When was the last time you observed (or engaged with) your children at play? It’s a simple question, one that offers a gauge into the level of busyness that exists in our day-to-day lives.

Over the past couple of years the world has faced its fair share of challenges. Eye-opening and full of reminders to tend to one another, the Earth, and ourselves, we’ve come to know a different time in our lives.

When we connect with children in ways that help us understand their way of seeing, feeling, thinking, and knowing ~ we find pathways upon which to meet them. Along these pathways, we nurture relationships of reciprocity where we co-construct what it means to know one another.

Playing outdoors is a quintessential childhood experience for good reason. Whether it is a backyard, local park, or a forest trail, there is no richer or more stimulating environment than nature. Every sense is engaged and the scope for imagination, decision making, cooperation and exploration is without limit.

At Nurtured Inspirations, we talk a lot about mindfulness, well-being, and the Seven Pillars of Well-Nurtured Children. From our perspective, the seven pillars we must nourish include the emotional, social, physical, intellectual, moral, spiritual, and nature aesthetic pillars.

The spaces in our homes are often a reflection of the world around us. Maintaining an environment that is clutter-free can be as challenging as when we try to manage the chaos of our calendars. Life is busy. The world moves fast. Our days are full. These are the realities that we face. As parents, navigating is hard enough. For children, schedules like the ones we face can be overwhelming.

Play provides a beautiful opportunity for you as a parent to step back and observe your children through a lens of wonder and discovery. It offers you the opportunity to listen to the stories of your children, to hear the stories your children tell, and to take notice of all the amazing things that make your children who they are.

Knowing that children grow best through play, parents must think intentionally about the environments that best support play. It is in these spaces, both indoors and outdoors, that the experiences children have become the jumping off point for their growth. In order to nurture holistic growth and support opportunities

Play is freedom. It is the authentic way of the child. It is where the vital connection to learning occurs. Children learn best through play; it is where wonder, curiosity, new thinking, and rethinking occurs. For children and adults alike, play happens when we are engaged in something we choose and direct ourselves. It is where the whole being of a child comes to life.

Winter play offers families a chance to bond through the exploration of nature’s beauty. A wintery white world of wonder calls families to explore the magic of the winter season. Winter play walks families along pathways for healthy living that will stay with them for life.

WHY YOU AND I ARE INSPIRED
TO DO WHAT WE DO
Inspiration is empowering. It reconnects us to our hearts and everything that resonates through our soul. Inspiration ignites a passion from within.

MIRRORING THE WORLD
Our world is calling out to us in such a fragile state. More and more, human beings seem to mirror the Earth’s needs for care, empathy, love, and respect. Everyday, we find ourselves face-to-face with somewhat of a new reality emerging right before our eyes.

Everyday, we cross paths with people who inspire us. Standing among these souls, can make us feel as if we’re in the company of shining stars ~ truly! Each one of these inspirations brings a unique sparkle to our world, and in many cases, without...

Children are insightful. Profound, really. A source for constant pondering about many things: life, relationships, and the human experience. Sitting peeling and chopping apples in preparation for making our first-of-the-season Kindergarten batch of...

This masterpiece is one of my favourites. It emerged authentically and early on in the year when children started to explore and share line drawing using chalk outdoors. Along with our guest atelierista, a very large canvas, a jar full of...