Family Time
Voice of a Grandparent: Debra
Hello, I’m Debra. When my first grandchild was born, I was swept away with bucketloads of love, very similar to that which overwhelmed me when my children were born. I saw him every week so that I missed nothing of his growing up and was able to build a relationship with this new family member. I’m absolutely sure that his parents found this behaviour strange, but they welcomed us on each visit across London! I had this feeling again when each of my grandchildren was born; it never diminished. I wanted to connect with each one of them and see them develop. Being a parent is wonderful and being a grandparent is incredibly joyous. I have four grandchildren, soon to be five. The two eldest, 14 and 11, are boys and the two youngest, 4 and 3, are girls. The very youngest is a single child until her brother arrives....
Voice of a Grandparent: Debra
Hello, I’m Debra. When my first grandchild was born, I was swept away with bucketloads of love, very similar to that which overwhelmed me when my children were born. I...
Family festivals and adventures for the year ahead
Wood Festival Like a seasonal awakening and injection of optimism, Wood Festival is an intimate and perfectly programmed festival of music and nature that sees people gather in a glade too small to get lost in, to live, learn, and have fun, enjoying the simple, beautiful things in life for a weekend each May. The music is largely folk and Americana. Local bands rub shoulders with international acts, though no one gathers a crowd like the legend that is Nick Cope! There is a full programme of free workshops for all ages, with activities ranging from bookbinding to yoga, whittling to harmony singing. The children’s tent hosts endless performances and activities; stalls are carefully curated (no flashing tat of questionable origin that you’ll be badgered to buy); the restorative healing area is full of people who genuinely care; the food is wholesome; the bar boasts locally sourced beverages; and a...
Family festivals and adventures for the year ahead
Wood Festival Like a seasonal awakening and injection of optimism, Wood Festival is an intimate and perfectly programmed festival of music and nature that sees people gather in a glade...
Voice of a Grandparent: Vera
I’m Vera, and I love being a grandmother. I am grateful that I have lived in the same house as my now 22-year-old granddaughter Elza throughout her life. I was there to listen to her during her high school and college years. Even more importantly, her grandfather was the most stable adult in her life as a young child when her parents worked. He picked her up from day care and school, played with her and listened to her read out loud every day. On the occasion of his 80th birthday, she wrote: I have been thinking a lot about the wonderful gifts you have given me. A love of learning, a joyful creative way of looking at the world and the belief that I can do anything that is almost unquestionable. My relationship with my 7-year-old twin granddaughters is different as they live in Seattle, a five-hour flight away....
Voice of a Grandparent: Vera
I’m Vera, and I love being a grandmother. I am grateful that I have lived in the same house as my now 22-year-old granddaughter Elza throughout her life. I was...
Ideas for celebrating Winter Solstice
Celebrant Lu Garner has been celebrating the winter solstice for many years. Here she shares some ideas for creating your own celebration. I don’t know about you but my daily family life is a hectic affair – and never more so than in the run up to the festive season. At the best of times it seems that life travels past so fast – children seem all grown up before my very eyes, new directions abound in my personal and work life, world events take my breath away, and literally I can be gasping for air, for the chance to make sense of it all. That is what ceremony or ritual is all about – creating a space to make meaning of the cycles of our lives, whether we are honouring a birth, a death or the turning of the year. Eight years ago I co-created a group in Derbyshire...
Ideas for celebrating Winter Solstice
Celebrant Lu Garner has been celebrating the winter solstice for many years. Here she shares some ideas for creating your own celebration. I don’t know about you but my daily...
How to make family board games festive and fun
Playing board games at Christmas is as traditional as fairy lights and stockings. We look forward with anticipation to long evenings around the table, mulled wine in hand and carols on the radio. But the reality doesn’t always match our glossy, idyllic Christmas vision. Here are some ideas to help bypass the messy explosions, arguments and tears and to help keep family board gaming positive and harmonious this festive season. Choose the right games. Not all games are created equal. You may inadvertently launch into a game that brings out the worst in your family. If the children are easily upset, look for cooperative games, where everyone plays together to try to beat the game. Avoid long periods of downtime by picking games with quick turns or simultaneous play. If conflict on the table causes conflict between players, opt instead for games where each player is working on their own...
How to make family board games festive and fun
Playing board games at Christmas is as traditional as fairy lights and stockings. We look forward with anticipation to long evenings around the table, mulled wine in hand and carols...
Reconnecting with the joy and magic of the fest...
