The Importance of Clean-Up
Most parents understand the importance of encouraging creativity in their children. It opens their eyes to opportunity and problem solving. Creativity increases a sense of wellbeing and allows one to envision a rich future. But one of the most difficult parts of allowing children hands-on creativity is in the aftermath. There are messes and clutter. We are tired. The kids are cranky and it doesn’t feel worth the battle to get them to pick up after them, so we do it for them.
This pattern unwittingly sets the stage for a sense of entitlement that will govern his or her life: there will always be someone to clean up after me. Learning to clean up after oneself is one of those invisible, but important aspects of parenting that can make the difference to your child's future--in jobs, for example, in relationships, or in the environment. Learning to clean up in the home (doing chores) brings a sense of resourcefulness and resiliency when facing the dark and dirt in life. We learn how to set things back in order, take care of them. He will be more inclined to work through the thorny parts of relationships. She will be more likely to understand the connection of her garbage to the overflowing landfill. Guiding our children in clean up can make the difference of one willing to work for change, or one content to let others decide for him. Teaching a three old to put away her blocks may seem a small thing, but in the end, if done consistently, it can take root and grow into a world of difference.
The Way From Here
- Nancy
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The Way From Here: Essays from the Mudpies Files:
These essays and journal entries reflect the lurching, joyous process of raising four children. It is a place where terrible birthday parties are thrown, tempers are lost and found, and the ways of a child bring the whole world into perspective.
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10 Ways to Teach a Child to Clean Up
Speeches
- Why is resiliency a critical life skill?
- How can we raise creative kids in a hurried world?
- What can families do to reclaim time for joy and connection?
- Why does too much choice diminish a child's life?
- How does spending time outdoors make healthier, smarter children?
Workshops
- Recycled Art
- Earthquake Exploration
- If the World Were a Cookie
- Things That Fly
- Discovering the Pop and Fizz in Science
Lotions, Potions, and Slime Mudpies and More
Lotions Potions and Slime is filled with the kind of projects kids love: slippery science, potions to paint with, recipes for bath time. We don't have fond childhood memories of the sparkling clean house, we remember the handmade volcanoes and butterfly mudpies!
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Go Outside!
The outdoors is one of the finest places for making childhood memories. Time spent out the back door is better than TV, better than computer games, and Go Outside! is filled with over 130 activities for outdoor adventures.
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