a magical life & childhood
A collection of everything I value and inspiration on how to live meaningfully with my boys. These themes will be repeated all their childhood, in one way or another, shaping them in the way I find most beautiful and meaningful. This is especially important to align and prioritise time spent and topics to explore in play. Moving far, far away from consumerism and deep into practicing living a purposeful, meaningful, values driven life.
PRACTICING BEING A THRIVING HUMAN
FOOD
COOKING
Cook Together
seasonal and family recipes. Make a recipe book and repeat them over and over for him to learn. Create a seasonal menu and rhythm.
Healing
learning healing and nourishing foods, especially when sick
Play
sensory cooking with food, nature elements, pretend fruit and veg, playdough
pretend in dolls house - cooking meals together
seasonal fruit and veggies
the process - shopping, washing the produce, chopping, cooking, serving meals
TRADITIONAL SKILLS
learn together how to do make things from scratch, the old fashioned way
canning
sourdough
sauerkraut
butter
jam
grow herbs and make loose leaf tea
MEAL RITUALS
Creating beautiful rituals around meals times. With candles, verses,
Core meals
snacks
picnics
shared with friends
Play
Cooking for toys, sharing meals together. With teddies / cars
playing together: preparing and serving food
dolls house, little ones sharing meals
playing cafe - he loves this
play dates with friends and preparing real or pretend meals for them
HOME LIFE
Edible Gardening
Growing our own edible garden - herbs, fruit, veggies.
Make things like loose leaf tea, dried herbs to cook with…
Learning
all things biodynamic, traditional farming and all things soil and healthy earth eco system
how each food grows
how to grow each food
Home Care
Organising and styling it beautifully
Cleaning and maintaining it. Having rhythms and beautiful practices with songs and beautiful tools.
Aim to do things by hand sometimes
Conscious & Mindful Home living
Creating whole conscious rituals, mindful of the intended atmosphere and mood
creating conscious spaces and atmosphere to be warm and loving and cosy
music, oils, mood, tidy space, beautifully styled
Purposeful Handmade
Teaching the value and skill of making things by hand. Understanding the value of objects. practicing all sorts of fine motor skills.
Purposeful making.
Fixing things that break
making things to use by hand. exploring all sorts of things and materials! toys, wooden materials, bowls from clay, sewing toys, knitting clothes, skin care, candles, decorations, gifts, paint from the earth…
up-cycling projects! A fun way to buy second hand things and turn them into something else! Fun!
Celebrations & Special Occasions
Making seasons, celebrations and milestones feel special. Festivals, special occasions…
Making things by hand, like arts and craft
NATURE
Mindfulness, Awe & Wonder
Freedom to simply be and explore and experience the world and season around us
Time spent outdoors simply being
Nature journaling what we discover and see
Beautiful photos of our nature discoveries and seasons
Collecting nature treasures.
adding to our explore tray
using them in play and art and craft
Learning the Natural World
Farm life
Animal kingdom
Plant kingdom - gardening and wild
Weather & Seasons
playing with the weather!
exploring seasonal living - from cosy winters, harvest autumn to blossoming spring
Adventures & Places to visit
Day trips to beautiful nature
camping
museums
playgrounds
farms
zoos
PLAY
Art + Craft
Exploring materials and creating beauty. More for the creative intention than being purposeful
Painting and drawing with all sorts of materials - like home made crayons, pastels, watercolour
Seasonal nature craft - nature weaving,
collage and cut outs
modeling - beeswax, playdough, clay
Pretend Play
Bigger set ups that involves the whole body
doll care
dress up
using the tent - camping,
music instruments
Games and play with friends and family
The intention is to make memories together and have fun!
Hide and seek
playing with balls / sports
balloons, bubbles
reading books
singing songs with gestures
listening to fun music, fun instruments, dancing,
lawn games
play dates at home with toys, picnics, play dates at playgrounds
build cubbies
pretend and small world play
Drawing / Nature Journal
Drawing what we experience and are learning about.
DIY Flash cards + books + posters
Make things to support learning and conscious exposure to topics.
flash cards - can be matching game, or simply learning. add more detail cards per topic e.g. seasonal fruit picture, then how it grows and how to grow it
make books with photos or drawings, especially for baby
rhythm & ritual support - create day rhythm wheels, cards and posters to help with transitions and adjustments
Waldorf Activities
Circle time
Stories + Puppet
Balancing
Nature table
Nature tables
Waldorf seasonal book
nature treasures explore table
Small World Set Ups
Open ended & small world materials for him to explore in minimal ways, engaging his imagination, evergreen and neatly organised on shelves - from insects, to pretend food, to animals, farms, dolls house, blocks and wooden pieces, silks, playscape…
Elaborate set ups for the day - like the insect world - where we explore a topic in a little more detail and focus
Books
a variety of mindful books and stories
audio stories
Stories & Small World
A wonderful way to explore lots of topics and practice the values I want to instil.
tell the stories
set up small world for him to reenact and practice
Sensory Set Up
Pretend play
Open ended, free exploration
exploring a topic - like frogs habitat
Loose Parts + Skills + Learning Activities
More Montessori and Regio approach, with loose parts and structured activities
Fine motor - threading, arranging little pieces along a line - single activities, or big explore table set up
Gross motor - balance, climbing
Grapat pieces and toys where where he can
Letters, numbers, colours, sorting…
CONSCIOUS BEING
Thriving Practices
Rhythmical & Seasonal living
Practices
daily mindful nature time / walks
rest, breaks
soulful music at home
yoga, stretches
Values & Mindsets & Life Lessons
Modelling a thriving nurturing healthy life. Core messages: live with a passion and love for nurturing your life
be present, in love and full of wonder and curiosity with the earth and life
live deeply rooted and connected to Mother Nature. Know her as your home, more than the man made world
create with your mind and hands, don't rely on entertainment
live to nourish and fulfil your soul and passions, not for external validation and accomplishment
always prioritise your wellbeing no matter what, and know how to support your mind and body to thrive
love to learn, grow, try and fail and try again
create to bring beauty in the world and for the joy of the process, not attachment to an outcome
to be gentle kind accepting of themselves and not afraid of needing to grow and learn. Never fearing not knowing, instead being curious and excited to learn
understanding and modeling true health in connection to nature and brining balance and nourishment to the body and mind.