Attention. This is the special ingredient in heart centred relationships. When we give young children our full attention, even in small bursts, we meet their very real needs for connection. They feel seen, heard, and part of a relationship - powerful stuff indeed!
Are you giving or are you living the lessons?
"There is no difference between living and learning... it is impossible and misleading and harmful to think of them as being separate." - John Holt
We have noticed a growing trend to implement ‘teaching programmes’ in an attempt to teach our young ‘pre/before school’ children academic as well as social/emotional skills. Much can be said about how and when to teach children reading/math/writing skills, a topic for another time. What concerns us is the trend to ‘teach’ children social skills and values by way of ‘giving lessons’.
Be patient and have faith
Do you see me? Do you know me?
Witnessing miracles
Kindness, It's What Matters Most
Kindness is at the heart of the heart centred teacher and it flows into everything we do. It is the concrete expression of our core values. There is a saying about ‘when the why is clear, the how is easy’. Why are we so committed to offering an exceptional quality of care and education for young children?
Think Joy, Love and Peace
Do Not Miss The Sacred Moments
It’s hard to believe Christmas is less than two months away. We are entering a traditionally hectic and busy time of year. What some people call the 'silly season, is what we call the ‘magic’ season. This is the season that is all about the ‘magic of life’. What better season than the Christmas season to create memories and shared sacred moments as part of the curriculum of life.
The journey of settling in
Partnership with parents. This is the term that is bandied around in our training. But what does this actual look and feel like?
Isn’t it just jargon, unless we really ask ourselves that question? Isn’t it just about heart to heart connection and relationship? Isn’t it about love, about feeling the results of our care, of our kindness?
No peace, no learning!
Children's play is no child's play!
Has your child had enough unadulterated play? How many of us ask ourselves that question at the end of the day? Is our children’s memory bank full and over flowing of cellular memory from direct connection using all their senses in and through play? If you can hand on heart say your child has played, fully, deeply and developed a rich imagination then you are giving them the best foundation ever for school!
The curriculum of life is caught, not taught
Never under estimate the power of 'real life work' you do in your centre or home. For generations children grew up at home following their parents, usually mother, around the house doing house work. Often too there were grandparents, aunties and uncles nearby. The saying ‘It takes a village to raise a child‘ doesn’t come out of nowhere.
Champions for the child
The gift of animals
In studies of children’s dreams, 80% of young children's dreams are about animals. Seems as though nature has designed us that our dreams support the all important development of relationships with the animal world. Animals in our environments offer the children authentic experiences of observing, caring for and even mourning the loss of feathered, furry and scaled friends. Cultivating children’s relationships with animals during early childhood is one of the best ways to foster empathy.
Go outside and be 'kissed' by Nature
Making deposits into the Heart account
The formative years of a child's life are all about sensory download. Children download 4 billion bits per second, they don’t miss a thing! Just like a computer downloads anything, including viruses, the child's downloads the good and the bad, stored in the child's heart forever. It is crucial we make every effort the child's downloads are 'virus' free.