This is the book that introduces my doctoral work on spiritual development. It’s quite something to see my name on the cover! The Great Outdoors has also become a complimentary book for NAEYC members as a perk Read the full article…
Many thanks to the Natural Start Alliance for the opportunity to be featured in their newsletter. A project of the North American Association for Environmental Education, Natural Start Alliance is a coalition of educators, parents, organizations, and others who want to help young children connect with nature and care for the environment. Their basic philosophy: “In early childhood, Read the full article…
A recent UCLA on women’s friendships reflects similar findings to my own on early childhood educators’ perceptions of spiritual development of young children. The quality of relationships is so fundamental to our spiritual needs. The UCLA study actually acknowledges that “friendship makes our lives manageable, fulfilling, and spiritually and emotionally healthy, which means we are better able to Read the full article…
A strange and amazing thing happened to me today while driving in my car. I was thinking about how early childhood Jewish educators might begin introducing Pesach to their young students. First I thought of deep cleaning and maybe changing dishes in the house keeping corner. Next I thought of spring and spring walks. I Read the full article…