Welcome to the March Carnival of Natural Parenting: Natural Parenting Top 10 Lists
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our participants have shared Top 10 lists on a wide variety of aspects of attachment parenting and natural living. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.
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These days being green is in. Eco-living concepts are becoming accepted into the mainstream. I am always thankful when awareness is raised on the plight of our planet and ways we can get proactive in protecting the Earth. However I feel that the new wave of green is sometimes being exploited and portrayed as just another set of items to consume that will give us all the eco-credentials we need.
But being ‘green ‘ is far from a commodity. It’s not just to be bought but to be felt; not just to be talked about but be done, not just read about but lived. We need a genuine sensory connection with the natural world in order to heal the disconnect and ensure our children grow up with an appreciation, respect and a sense of belonging to the natural world. Here are ten ways to cultivate and deepen our relationship with the Earth
1.Get out in nature everyday/often as possible.
Take a daily walk in natural surroundings, be it a rainforest or a city park. Walk rather than drive where possible and let the natural world become a part of your everyday life. Go on hikes, take natural vacations and use every opportunity to be in nature on a regular basis.
What is this plant?
2.Go camping
Spending a day or more within nature gives us the opportunity to understand the environment at various times of the day, seeing details we might have missed just walking by. Eating, playing and sleeping in the embrace of nature gives us a deeper appreciation of the reality of our world. Remembering the Leave No Trace approach to camping, we can truly start to integrate and be at one with the nature around us. (Remember you can also camp in your own back-yard!)
3.Gardening
Planting a seed and watching it grow is, for me and my children, one of life’s great miracles. It is amazing to see nature at work as every day plants grow, change and transform through their cycle of life. Tending to a garden, be it in container pots or a large back-yard, teaches so many lessons in care and responsibility and is a fun reason to get our hands in the mud. Eating what we grow is also a wonderful way of connecting with the Earth as provider and nurturer.
A proud young gardener
4.Observe and flow with the season
Be in tune with the weather by going out in all seasons, keeping a record of the weather with a temperature and symbols chart. It’s also fun to learn about the seasons occurring in other countries too and a challenge to imagine on a sweltering hot day that someone else is in cold snow and vice-versa!
Walking in all weathers!
5.Define your neighbourhood with natural landmarks
I first learned about this technique in Brian Swimme’s book ‘The Hidden Heart of the Cosmos
‘ He suggests you direct people to your house or other places with natural landmarks only in order to really get to know the nature that surrounds us. This can be difficult at first, as we are so used to referencing our world by man-made structures but doing this activity makes us become more observant and aware of the natural elements in our local environment.
6.Catch bugs and worms
Only for a short while! Use a jar with holes in the top so you and the kids can observe nature up close. If the bugs are non-biting or non-poisonous, place them on your hand and feel them scuttle and crawl. A wormery at home is also a great way to compost and get acquainted with marvelous magical worms.
Finding bugs and worms in the mud!
7.Encourage interpretation and expression
After enjoying time in nature, spend further time in reflection, interpretation and expression. Using art, words, photography, poetry and song both adults and children can process experiences, develop understanding and enhance creativity in harmony with nature.
8.Play nature games
Children live and learn through play so this one is obvious. There are many games that are interesting to be involved in and also give our kids the chance to understand the natural world. The book ‘Sharing Nature with Children
‘ by Joseph Cornell offers a huge range of wonderful activities that engage us in learning, appreciating and experiencing a connection with nature.
There are thousands of games to play in nature.
9.Quiet contemplation
Spend time in nature without talking. Lie on your back and watch the clouds pass in the sky, watch the waves lapping on the shore, leaves blowing in the wind. Be fully present to your surroundings and feel the relaxation and serenity in your body. This is a quiet time for children who will increasingly need and gain from this form of meditation.
