Category Archives: children

parts.

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the theory of loose parts and the right to be creative.

(kinders live this every day)

“in any environment,

both the degree of inventiveness and creativity,

and the

possibility of discovery,

are directly proportional

to the number

and kind of

variables in it.”

-theory credit: Simon Nicholson – The Theory of Loose Parts, 1971

funny bits.

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a quote from the wonderful matilda wormwood

in honor of world book week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

credits: roald dahl – matilda, purple almond

 

 

 

divine.

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“if you see with innocent eyes, everything is divine.”

-federico fellini

messy.

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once the rain came

and the temperature rose by 50 degrees

and the snow and ice turned

to slush, and mud, and dirty water

and the discovery of this

brought such a level of joy and celebration

to the sandbox

that it was immeasurable. 

“childhood is messy and beautiful.”

-rachel martin

break.

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friends take a break from recess

in the empty water table

while still waiting for some snow.

recess can be so exhausting. 

“you never get tired unless you stop and take time for it.”

-bob hope

mittens.

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these little mittens have lost their kittens. 

 

“you can’t survive by sucking the juice from a wet mitten.”

-charles m. schulz

moonbeams.

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it was truly an honor and my pleasure

on a chilly december evening

 to gather with hundreds

of friends and strangers

from all parts of the community

reaching out with lights and song

to wish children sweet dreams.

WHAT IS “MOONBEAMS FOR SWEET DREAMS”?

“Moonbeams for Sweet Dreams,” is a program created by the Beaumont Children’s Pediatric Family Advisory Council at Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, MI.

Every evening at 8 p.m. during the month of December pediatric patients will shine flashlights from the hospital windows and look for people from the community who are standing outside the hospital to flash them back. It only takes a few minutes, but it will mean a lot to these young patients and their families.

“Many children are unable to leave their rooms and can feel isolated in the hospital as the rest of the world continues without them, and have trouble falling asleep” Beaumont Children’s Child Life Supervisor Kathleen Grobbel said. “With the help of the community, we can make sure they go to bed with smiles on their faces.”

If you want to put a smile on the faces of some kids that are spending the holidays hospitalized … it’s time to grab a flashlight and head to Beaumont Children’s Hospital in Royal Oak.

That’s where you can help by being a part of Moonbeams for Sweet Dreams.

“deep in the meadow, hidden far away 

a cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray

forget your woes

and let your troubles lay.”

-suzanne collins

 

credits: beaumont children’s hospital, wwj radio

https://www.beaumont.org/health-wellness/moonbeams

softly.

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in honor of United Nations Universal Children’s Day

 

established in 1954 and celebrated on November 20th, this day promotes international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and the improvement of children’s welfare. on this date in 1959, the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child  and in 1989, adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

 

 

 

credits: united nations, united nations general assembly, sir ken robinson

fav.

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i am curious about who bought this plate.

a parent as a gift to a child?

a child as a gift to him/her self?

a spouse?

a sibling?

or….?

interesting message whatever the backstory.

 

 

“i am often asked which picture is my favorite. 

this is like asking a mother

which child she likes the most.”

-phillipe halsman

 

where hobbies, hijinks, and capers go bad = my childhood #5

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while many kids of my era ate glue, paste, chalk, and crayons

i was busy with my own unusual eating habits

because we played outside for hours and hours

in the fields and open spaces of our neighborhood

most every day

i supplemented by ‘indoor diet’

with my own outdoor natural food diet

often consisting of:

pulp from a freshly fallen tree stump

rich, black, loamy soil

and baby ants.

not sure why i was drawn to each of these things

or why or how i stayed healthy

must have been all of the snow i ate in the winter months

but i’ve learned not to eat baby ants

and i’ve since moved on to chocolate, pasta, and flamin’ hot cheetos

 apparently i was one of the original clean eaters

quite by accident.

 

 

“eat food. not too much. mostly plants.”

-michael pollan -‘in defense of food: an eater’s manifesto’