We Nurture

This story is part of Susan Perrow’s collection of children’s stories and poems that have emerged to ‘meet the hour’ during this extraordinary time of Covid 19.

A Light for Little Gnome’s Lantern is a sweet story about courage in seeking to find the light and let it shine for all to see. This story offers peace, hope and a sense of safety.

This story and other Little Gnome stories can be found at susanperrow.com/stories

Additional stories for children in books authored by Susan Perrow and Published by Hawthorn Press can be found in Healing Stories for Challenging Behavior,  Therapeutic Storytelling, and Behaviour Tales.  hawthornpress.com

We recommend this story for ages 3 to 6

To discover more about please visit wenurturecollective.com/stories-for-children

A story about love, courage, and great kindness. This story tells how a little girl helps her mother grow strong again after being ill by being brave, unselfish and kind.

The story, along with many other wonderful stories, can be found in the book, ‘For the Children’s Hour’ by Carolyn Bailey

We recommend this story for ages 3 to 7

To discover more about please visit wenurturecollective.com/stories-for-children

This delightful story about a little fir tree who wants to be picked and see life will warm your heart. Just when we least expect, we can all brighten someone’s day!

We recommend this story for ages 2 to 7

To discover more about please visit wenurturecollective.com/stories-for-children

Celebrations and festivals, offer us time to create nurturing moods of reverence, gratitude, and joy for our family. Showing up with our authentic self  brings life to how we celebrate because young children are able to sense our thoughts and feelings and even the meanings behind in our gestures. 

Today, Chinyelu sits down with Cynthia Aldinger, Founder of LifeWays North America, to talk about celebrations and festivals and the vital role they play in the lives of children, and indeed all of us! Everyday life and its routines can be beautiful, powerful, and special, but the yearly escapes from the mundane through the celebration of holidays, birthdays, and special occasions mark our lives with something both extraordinary yet familiar. These rituals and practices help to center a child's life through their repetition, and the realization that a certain time of the year is coming around again can create excitement, appreciation, and a certain type of awareness that is not easily imitated. In our conversation, we break down what can make these rituals special, how to get away from the stressful side of celebration and planning, and ways in which to foster your own unique festivals. Cynthia reminds us that there is nothing wrong with mimicking what you see elsewhere and that over time you are able to own these processes and traditions, in a way that feels true to your family's needs. We talk about how we as parents and teachers can continue these habits even beyond the needs of our children, as they grow up and move out into the world. Celebrations and festivals are important to all of us and although we like to look at them through the lens of the benefits they bring to younger ones, these special occasions can be very meaningful for any person, at any stage of life!

Key take-a-ways In this Episode:

• A few thoughts on the importance of celebrations and festivals in family life.
• Igniting excitement about celebrations and experiencing them through the eyes of children.
• The expected overwhelm that comes when creating a seasonal festival.
• Mimicking and then owning, over time,  what others do.
• The power of childhood memories of celebrations.
• The value of repetition.
• How Cynthia has continued with special celebrations after her children have grown up.
• Why we need celebrations.

Music is “Dance With Me” by Sergey Cheremisinov.

To join one of our online courses, ask a parenting question, book a one-on-one consultation or join our community please visit wenurturecollective.com and lifewaysnorthamerica.org

This Chanukah story tells the miracle that happened in the land of Israel long, long ago. The miracle of light that burned for eight days in a magnificent lamp is celebrated as Chanukah. This story, appropriate for even the very youngest child, is told in a simple way.

-The rhyming part of this story was written by Sara Briggs, New York City

-The story that comes after was written by Chinyelu Kunz

We recommend this story for ages 3 to 7

To discover more about please visit wenurturecollective.com/stories-for-children

In this episode, Sharifa sheds light on the importance of art in our young child’s life as a creative activity that connects us to our past and future development as human beings. She delves into the connection between art and brain development, how we use art to communicate and why art and creativity are fundamentally human activities.

Music is “Dance With Me” and “Naive” by Sergey Cheremisinov.

To join one of our online courses, ask a parenting question, book a one-on-one consultation or join our community please visit wenurturecollective.com

Long, long ago there lived a man whose name was Bishop Nicholas. Like so many people today, Bishop Nicholas cared for people near and far and always helped those in need. One day he heard about some people in a far away land who needed food and so he called for his helpers to gather food so that he could take it to the hungry children and their families. A beautiful story that reminds us to help those in need.

We recommend this story for ages 2 1/2 to 7

To discover more about please visit wenurturecollective.com/stories-for-children

Nature heals, nature is grounding, nature’s beauty reduces stress, nature awakens in young children a sense of wonder, mystery and joy! In this episode, Molly and I talk about how nature nurtures the young child’s senses and makes healthy development possible in both body and mind.

Music is “Dance With Me” by Sergey Cheremisinov.

To join one of our online courses, ask a parenting question, book a one-on-one consultation or join our community please visit wenurturecollective.com

Once upon a time in a little village, there lived an old light keeper. He had grown quite old and could no longer tend the light, so the village grew dark. One day, a kind young girl came and helped the villagers get back their light.

We recommend this story for ages 3 to 7

To discover more about please visit wenurturecollective.com/stories-for-children

Letta is thrown into a Thanksgiving adventure. Her courage is tested and her kindness rewarded in this tale about giving and receiving.

Recommended for ages 0-12

To discover more about please visit wenurturecollective.com/stories-for-children