10.Enjoy with all your senses
Eat, breathe, feel, smell, listen, touch nature. Consciously name and enjoy all the ways you are experiencing nature while at the beach, enjoying a picnic, swimming in the river, hugging trees, picking produce at a farm and any of the suggestions above. Take in the sense of gravity, movement and place – relish the incredible experience of being a physical being alive at this time. Make your experiences a joyful love affair and your enthusiasm will be shared by our children and everyone around you.
Enjoying nature to the fullest.
I’d love your insights on eco-parenting and hearing the ways you enjoy and connect with nature…
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Visit Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!
Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:
- Attachment Parenting in the NICU — Erica at ChildOrganics shares some strategies to help you parent naturally in some unnatural circumstances.
- 10 Reasons to Choose Baby Led Weaning — Luschka from Diary of a First Child shares ten reasons to choose Baby Led Weaning when it comes to solids.
- Choosing to Breastfeed — From selfishness to self-giving, CatholicMommy at Working to be Worthy lists reasons why breast is best for her and her family.
- Ten Things I Wish I Knew About Before Little Man — In this reflective post, The ArstyMama discusses ten things she wishes she knew more about before the birth of her son, Little Man.
- 10 Things That Helped Me Become a Natural Mama — The Accidental Natural Mama counts down ten things that helped her find her moderately crunchy inner mama self.
- Top 10 Reasons to Breastfeed Your Toddler — Extended breast-feeder Kate Wicker of Momopoly makes her own top 10 list for why she loves nursing her 2-year-old.
- Top 10 Tips on Authentic Grandparenting — Mamapoekie of Authentic Parenting offers a list of tips to make the grandparent-parent-child relationship flow smoothly.
- Top Ten “Dad” Things — Liam at In The Now talks about his favourite ways to spend time with his children.
- Top 10 Natural Strategies for Conception (aka How to Get Pregnant!) — Despite facing plenty of health issues, Jessica Claire at Crunchy-Chewy Mama found her way to two first-try pregnancies thanks to these natural strategies.
- Top Ten Reasons Why Home Birth Rocks — Lucy at Dreaming Aloud shares her passion for birthing at home – the natural place for natural birth.
- Top 10 reasons why cloth nappies are fun — Tat at Cloth Nappies Are Fun shows how using cloth nappies can brighten up your day.
- Top Ten Ways to Be Present With Family — Amy at Innate Wholeness shares how to make the most of parenting and family life through being present.
- Top 10 Things In My Arsenal of Kitchen Witchy Mama Tricks. — Joni Rae at Tales of A Kitchen Witch shares with us the simple things she would never want to be missing from her cupboards.
- Top 10 ways I’m not very good at natural parenting (and why I keep trying anyway) — Jenny at Babyfingers shares the ways she is imperfect as a natural parent, and why she embraces natural parenting anyway.
- Top 10 Ways to Know You Are a Natural Parent — So what makes us “natural parents,” anyway? A lighthearted look at the Top 10 Ways to Know You Are a Natural Parent by the editors and readers of Natural Parents Network.
- The Top 10 Things Every Natural Household (with children) Should Have — Amanda at Let’s Take the Metro shares a list of the most common natural products and remedies she uses for health and cleaning.
- Top 10 books for raising loving, spiritual children — In her ‘food for the soul’ post, Mrs Green from Little Green Blog shares her favourite spiritual books. No matter what religion you practise, there’s something for everyone!
- Top 10 Things No One Told Me About Natural Parenting — Adrienne at Mommying My Way explains that the best things about natural parenting are things she never expected.
- Top 10 Flower Essences for Families — Kim of Nature Baby Bloggings lists her pick of the top ten flower essence which can help ease families through the ups and downs of life.
- My Top Ten Parenting Tools — Amyables at Toddler In Tow names the top ten tools that have been helpful to her while learning to parent respectfully and successfully.
- Ten Ways Families Can Enjoy Nature (for free!) — Spring is nearly in the air, and Jenn at Monkey Butt Junction is dreaming of the fun and frugal ways that her family is going to get out and enjoy nature this summer.
