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Thankful New Year!

I’ve done away with new year’s resolutions and adopted instead affirmations for the new year. Unlike resolutions, affirmations cannot be broken.

Among my affirmations: “I feel gratitude for all the people who bless my life.” While I feel gratitude on a daily basis for my family, friends, co-workers, and the children and families whose lives have intersected with mine, I don’t think I’ve always shared and expressed my feelings of gratitude as well as I might.

This morning I learned from NPR about the book 365 Thank Yous: The Year a Simple Act of Daily Gratitude Changed my Life by John Kralik, a lawyer who decided to write one thank you note a day for a year—to family, friends, co-workers, even to the barista at his local Starbucks.

Feeling inspired, I immediately ordered a copy of the book which I can’t wait to read. How could a life not be profoundly changed by this experience? While I am not resolving to write 365 notes this year (because if I missed a day, I would feel inclined to beat myself up rather than feel good about the 364 that I did write), I do affirm that “I share words of gratitude with the people who bless my life.” When I have a thought of gratitude toward someone, I will let them know and put more of those thoughts into writing.

And that includes all of you who have taken the time to read this blog and have shared your own words of gratitude and gentle support here over the past year. Wishing you and your families a bright new dawn and every blessing for the year ahead!

What are your affirmations for the year ahead? I’d love to hear them!

January 2, 2011 by Sarah Baldwin

Waldorf Toys: Bringing New Consciousness to Choosing Children’s Toys

My second guest post as a contributor appears over at Simple Homeschool today.

In my piece, Waldorf Toys: Choosing the Best Educational Toys for Your Children, I describe games that, as a Waldorf teacher, I shared with the parents of children in my classes. These hands-on experiences would shed new light on how young children experience toys, and allowed parents to experience the very different ways that children play with typical Toys ‘R’ Us type toys versus the kinds of natural playthings typically found in a Waldorf classroom.

I wish I could give every one of you the same direct experience, because there is nothing that beats experiential learning, but my hope is that you’ll head over to Simple Homeschool, read my description of the exercises and try them yourself. (Better yet, try them with a friend!)

This was one of my very favorite “parent evenings” to offer, and the insights gained were often profound. I owe credit to my dear friend Louise de Forest who first introduced me to similar exercises many years ago when she was my son Harper’s kindergarten teacher. Thank you, Louise!

Try picking up and handling different kinds of toys and objects from your child’s toy box with your eyes closed. No peeking! Experience them with all your senses. What did you discover? Share your thoughts here.

September 22, 2010 by Sarah Baldwin

Childhood, Parenting, TV and Media, Waldorf Education

Toy Story 3: Great Fun, but Is It for Young Children?

Last month, my younger son William and I saw Toy Story 3 in New York City in 3D. I loved it! Yes, you read that right. Miss Sarah, the anti-media-for-young-children Waldorf teacher, absolutely loved Toy Story 3.

Those of you who’ve seen it know that the ending is a tearjerker, but I nearly melted in a puddle of my own tears, thoroughly embarrassing my 15-year-old son. The movie was especially heart-rending for me because my older son Harper is the same age as Andy, the boy to whom the toys belong.

Harper was about four years old when the original Toy Story was released. At the time, we lived in Hollywood, my husband was working in the entertainment industry, and we were invited to the premiere. As perks, we were given full-size Woody and Buzz Lightyear toys, which Harper played with for years.

In Toy Story 3, things have progressed in real time. Andy has grown up and is getting ready to head off to college. And guess what? Harper is 18 now and leaving for college in a few short weeks. Like Andy, he is in the process of saying goodbye to his toys, his childhood, and his parents, so the poignant ending of Toy Story 3 left me crumpled in a sea of wet tissues.

Not only did Toy Story 3 have personal relevance for me, but I also appreciated its compelling story, great dialogue, engaging characters, and its technological sophistication. It’s the first movie I’ve ever seen in 3-D, and it really was a marvel, perhaps one of the best animated movies ever made.

But in spite of my enthusiasm for the movie, I would not recommend it for children under nine. Bracing myself for the backlash, I can already hear the cries of protest: “But it’s rated G!” “We took our four-year-old to see it and he LOVED it!” “Come on, it’s Disney. It’s wholesome family fun.”

Let me explain my thoughts . . .

Continue Reading

August 10, 2010 by Sarah Baldwin

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