Sometimes rediscovering the true roots of a festival can help remind us why we are celebrating, readjust our priorities and reconnect with the natural forces evident at a particular time of year. Christmas has been so seized upon as the primary festival we all celebrate in such a homogenous, material way that much of the magic of the season is lost. Rather than resenting the commercial influences which put boxes of Christmas biscuits on supermarkets shelves the day the school supplies come down in September, why not develop your own family traditions, reclaim the festival, and practice celebrating the aspects which really speak to you and your family? If you can make the space and time and find the peace to cultivate the festivals of December with your family, the transition from the old year to the new can be one of restoration for your inner forces. Beginning with Advent...
Reconnecting with the joy and magic of the festive season
Sometimes rediscovering the true roots of a festival can help remind us why we are celebrating, readjust our priorities and reconnect with the natural forces evident at a particular time...
The Magic of Samhain: a journey from autumn to ...
Samhain, from the Gaelic word meaning ‘summer’s end’, is halfway between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice. It is akin to bedtime in the cycle of day and night. In Britain, the clocks go back, and the evenings are dark. It is the turning point when autumn moves towards the cold of winter. Jack Frost visits in the night and, as the sun rises, the world is transformed by the sparkle of crystals. Once again, we wear our hats and gloves and scarves, wrapping up warm. The Forest at Samhain In the woods, the last of the autumn leaves are falling. The growing season has ended. The trees breathe out, shedding their leaves and their seeds. Death and birth nourish life. All over the land, seeds make their journeys to their new homes in the earth, with thanks to the wind, birds and animals. Only a few will survive....
The Magic of Samhain: a journey from autumn to winter
Samhain, from the Gaelic word meaning ‘summer’s end’, is halfway between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice. It is akin to bedtime in the cycle of day and night....
Simple creative ideas to celebrate the rain
Rain Painting Let a shower of rain transform simple pictures into multicoloured masterpieces. To make Draw pictures on plain white kitchen paper, using brightly coloured water-soluble pens. Hang the pictures on a washing line and let the rain mix the colours. Experiment with different papers, inks and paints. Try drawing patterns of dots and lines. What does the rain do to them? Let the pictures dry and then press them flat if need be. Rain Stencils These rain shadows of natural materials won’t last long, so have a camera ready to take a picture before they disappear. You’ll need to prepare before it starts raining. To make Collect leaves of different shapes and sizes. Find a space on a patio or some paving, or put some sand in a tray and level the surface. Arrange leaves or other natural materials into a pattern or a picture in your chosen space....
Simple creative ideas to celebrate the rain
Rain Painting Let a shower of rain transform simple pictures into multicoloured masterpieces. To make Draw pictures on plain white kitchen paper, using brightly coloured water-soluble pens. Hang the pictures...
Voice of a Grandparent: Betty
Hello, I’m Betty, and the 2019 gift of our granddaughter, Bess, came late in life – in fact, as we were about to become octogenarians! Just before she was born, my husband was diagnosed with cancer, and afterwards, the scourge of Covid-19 began. However, what should have been a very dark chapter, was unbelievably lightened by this little ray of sunshine. We spent a precious ten days with Bess and her lovely parents just after she was born and really got to bond with her. Then, unfortunately, restrictions on visiting during Covid came, so we followed her progress through photographs, phone and computer. Thank goodness for modern technology! Restrictions were gradually eased and then came the wonderful days when we were able to meet with family outdoors and eventually return to normality. We ‘oldies’ are now living in the world through a child’s eye of magic, princesses, fairies, dragons and...
Voice of a Grandparent: Betty
Hello, I’m Betty, and the 2019 gift of our granddaughter, Bess, came late in life – in fact, as we were about to become octogenarians! Just before she was born,...
Outdoor Adventures: how to raise explorers in a...
I remember the olden days. I suspect that many of you will, as well. The primitive times when there were only a couple of hours of children’s telly per day, with a bonus of cartoons and sugar-laden cereal on Saturday mornings. After that there was not much to do but mooch about a bit until you got under Mum’s feet and she booted you outside. And then you were off, roaming, exploring, or just hanging about. Wandering down the road to ask if your friend could come out to play, then climbing trees and riding bikes until teatime hunger drove you back inside in search of food. I look back nostalgically on those days. They certainly contributed strongly to me developing a love of the outdoors and adventure. This led, after training as a teacher, to me jumping on my bike and attempting to cycle round the world. It was...
Outdoor Adventures: how to raise explorers in a digital age
I remember the olden days. I suspect that many of you will, as well. The primitive times when there were only a couple of hours of children’s telly per day,...