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march 21 is a day devoted to 3 things that are foundational in my life— forests, puppets and common courtesy!— it’s the official world or national day for each of these!
mr rogers, beloved american icon, had a saying— “attitudes are not taught, they are caught”
one thing that i have learned is that whatever values you think you are teaching your children, they are “catching” values you may not realize you and/or your extended family are modeling
There is also a very powerful teacher operating outside meaningful parental/caregiver influence via screen technology that often increases isolation and aggression despite the “urban legend” that the internet is a good way to occupy kids with “educational” content
the good news is that tomorrow celebrates ways we can remedy this modern malaise with timeless activities that promote connection, wellbeing and presence
shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, is practiced in japan and “can restore our mood, give us back our energy and vitality, refresh and rejuvenate us”— being among the trees can be as simple as going in the backyard or your local park, spreading out a blanket, lying on your back and looking up into the magical world of sun, sky, leaves and branches above you
when my children were young their hawaii grandma would make them little dolls out of knotted and tied kleenex— they would be captivated for a whole screen-free afternoon as the tribe of characters grew with each new doll and was incorporated into the ongoing story they were creating and acting out— this counts as puppetry!— and we still have some of those tattered kleenex dolls ;)
when i was a montessori teacher, the area of the classroom that i was most passionate about was “practical life”— this is where lesson trays were for how to offer a snack, how to help a classmate with clean up, how to ask for something and say thank you, how to welcome a visitor, and so on— one of the powerful advantages of the montessori classroom was the mixed age setting where the older children could give a courtesy lesson to their younger classmates once they demonstrated proficiency— this idea can easily be used at home to encourage thoughtfulness and social awareness
whatever grounds your life and makes it better, if there isn’t a world day to celebrate it, start one in your own family or group of friends— there is always room for more happiness in the world!
a lesson in my hand illustrated practical life montessori album