- 10 Reasons We Unschool — Patti at Jazzy Mama explains why unschooling is the right choice for her family.
- Must Read: Natural Parenting Top Ten — Amy at Anktangle wants you to do a little reading! She shares her top ten favorite books to help parents prepare for pregnancy, birth, and parenting.
- Top 10 Breastfeeding Misconceptions — Sheila at A Gift Universe examines ten reasons women give for why they didn’t breastfeed as long as they wanted, and shows how these obstacles can be overcome.
- Ten Reasons to Plan a Home Birth — Since a home birth can be an incredibly empowering experience, Leslie at Lights and Letters outlines ten reasons why you should plan to have your baby at home.
- Top Ten Books for Birth, Breastfeeding and Parenting — Megan at Just Me(gan) writes about the ten books that have helped her the most in her natural parenting journey.
- A Top Ten Letter To Me… — Kat at Loving {Almost} Every Moment writes herself a letter of reflections and bits of wisdom she would have liked to know as a new mama.
- Top Ten Mama Necessities Money Can’t Buy — Buying baby gear is fun, but Emily at Crunchy(ish) Mama knows real parenting must-haves can’t be bought in stores (or even on Amazon).
- Top 10 Books for a Natural Mum — Isil at Smiling like Sunshine talks about her Top 10 Books for a Natural Mum.
- Ten Great Spring Activities To Do With Preschoolers — Kellie at Our Mindful Life and her family have come up with a great list of activities to do together this spring.
- 10 Ways to Reuse Yogurt Containers — Acacia at Fingerpaint & Superheroes keeps the stacks of yogurt containers out of her recycling bin by reusing them in both practical and creative ways.
- Top Ten Ways To Have a Harmonious Home — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama shares her natural parenting-inspired methods for maintaining a harmonious daily life with her toddler.
- 10 Natural Baby Items I Love — Charise at I Thought I Knew Mama shares product ideas to support your natural parenting.
- The Pandas’ Top Five Crunch-osophies — Top five crunchy philosophies, as employed at the Panda Residence by Ana at Pandamoly.
- Top 10 Reasons to Leave Your Son Intact — Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children has shared 10 reasons why you should leave your newborn son intact.
- Ten things everyone should know about unassisted homebirth — Olivia at Write About Birth shares practical tips for women considering an unassisted homebirth and debunks some common myths
- 10 Most Popular Ways To Treat Cloth Diaper Stains — Chante at My Natural Motherhood Journey gives ten easy tips to make your diapers like new.
- 10 Lessons in 1 Year — Abbie at Farmer’s Daughter shares 10 parenting lessons that she has learned throughout her first year of motherhood.
- Top 10 Ways to Get Breastfeeding Off To a Good Start — Sheryl at Little Snowflakes shares 10 effective ways to ensure breastfeeding gets off to a good start.
- Top 10 Ways to Avoid a Time-Out — If you are uncomfortable using time-outs in an attempt to control your child’s behavior, try one of these gentler alternatives. Dionna at Code Name: Mama shares her Top 10 Ways to Avoid a Time-Out.
- My Top 10 Parenting Scriptures — Dulce de leche is learning to integrate faith and parenting. Whether it is breastfeeding, babywearing, comforting her children, or gentle discipline, she finds that the Bible has beautiful passages to encourage her on her journey.
- Natural Cleaning Ideas – Top 10 — Laura at Laura’s Blog lists the ways she keeps her house clean and clear of chemicals.
- My Top Ten (plus two) Life Altering and Growth Inspiring Books — A top ten list of books from MJ at Wander Wonder Discover that changed her life as an individual, a parent, and an earth dweller.
- Top 10 Ways to Use Natural Parenting for Children with Special Needs — Danielle at Mommy Makes Cents feeds the needs of her family and special needs child through the use of Natural Parenting.
- Ten Fundamentals — Seonaid at The Practical Dilettante gets philosophical with a list of the fundamentals that drive her natural parenting.
