When cabin fever strikes So far, it has not been the prettiest winter. And with at least another six weeks to go, our chances for another several snow days are looking pretty good. Back in December, snow days were a breeze. But now, as so many of them have stacked up, we’re all starting to run out of ways to stay entertained and keep from going stir crazy. So here are a few infusions of inspiration as we face another snap of cold weather and threat of storms this week. 1. Rearrange a room It’s technically still the beginning of the year. What better way to create the feeling of a fresh start and pass those house-bound hours? Put on some music and start pushing furniture around. For added fun, choose your child’s room and let them be creative with how they want to arrange their space. Added bonus for you:...
Seven Reasons We Love Brooksfield To be quite honest, I could write this list every week and every week find seven different reasons that we love Brooksfield. After just a year and a half, we’ve made so many friends, created so many memories, and all of us have grown so much. Long after we’ve moved on to other schools and friends, we will all still look back on our Brooksfield years with such fondness. Here’s a quick roundup of reasons we love Brooksfield this week. 1. We bought a new game called Zingo this weekend. After one glance, our daughter exclaimed, “I know this game! I play it in Spanish class!” And then she proceeded to teach us how to play. 2. The smile on her face when she wakes up on Friday and realizes it is John Henry day! 3. That we have a...
Healthy in the New YearDid you put ‘get healthy’ on your list of resolutions this year? How about ‘eat healthier’? Are you hoping to feed your family better food this year and improve everyone’s health?These are fantastic goals, and pretty popular resolutions. But they are so tough to achieve. Large and nearly all-encompassing, it’s no wonder that many of us drop these resolutions just weeks into the year and feel lost as to where to turn next.If you want to eat healthier this year, try starting with small steps. Pick just one of the items below and give it a try for a few weeks. Then add another. A series of small steps is so much easier to accomplish than a big, scary resolution.1. Replace just one meal a week with something homemadeBy the end of last year, we had gotten into a bit of a blue box of mac ‘n...
Yeah you know the rest of that line: “ for school to start again! ” Holiday break is just about here and more than two weeks of school-free days are weighing on my mind. I always think about this time with excitement and a healthy dose of fear. I love the more relaxed schedules and knowing that my daughter gets a little break and time to rest. I love that we spend more time together as a family and that we have the opportunity to plan some fun outings and trips. But then I worry about what to do with the long winter days. How to keep her calm amidst a flurry of routine disruptions and over-the-moon excitement. We all know that most children thrive on routine and predictability but these weeks can bring anything but. Here are some thoughts to help us all enjoy the holiday break and ease our...
On any given weeknight at our house, dinner tends to come together in a bit of a rush. Setting the table is often the least of my worries and so forks and napkins find themselves tossed haphazardly onto the table, never on the right side, forks often hiding under napkins. So, just before dinner on the afternoon of Thanksgiving, I decided that I’d enlist my daughter, Maya, to help me set the table and that we’d set it well. No forks hiding under napkins, no utensils pointing every which way. I’d show her how to properly set a table. I pulled out the fancy napkins and napkin rings and set out the silverware and plates and called her into join me. With her baby brother settled on my hip and feeling very much the matriarch, I picked up a napkin and a napkin ring and began to show her...
Brooksfield Players, an afterschool drama class run by our very own dance teacher, Sandra Kammann, spent the last 8 weeks putting together a drama production and finally performed it today for the entire school and parents whose kids were involved! " Mystery of the Magic Lake, Adventures In A New Land " was enjoyed by all. The costumes and set were designed by Sandra and her drama group. The play took place in a land filled with princesses, knight battles, talking animals, magic and more! The children developed and choreographed the play and came up with the characters, script and even the title all on their own (with a little guidance from Sandra). Congratulations to all on a job well done!
Every time I see one of those medical alert emails, my heart sinks just a little bit. I warily read, scared of what illness might invade our family next. We don’t end up catching them all, of course, but just knowing that we’ve circled strep throat or hand foot and mouth disease, not to mention the flu and a hundred common colds… well it all makes me want to secure us in a bubble until spring blooms again. With no such bubble available, I’m looking for other ways to protect my family during this season of illnesses. The good news is that most of the best ways to prevent the spread of illness are common sense things that we do naturally as part of our daily routines. The bad news is that these are also some of the things that we forget or forgo when times get busy, as days during...
We love our dragonfly logo and so many people ask us why we selected the dragonfly. The dragonfly represents change in many cultures. At Brooksfield our change is reflective of self realization. A process of emotional and intellectual maturity and an understanding of the deeper meaning of life. Dragonflies can fly up to 45 mph and in all directions. This ability reflects simplicity, grace and mastery. They also have eyes that can turn 360 degrees which implies that we can see from all perspectivesWh and reach beyond our limitations. Dragonflies also live a short life span and cover a lot in a few months time. They live in the moment. A great reminder for us to live in the NOW. They also have iridescent wings that catch and reflect colors… I like to think of that as the magic life can bring to us! It was a sunny day many years...
Whenever I spend a bit of time at Brooksfield and get the chance to observe my daughter in action, I always come away amazed at the things she can do on her own. Putting on her coat and gloves. Unrolling, and then nicely rolling back up, a rug, without being asked. Following simple directions without a ton of oversight. It’s all pretty amazing. And, of course, once we get home on those days, there’s a new world order. I’m less likely to rush in to help and more likely to sit back and marvel at what happens when I leave her to her own devices. After just a year at Brooksfield, I’m a Montessori convert. I love the emphasis on independence and freedom and the child-led nature feels so right to me. A few weeks ago, in one of her Night Time Reading about Montessori emails, Sarah sent...
Christmas trees now line every store and commercials urging you to think about your 'list' now fill the space between every TV show. The season of giving has begun. For our kids, however, these late fall and early winter months often become the season of getting. Getting candy, getting toys. New books and clothes. Things they need and some things they probably don't. And it's so easy to get swept up in it all. Buying gifts for small people is fun. Clothes we wish they made in our size and toys we wish were around when we were small call to us and our family and our friends. But, before we know it, our kids are asking for the next present and tearing paper like it's a job. If you want to turn this season of getting into a season of giving for your little ones, here are a few tips...
