Last month my blog feed was full of posts about Thanksgiving, which is one American festival I wholeheartedly applaud (and wish we had here in Australia). We spend far too little time being grateful for what we have in our highly privileged countries, and far too much time whinging about what else we wish we had. The World Vision ad telling about a small girl who has to walk alone for 8 hours a day to get water for her family, each time risking death at the hands of wild animals and rape at the hands of unscrupulous passers-by, says everything we need to know. (Yes, World Vision put in a water supply for her community, but that's just one community of many.)
This week, of course, my feed is flooded with posts about Christmas, and I feel like hiding under a rock.
Ah, Christmas. It starts out purporting to be a season of fun, generosity and celebration, and so often ends up as a nightmare of alcohol-fuelled family feuding over lunch, while tearful, overstimulated kids beg for just one more present or whine about what they didn't get.
This is followed by mind-numbing parental panic when the credit card bill arrives.
'Tis the season of greed and excess. 'Tis the season to join the red and green dots the same way we've always done it, and then repent at leisure- the way we always do it.
Is Christmas good for our kids? Have you ever asked yourself that? Is how YOU do Christmas good for your kids?
Advice and observations from a qualified carer and educator to help parents and childcare professionals maintain a loving, respectful relationship with their children.
Showing posts with label fairy tales. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fairy tales. Show all posts
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
The fine art of active storytelling
Most parents and childcare workers have realised the value of reading to children. (There is a very fine book on the subject written by Mem Fox, of 'Possum Magic' fame, which explains how reading to your kids can help them to learn to read themselves.) But few seem to have recognised the value of told, rather than read, stories; we rely on the pictures to hold small children's interest- perhaps we feel we'll never keep their attention without them. And not too many have worked out how much fun and educational mileage you can get out of a storybook or a told story if you're well prepared.
Here are some hints on how to get the most out of story time by becoming a skilled storyteller.
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