Exploring Difference with Wicked
When my family took our seats to watch the movie version of Wicked, we were expecting an upbeat musical with big dance…
MorePosts tagged: Difference
Being a Good Neighbor
“Hey, mom, should I do the porch next door too?” asked my eldest. We were shoveling snow around our house after…
MoreLearning about Relationships with The Wild Robot
Based on an award-winning children’s book by Peter Brown, Dreamwork’s The Wild Robot is a beautifully animated…
MoreExploring Neurodivergence with Good Different
When my daughter was four, she came home from school and told me that we could no longer show our teeth when we smiled.…
MoreBuilding Connections through Magical Gifts
As children head back to school, anxieties about relationships rise. Some wonder whether friends from last year will…
MoreCommunity-Building with Our Pool
Growing up in Oklahoma and Texas, summers were hot. My siblings and I loved nothing more than to head to our local…
MoreAffirming Neurodiversity
I was recently invited to talk with a group of interns working in non-profit settings with kids. One noted that he had…
MoreDifferent Kinds of Curiosity
My eldest child likes to figure out how things work. When she was three, she shocked our neighbor by explaining the…
MoreBooks for Women’s History Month
I have a bumper sticker on my car that reads, ‘Well-behaved women rarely make history’. It’s a reminder to myself…
MoreValentine Spirituality
Every year, my kids’ school does a Valentine fundraiser. Parents and grandparents can purchase pink and red…
MoreGuided Meditation: Food Insecurity
“Mom, I’m hungry, and there’s nothing to eat!” my 10 year old wailed while staring into a well-stocked…
MoreNational Coming Out Day
My sister was 18 when she came out. It was a chaotic time in my family of origin, with lots of tears, threats of…
MoreMaking Belonging a Priority
Three weeks after my middle child started third grade, she was so anxious and upset that she couldn’t concentrate on…
MoreResisting Bias with Brian the Brave
Children begin learning about differences at a young age. Figuring out how to categorize things is one of the ways they…
MoreDreaming with Dreamers
Dreamers, by Yuyi Morales, follows a mother and her young child as they immigrate to the United States and begin to…
MoreTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Spirituality
My kids used to grab paper and pens and create their own comics. Their scratchy designs would tell stories about their…
MoreBuilding a Strong Image of Children
Sometimes when we talk about children, we focus on what kids can’t do: they can’t walk yet, or they can’t reach…
MoreConnecting with Nature through Apple and Magnolia
One summer, my kids and I planted a small garden. While our cucumbers and zucchini did well, our tomato plants…
MoreUsing Books as Spiritual Mirrors & Windows
As a preschooler, my daughter loved Don and Audrey Wood’s The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big…
MoreEncouraging Empathy When It’s Hard
Holiday shows play on our sense of connection to beloved characters. Kids who have been left out or bullied know how…
MoreCultivating Intellectual Humility
“Saying something doesn’t make it so.” My grandmother would issue this reminder whenever my siblings or I would…
MoreGetting to Know Children Better
When marketers want to learn about people, they collect data about them. They then use that information to improve how…
MoreTalking with Kids about the Reversal of Roe v. Wade
Since the Supreme Court decision last month striking down Roe v. Wade, the news is full of stories about what the…
MoreExploring Miss Quinces
Summer can often be a time of celebrations and reunions as family members and friends travel to see one another. In Kat…
MoreExploring Gods & Grief with Thor: Love and Thunder
My family rarely misses a Marvel movie, and the new Thor: Love and Thunder is no exception. In his typical oblivious…
MoreImaginative Play & Spirituality
“Do you have a minute?” asked my daughter’s preschool teacher. “Of course,” I replied, “Is something…
MoreEmpathy Maps
Getting to know the children with whom we work is essential. We learn their names and perhaps ask about their favorite…
MoreExploring Spiritual Traditions through Objects
One of my grown daughters will only drink grape juice if she has bread to dip in it. It’s a throwback to her…
MoreAddressing Diversity
Creating a supportive learning environment for all children is a goal held by many organizations. Yet how to accomplish…
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