- 10 reasons why I chose breast over bottles — Becky at Old New Legacy writes a quick list of why she chose breast over bottles.
- Top Ten Natural Tools for the Work of Play — Lori at Beneath the Rowan Tree offers insight into 10 natural toys that will span the early years (and save you money).
- 10 differences between pregnancy and parenting in Japan and the US — Megan at Ichigo Means Strawberry gives her impressions about differences in pregnancy and parenting in Japan and the US.
- Natural Parenting Benny & Bex Style — Pecky at Benny and Bex explains why Natural Parenting principles work best for her boys.
- Top 10 Reasons to Co-Sleep — 10 practical, emotional, and completely selfish reasons to co-sleep and share a family bed from Lily, aka Witch Mom.
- My Top Ten New Mommy Moments — Melissa at The New Mommy Files recounts the ten most memorable moments of her daughter’s first year.
- Top Ten Things Every Breastfeeding Mother Needs to Know — Kristen at Adventures in Mommyhood believes knowledge is power and wants all moms to be well informed.
- Top 10 Nursing Positions / Situations — Momma Jorje uses her 5½ years of nursing experience to share her Top 10 Nursing Positions/Situations. She includes some adorable photos of her youngest daughter at the breast.
- Ten Top Ways to Connect Kids with Nature — Terri from Child at the Nature Isle offers 10 ways to immerse ourselves in the natural world and develop a love affair with the Earth.
- Top 10 Slacker Ways to Natural Parent — Guavalicious is happy to show you how to parent naturally the slacker way.
- Simply what it looks like — Andrea!!! from Ella-Bean & Co. offers a glimpse into natural parenting through the eyes of mama and babe.
- Top Ten Reasons Why Natural Parenting Dads Are So Attractive — Nada at miniMOMist sure digs her husband, but it’s not just his good looks — it’s his parenting!
- 10 Family Systems and Routines That Work for Us — See what routines, organizational systems, and parenting approaches work for Kristin at Intrepid Murmurings to help avoid conflict and maintain sanity in a family with three young children.
- Top 10 reasons to choose midwifery care — Lauren at Hobo Mama lists the features that drew her to midwives’ care for pregnancy and birth.
- 10 Ways to Cloth Diaper on a Budget — Michelle at The Parent Vortex shares her best thrifty cloth diapering tips.
- Ten Reasons it Felt Sew Good To Make My Own Play Food — Brittany at Mama’s Felt Cafe lists her 10 (OK, 11) favorite reasons to grab a needle and start sewing your own felt play toys.
- Top10 Ways to Spark Interest, Learn, and Have Fun With Everyday Tasks! — Bethy at Bounce Me to the Moon gives you her top 10 ways of incorporating fun and lessons into everyday tasks and chores.
- Postpartum Gift Ideas — Alicia at I Found My Feet suggests a top 10 list of gifts for mother’s after giving birth.
- My Top Ten Shows Worthy Of Screen Time — Tree at Mom Grooves shares her top ten list of shows that she believes are positive, educational, kind, joyful, and a nice way to share some downtime with your children.
- The Top 10 Ways to Succeed as an Working Attachment Parent — That Mama Gretchen shares tried and true ways to succeed with attachment parenting even when working away from home during the day.
- Top Ten Books for Natural Parenting — Pregnancy, herbs, cooking, and healthcare the ten books Asha at Meta Mom the most.
- Preparing for a Hospital VBAC: My Top 10 — Thomasin at Propson Palingenesis shares 10 ways she’s preparing for her upcoming hospital VBAC.
- Top Ten New Mom Survival Tools — Wolfmother shares her most beloved motherhood survival tools at Fabulous Mama Chronicles.
- Top 10 Montessori Principles for Natural Learning — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now gives her top 10 list of Montessori principles parents can use to encourage their children s natural learning.
- Going Granola — Tashmica from The Mother Flippin’ Blog describes the 10 ways that natural parenting sneaked up on her. She never expected to go all granola on the world.
