Marigold Children's Garden

03/24/2022

💕 My beautiful, holistic daycare officially closed August 2019, and I returned to working in Waldorf Early Childhood programs. This was not an easy decision, especially because I was the only daycare for hundreds of miles around doing childcare in a conscious, holistic way for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers, yet closing was what was ultimately best for my family at the time.

My work in the world has always centered around families, children, and education because I believe that the more consciously we raise children, the less trauma we pass on to the next generation, the better and more evolved, kind, and loving our world will be.

A friend and colleague, Dr. Sundiata Soon-Jahta, is offering a weekend workshop on how to create a thriving family culture, which includes conscious parenting and conflict resolution resources. I am very excited to share this with you. I hope you’ll consider attending, and if not, at least share with your friends to get the word out! 🙏💕

Co-Creating A Thriving Family Culture is a weekend intensive training designed for individuals in relationships and families with children who want to be intentional about learning new skills and processes for making decisions and resolving conflicts peacefully and collaboratively.

08/17/2019

"No Broccoli Until You Finish Your Ice-Cream!" by Jan Hunt Meals can be a challenging time for parents of young children. Because proper nutrition is so important for a child's physical and emotional health, it can be tempting to take control of their diet through the use of parental rules and food....

08/06/2019

Responding to toddlers who need you at night is NOT rewarding them for waking! .

If your toddler wakes and needs you to help them get back to sleep (whether with a hug, some reassuring words, or joining you in your bed) you can rest safe in the knowledge that you are not ‘perpetuating the problem’ or ‘rewarding them for leaving their room’. Instead you are being a caring, nurturing parent who is likely to raise a happy and confident child because their needs were met early in life.

The first three years of life are the most important for brain development, attachment and the development of emotional literacy. Toddlers don’t plot and scheme to wake at night in order to be ‘rewarded’ with attention from their parents. They wake because they have shorter sleep cycles than us, experience nightmares and don’t have the sophisticated brain development we do to ‘self-soothe’, they may be in pain or discomfort, be thirsty or hungry, too hot or too cold - or perhaps they struggle with being separated from their parents at night (after all, adults get to sleep in a bed with someone they love!).

The insistence of Western culture to force a young vulnerable child to sleep alone is in direct contrast to their evolutionary need to be with their parents in order to feel safe.

So cuddle away, safe in the knowledge you’re doing the best you can for your toddler! 💕

07/27/2019

Marigold Children's Garden will be closing August 16th, 2019. The last three years have been an amazing learning journey for me, both as a new parent and an experienced caregiver. Working with children is such healing work. Thank you all for your support and community. I hope we will continue to connect as our children grow! 😊

07/22/2019

"Children are human beings to whom respect is due, superior to us by reason of their innocence and of the greater possibilities of their future… Let us treat them with all the kindness which we would wish to help to develop in them.” - Maria Montessori

07/22/2019

06/16/2019

Happy Father's Day!!

On this Father’s Day weekend I have a gift for you…a gift of words, beginning with some validation and encouragement, then ending with a challenge. As a father, you no doubt have a lot of weight on your shoulders and I’m guessing that you often feel overwhelmed with all that’s expected of yo...

06/08/2019

If you think your child is ready to give up nap time, read this...

Ask just about any parent whether napping has benefits and you'll likely hear a resounding "yes," particularly for the child's mood, energy levels, and school performance. New research from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of California, Irvine, published in the journal Sleep backs....

05/18/2019

**Update: CANCELLED due to sickness in the house. **
Hosting an outdoor play date on Monday, May 20th from 9:30AM to 11AM. Rain or shine. Bring appropriate gear if it rains (rain pants, coat/suit and boots). We are a screen-free play space. Other than that, the only rule is let the children play!!! 💕

05/07/2019

Love this!

When I’ve found the right way to do something, it’s easy to think everyone else should do it the same way as me.