Play

Some Serious Resources on Play

We don’t have leaf piles or snow piles here in south Florida, but occasionally we have large construction sand piles. Yesterday I drove by one. It was a Saturday so there weren’t any workers around. But there were eight, maybe ten kids climbing ... read more

Where are all the kids?

Sunflower blogger Jaime won 1st place in KaBOOM!’s recent guest blogging contest. Check it out below and on KaBOOM!’s Play Today blog. Then read more great Sunflower posts by Jaime here. Victoria won 4th place in the same contest! Check out her ... read more

Plugging in

We made a lot of discoveries on the playground during last weekend’s Seedlings family work day. Lizard eggs, tiny as marbles… cotton plants bearing puffy white snowballs… a giant toad sitting grimly behind the storage shed… and read more

Flying

This time last year my youngest son, Steven, had been safely back home in the States for about a month, after a year in Afghanistan. My heart still crashed through my stomach at a radio mention of casualties in Afghanistan. I stood paralyzed at ... read more

Lessons from Seedlings

My daughters’ time at Seedlings shaped the big kids they’ve become today. And, while they were learning to experiment and explore and express themselves through play, nature and the arts– I was learning too. read more

Scary!

We’re right on the cusp of Halloween, a time when it’s fun to think about all the things that scare us. To me, part of the magic of Halloween is the idea that frightening and fun can go hand in hand. Kids who might otherwise be scared of witches read more

Steady Yourself

A little boy glanced at me from across the playground. Both his hands were on a big green post. He took his first steps to climb down off of a small tower as our eyes met. I saw one hand flutter, a tiny wiggle in his body, some small ... read more

I call it tiny. My kids call it nature.

Sunflower blogger Victoria won 4th place in KaBOOM!’s recent guest blogging contest. For those of you who missed it, check it out below and on KaBOOM!’s Play Today blog. Then read more great Sunflower posts by Victoria here. ... read more

Play and Trust

Sitting at a train crossing tonight, I looked up expecting to see freight cars zooming by. Only flat cars carrying huge dull looking container boxes flashed in front of me. I was sad to realize that the freight cars I loved as a kid might not ... read more

A Day at Seedlings

9:30 am – Trikes race, swings fly, granite pestles grind and pound spices into dry oatmeal, castles are constructed, the girls’ fort invites in a few boys, a wild bowling game is invented while in the distance dark storm clouds ... read more

Seedlings Spaghetti Day 2012!!!

Spaghetti Day: it’s an annual end-of-year event in our Seedlings program. It’s oily. It’s gooshy. It’s a multi-sensory experience! And, seriously, where else in the world can you experience this!? (I love Sunflower!) ... read more

So hard to leave…

Everybody who’s ever taken a class at Sunflower and then stayed afterwards while their kids played on the playground has, at some point (usually after a long, long time of playing) heard these words from Susan: “Take your children and leave!” ... read more

Balancing Risk and Safety

In my work with children and families, I have been thinking more and more about risk assessment, the importance of risk for healthy development, how to balance risk with reasonable safety, how experiences managing risk build capable children who read more

Not Just for Kids

I spent my first week in Växjö, Sweden, pedaling the hundreds of bike paths strewn across the county. One especially sunny weekday afternoon I was speeding around the lake enjoying the feeling of being thousands of miles from home. As I rounded ... read more

Bring that beat back to me again…

I recently got back from an amazing vacation, visiting a wonderful, playful, up-for-anything friend and seeing my most favorite band in the world (Dave Matthews Band ♥love them!♥). I went completely on my own–no kids, no husband–and ... read more

Weaned on play

by Wynna Dunmyer, Sunflower mom My baby weaned, again. At Bridging Day last week, Griffin my 5 year old last baby, weaned. This time it was from Seedlings, the amazing play-based cooperative program that gave him space and time to grow and ... read more

Their Right to Play

I have always felt the need to fiercely protect childhood and play. Why? Kids at play epitomize exactly what we as adults all strive toward: living each moment with energy, confidence, fully engaged and capable, fearlessly exploring ... read more

I call it tiny. My kids call it nature. | KaBOOM!

Congratulations to Sunflower blogger Victoria Green, 4th place winner in KaBOOM!‘s national guest blogging contest. Go Victoria! Check out her (awesome if we do say so ourselves!) winning entry on KaBOOM!’s Play Today blog here: I ... read more

Remembering Play at the US Play Coalition Conference

At Sunflower we believe the world would be a healthier, happier place if we all played more– even adults! Here's how Susan remembered play recently at the 2015 US Play Coalition Conference on the Value of Play. (Turtle WOO!) read more

Playful morning

It’s Friday 5:30 AM, on my way to 6 AM yoga. This morning I am met with a damp chill and sweet smelling air filled with birdsong. Over my shoulder I nod a good morning to the lake, still and barely awake. A white feather floats down before me as read more