Fall officially begins September 23rd. Here are some fun and meaningful ways to observe and celebrate the autumnal equinox with kids. I find myself ever more deeply aware of and affected by seasonal changes. Light and darkness. Heat and—especially in my adopted state of Minnesota—cold. Living farther north than ever before, I feel the changing…
Gradeschooler
The 2014 Back to School Issue of Green Child Magazine
Find the best new gear, tips on making the first day – and every day – simple and fun… and dive into our annual healthy lunch section. Plus trusted natural parenting advice on everything from homeschool and individualized learning to how we can help end violence in schools and what kids can learn in a…
Positive Discipline for the Older Child
Gentle parenting expert Kelly Bartlett provides a much-anticipated follow up to her positive discipline series with this approach to the older child. Your children may be past the age of tantrums and biting, but as they grow, behavior challenges certainly don’t go away. Your child’s brain won’t reach full maturity until long after childhood. The…
Screen Free Week: 50+ Fun Screen Free Activities for Kids
Screen Free Week is the first week of May, but you and your family can take a screen sabbatical anytime. We’ve got 50+ screen free activities to encourage creativity, enjoy nature, and even have enough time to relax. This annual, international screen free initiative was created in 1994 to encourage families, schools, and communities to embrace…
10 Reasons Children and Adults Need “Vitamin N”
Editor’s note: In his book, Last Child in the Woods, author Richard Louv focused on why children need nature. His next book, The Nature Principle, shared how the whole family – and whole communities — can become happier, healthier and smarter through more contact with the natural world. His most recent book, Vitamin N: The…
Gentle Parenting: 5 Phrases to Inspire and Encourage Your Child
It’s no secret that kids need encouragement to thrive. But how exactly do you encourage your child authentically? It’s different from praise, admiration, or guidance. It is common to want to give evaluative feedback to kids for their work (“Good coloring!”), or to tell them what we like about their accomplishments (“I like how you…
Encouraging Independence with Your Child
“I can’t do that.” My son’s 5-year-old friend was over for lunch and was staring at the ketchup bottle on the table in front of him. He had just asked for some ketchup, and I had passed the bottle to him. I clarified, “You can’t squirt your own ketchup?” “No, I don’t know how.” I…
Rain or Shine! Students learning in nature all day, every day
There’s no reason to let a little inclement weather stop your children from playing outdoors. Students learning in nature Just look at the “Rain or Shine” preschools in Scandinavia, where toddlers spend the majority of the day outside all year round, playing in creeks, digging in dirt and chasing each other around the woods. …
The Easy Way to Organize School Papers and Artwork
If the school papers and artwork are piling up, here’s how to organize it all with a system you can easily maintain. Most schools send home plenty of paper: spelling tests, math homework, artwork, notes, and reminders. That paper pile can quickly become an avalanche if you don’t have a plan for dealing with it….
Encourage Calm, Healthy Energy with Feng Shui in Your Child’s Room
Did you know that practicing the ancient art of Feng Shui in your child’s room can encourage happiness and fulfillment throughout each aspect of her life? Intentionally setting up the room according to Feng Shui principles can also provide a calming escape from the chaos of the world around them. The places you spend…
DIY For Young Book Lovers: Create Your Own DIY Magnetic Story Board
This DIY magnetic story board gets a ton of use in our home. It’s a wonderful way to encourage your child’s love for reading and boost language skills. There are few things as amazing as the imagination of a child engulfed in a book. You can help encourage a love of reading by getting your…
Back to School Routine: Tips for creating structure & predictability
Kids thrive on routine because it gives them a sense of predictability in their lives. They have their needs met on a regular basis. With a back to school routine, they are able to depend on the sense of security they feel in a familiar routine. When it comes to daily habits like sleeping and…
35+ Easy Lunch Ideas!
The school season is rich with learning, movement, excitement and routine. When it comes to packing lunch, it’s probably safe to say that we’ve all found ourselves in a rut of the same handful of items from time to time. This special section of our back-to-school issue contains more than thirty-five healthy, simple ideas to…
The Back to School 2013 Issue of Green Child Magazine
The 2013 Back to School issue of Green Child Magazine is here! And it has everything you need for a fun, successful, eco-friendly school year! You’ll find morning-saving routine tips to help get your family back into the school groove, advice from Dr. Laura Markham on raising a motivated student, and ideas on how…
Gentle Parenting: How to Encourage Positive Sibling Relationships
“But he started it!” If summer break has you dreading this old-as-time whined phrase, you’re not alone. Parents who follow the gentle discipline philosophy can often find themselves at a loss when it comes to encouraging positive sibling relationships. Learning to get along with each other is not only great for the children; it makes…
Positive Discipline for the Early Years
Positive parenting expert Kelly Bartlett shares common behavior challenges parents face with small children during the early years and positive discipline tips for handling them effectively. When it comes to children’s difficult behavior, a parent’s first question is usually, “What should I do?” We tend to want to eliminate it, fix it, or get it…
The Gift of Positive Self Esteem – Encouraging Your ADHD Child
Self-esteem starts in early childhood. A child receives both positive and negative messages from others around him depending on how well they fit into society. Because children with Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder can be perceived as different, they often receive negative messages. These messages from adults and peers often evolve into the negative self-talk we…
Is Your School Ready for a Food Revolution?
Shortly after Green Child published my article You Say You Want a Food Revolution, I was approached by a local private elementary school about helping them shift to a healthier lunch program. In this area, schools have a Hot Lunch option provided to students once a week. Usually they offer things like hot dogs, pizza, and other fast…
Raising A World Changer
Raising a world changer is no easy task. As you guide your strong-willed child with your family’s compassionate values and a sensitivity toward our planet and all of its inhabitants, intentional parenting will be a major key. Just like the principle of planting and harvesting… seeds in a garden will only grow into a plentiful harvest if…
Healthier School Lunches: Why & How to Make it Happen
Definition of a Revolution: a sudden, complete or marked change in something or a fundamental change in the way of thinking about or visualizing something : a change of paradigm How to Create a Food Revolution at School It takes education, tools, support, enthusiasm and patience because creating a fundamental change in the way we think…
How to Raise Kids with Healthy Beliefs About Money
“Read it to me one more time, Mommy.” And off we go again, hearing how the damsel in distress was swept off her feet by the charming prince … and lived happily ever after. Unfortunately, that’s probably one of the most insidious things we can put in our little girls’ heads. Yet it was put…
The Back to School 2012 Issue of Green Child Magazine
Traditional school, homeschool, or anything in between, we’re all looking to make the learning experience a little greener. The Back to School Issue of Green Child Magazine is filled with ideas on making your school more sustainable, eco-friendly school supplies, and plenty of advice on healthy, waste-free lunches. You’ll find ways to ease back into…
Gentle Parenting: Creating Mindful Parenting Moments
As a parent, when you weave a web of mindful moments with your children, you actually put a safety net of communication in place. Like a spider that feels the vibrations on her web when something is out of order, parents can build upon the intuitive bond with their children. Parenting offers us daily opportunities…
Combat Cabin Fever with Fun Winter Activities for Kids
Is it just us or does cabin fever really set in by January or February? Instead of counting the days until spring, keep a list of fun winter activities for kids to help them enjoy the last weeks of cold weather. Instead of hibernating through these last months of winter, look for fun ways to engage…
