Children & Awe
At two and a half, my eldest child was obsessed with garbage trucks. She loved the sounds they made, the way they…
MorePosts tagged: Wonder
Connecting with A River of Dust
Scientists who study the environment made an amazing discovery in the 1960s: the health of the Amazon forests depend in…
MoreExploring Cicada Symphony with Kids
Every year, cicadas awaken from a long dormant period and dig their way out of the ground. The noisy clicking of the…
MoreHow Nature Journals Increase Kids’ Well-Being
Last week, I saw a young child watching a bumble bee move from flower to flower on a large bush. “Shhh,” she told…
MoreHow Uncertainty Encourages Wonder
My youngest child really disliked surprises when he was a preschooler. He wanted everything to go as expected. If he…
MoreThe Importance of Play
Play is a major part of childhood. Kids run around outside, hiding from one another, racing, or kicking a soccer ball.…
MoreDreaming with Wonka
When my eldest was two, she asked if there would be “little meats” for Christmas. I was puzzled and tried…
MoreImagining a Better World with Wish
“Why do bad things happen?” asks my son. That question is hard enough to answer, but he doesn’t stop there. He…
MoreMovement Meditation: Wonder
Children learn pretty quickly that there are often right answers and wrong answers to the questions adults ask. Those…
MoreConnecting with Nature through My Friend Earth
Learning about the seasons of the year is a common focus in many preschool and elementary programs. My Friend Earth,…
MoreExploring the Gift of Rain with Sidney the Lonely Cloud
Like generations of children before them, my kids would chant, “Rain, rain, go away,” whenever raindrops threatened…
MoreExploring Spirituality with The Little Mermaid
Children have long loved Ariel, the star of Disney’s The Little Mermaid, because of her determination to live her…
MoreFamily Hygge
It’s snowing outside, and all anyone wants to do is bundle up in a blanket, sip hot chocolate, and read. Maybe…
MoreHoliday Lights Scavenger Hunt
I love holiday lights! Strings of colored bulbs wrapped around trees, icicle lights hanging from rooftops and fences, a…
MoreSit Spots
Now that school is back in session, children have much less time to spend outdoors. Pressure to prepare kids for…
MoreSpiritual Exploration with the Webb Telescope
A friend's 5 year old daughter recently visited our local science museum, where she was mesmerized by the Webb…
More3 Kinds of Spiritual Engagement
A couple of weeks ago, I observed a group of children in a local day camp program. The leader asked them to identify…
MoreImaginative Play & Spirituality
“Do you have a minute?” asked my daughter’s preschool teacher. “Of course,” I replied, “Is something…
MoreMindful Nature Walks
I do a lot of walking. I sometimes walk from my house to my office two blocks away. I pace while talking on the phone…
MoreThe Spiritual Effects of Nature
My children loved going for walks when they were little. They would point out flowers, watch a caterpillar inch its way…
MoreChapter Book Spirituality with Preschoolers
When my children were babies, I would read aloud from whatever book I had at hand to sooth them when they were fussy.…
MoreExploring Where Wonder Grows
My dad collected rocks his whole life. He particularly liked geodes: rocks that - when broken open - contained a hidden…
MorePlay & Spirituality
Play is a central part of children’s lives and their spiritual journeys. When they use their bodies to explore the…
MoreSpiritual Reflection with Encanto
Encanto, Disney’s newest animated feature, tells the story of an extraordinary family. Once upon a time, Abuela…
MoreSpiritual Connectedness
One of my favorite preschool parenting moments was watching my children chase fireflies around our backyard on a summer…
MoreSpiritually Rich Virtual Interactions
As we slowly move back to regular in-person contact, part of a new normal will likely include virtual presence for many…
MoreChildren’s Spiritual Questions
“Mommy, why did Jennifer* get cancer?” This probing question from my nine year old daughter caught me off guard.…
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