- Step Away From the Amazon List — Stefanie at Very, Very Fine wishes she hadn’t bought so much useless stuff.
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I love it, we really did write on the very same topic but with some different ideas. I like your quiet contemplation idea – that is a good one.
Do you happen to have a copy of Puddles and Wings and Grapevine Swings? It is in my opinion the best book of ideas for kids to play and explore nature. It is out of print I believe but Amazon always has used copies for a few bucks. It was my favorite book as a kid, and I was a big time outdoors kid, and I bought a copy for my son when he gets older. As I reread it, I really appreciate just how brilliant and fun the ideas in it are. I think you’d really enjoy it too.
Jenn Collins @ Monkey Butt Junction recently posted..Ten Ways for Families to Enjoy Nature For Free or Nearly Free!
Good tips! When I was growing up, we would take a long walk every day, regardless of the weather. I sometimes hated it, but mostly had a really good time. And in the summer, we practically lived at the park and the beach.
Maybe that’s why I grew up loving nature so much? That, or the fact that all the rest of my childhood was spent up in a tree.
Sheila recently posted..Top 10 Breastfeeding Misconceptions
Fantastic!!
We get out in the dirt and mud every day (pretty much), but your ideas are going to help me take it to a much deeper level. I truly appreciate it.
I want to check out the book (hidden heart of the cosmos) too.
thanks!
teresa recently posted..Top Ten Shows Worthy Of Screen Time
Great tips! I especially like the recommendation to use natural landmarks.
I Thought I Knew Mama recently posted..10 Natural Baby Items I Love
Spending some time just lying on the ground underneath a tree can be a amazing way for kids and adults to connect with nature. My 4yo daughter and I did this last summer and discovered all sorts of things – dead branches, birds, twinkling leaves, the feel of the breeze – it was lovely!
This is something we really need to work on. Because there are no sidewalks and people speed over the hill near our house, it’s not safe to walk outside our neighborhood. Even though there’s a park within walking distance and I’d love to walk there, we can’t. We do walk in our neighborhood, but it’s a well-manicured little subdivision, not exactly a nature walk. This spring we’ll have a new baby, so I think I’m going to make a point of getting the backyard fixed up (like, mowed and pooper-scooped) and taking the kids outside more often. They love going out.
Great ideas! We have really been working at getting outside every day, and it is amazing how much better it makes us all feel.
Wow, great list! #5 is difficult… Challenge Accepted! (but I’m still trying to figure out how to do it…)
#9 is one I hope to return to. I used to have the contemplation in my back yard when I was little. It’s been a long time. Too long.
Thank you!
These are fabulous!
I love the idea of identifying natural landmarks around us.
We live by a lake in Northern Ontario and we are so blessed to have so many clear seasonal markers to anticipate each year… right now the break up of the ice is top of our list, but I am already ready for the spring peepers (frogs) , too!
Lori
http://www.beneaththerowantree.com
Come & Join the Playdate!
Wow – I can’t even imagine trying to direct someone to my house using only natural landmarks – we are so buried in blah concrete and roads and unimaginative suburb! And now all I want is to move somewhere where that would be possible
Great list!
Dionna @ Code Name: Mama recently posted..Top 10 Ways to Avoid a Time-Out
Dominica would be a great choice Dionna!
These were wonderful ideas! I love the idea of natural landmarks, when I started thinking about it, I realized how difficult it would be where we live in a city and there isn’t as much greenery as I would like. In the summertime, any weekend we can, we escape the city for the day and drive to this remote dog beach on the other side of the lake (Lake Michigan) – it’s usually very sparsely populated, even in the middle of summer, and we don’t get cell service, so it turns into such a wonderful family day just hanging in nature…Oh I miss it!!!
I loved this post, especially as someone who grew up in a rural area but now lives in a big city! I though the tip to use natural landmarks to give directions was especially creative, and I’ll give that a go.