Respect for the Individual Archives - Sunflower Creative Arts

Reading on their own timetable

Posted by Sunflower Creative Arts | Child-Led, Literacy, Respect for the Individual

Both of my children, now young adults, went to Seedlings. I loved the fact that there was no academic curriculum, that they spent all morning in creative play. I knew that between the upcoming twelve years of school and four of college (and, perhaps, grad school), they’d eventually get plenty of instruction in math, history, science, and, of course, reading. Others around me, however, were more alarmed, especially about the lack of formal reading instruction…

Questions from the backseat

Posted by Sunflower Creative Arts | Adventures with preschoolers, Respect for the Individual

“Mommy, when will I born a baby?”

This is what my four-year-old son asked me from the backseat of the car yesterday.

The Waiting Game

Posted by Sunflower Creative Arts | Adventures with preschoolers, Respect for the Individual

The Waiting Game: Add it to the list of things I have learned at Sunflower Creative Arts.

The most important lesson that my son has taught me is the Waiting Game. For him, walking came at 16 months, talking came at 2.5 years, and he toilet “learned” at almost four. I felt all of the pressure when he did not hit the “developmental milestones” at the exact moment the doctor charts told me he should. I had to force myself to ignore the pressure and just… wait.

Give them time (a story of watercolors and preschooler theoretical physics)

Posted by Meade Peers McCoy | Being a preschooler, Learning Through Experience

I was walking through the room headed off to do something important somewhere else, with no intention of stopping or even lingering to listen, but something about the intensity of their conversation drew my attention. As I stopped to listen to the three young girls chatting as they painted each others’ faces and arms, I thought that they were simply enjoying the beauty and wonder of creating living art. It turned out I was selling the situation and the learning experience very short…

The Truth About “Ouch!”

Posted by Jonathan Iris-Wilbanks, AMFT, CCLS | Respect for the Individual, Tough topics

Talking with children about physical pain can be especially difficult – but it doesn’t have to be. In fact, teaching children to understand and cope with common pain experiences (like skinned knees, unexpected tumbles or vaccination shots) can truly enhance their development. Here are some direct and simple ways to explore this topic with the children in your life.

The Trust Tree

Posted by Sunflower Creative Arts | Communication, Learning Within Community, Perspective

We allow our children to feel their emotions, but do we do that with ourselves? Do we parents respect ourselves enough to accept and acknowledge our own feelings of sadness, anger, guilt and loneliness?

Sledding, South Florida Style

Posted by Jaime Greenberg | Child-Led, Learning Through Experience, Play

Kids have been playing with cardboard boxes since the beginning of disposable packaging– and rolling down hills since the invention of gravity. But, in today’s world, having the chance to do just that is a big deal.

Brian’s learning story

Posted by Sunflower Creative Arts | Respect for the Individual, School Age Children, Teaching

A teacher shares a beautiful example of child-led, community-based learning (the kind we believe in at Sunflower!) in a more traditional classroom setting.

The Possibility of Something Really Important Happening

Posted by Susan Caruso | Respect for the Individual, Teaching, Things Children Teach Us

It’s always there– A tiny spark, and a space opens up. The idea bubbles, it gains momentum and cracks wide open.

From adult learning back to early childhood play

Posted by Meade Peers McCoy | Learning Through Experience, Perspective

How does learning to climb a tree or covering their faces with brightly colored paint impact the future life and workplace skills of our kids? In bigger ways than you might imagine.

Category: Respect for the Individual