the creative family

For those of you living under a rock, our dear Amanda has a wonderful new book out, The Creative Family: How to Encourage Imagination and Nurture Family Connections.  It was waiting for me when we got home from our vacation and it was such a great read to help ease me back into the routine of our daily family life.  Let me explain why.  You see, there are those out there, who read this blog, who think that its all crafting all the time here.  That when a child wants to make something, I drop it all- no matter what- and commence to some good fun kid crafting.  The process and all that goes with it just flows.

Well, that's not exactly true.

I, like most of us, have been known to get a little weary of being asked a little too often to pull out yet another table full of craft supplies that will only be used for a short while, which I will then be cleaning up and putting away.  I have also been known to literally hide a lot of the kid's activity books I own (there are many many of these in my house, its a kid's treasure trove on those shelves, let me tell you), thinking "out of sight, out of mind" would allow a crafting reprieve for mom, who just wasn't used to sitting on her hands and letting the kids do it all.

Amanda's book puts into perspective just how important that creative process is.  As well as all the supplies, small attention spans, and messes that go along with it.  For family as well as child.  But the book is so much more than crafting with your children.  There are chapters on encouraging the imagination, exploring nature, creating family and everyday rituals.  All of these chapters are full of inspiring information, practical advice, and fun projects for the entire family to do.

Yes, I am remembering now...

It is so wondrous to see everyday things through a child's eyes.  It truly brings everything into a different kind of clarity, which we grownups can use more than we stop to consider.  Amanda writes that we don't need to "teach our children to be creative".  I heard a statistic once that has always stuck with me.  Small children are redirected by an adult approximately every 6 seconds.  I don't remember the full context that statement came from, but I have to ask, where is the time to explore and create in that?

After I read The Creative Family, I suddenly became excited for our summer vacation, when the kids will be out of school.  Although its still a few months away, I've felt a little anxiety about summer for the last month or so.  My kids currently are not scheduled to do any classes or camps this summer.  I am definitely going against the trend here.  Am I crazy?  To not even schedule one?  This is the second summer in a row that I have intentionally created large chunks of time filled with nothingness for my kids.  Sometimes they hate it, sometimes they really relish it and get cranky when they don't have it.  Soon I will be preparing my summer list of things to choose from when kids claim they are bored, and this year I am adding Amanda's book to my supply list.  It'll be in the mix as much for me as for them.

Amanda, it'll be like you're here, playing with us at our house : )

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I would also like to spread the word about a really fun challenge over at Goody Blog, from Parents Magazine.  They are accepting original, clever, and cool homemade birth announcements for possible publication in their magazine.  You can read about it here.  I don't know about you, but when Emma was born, we were kind of freaks for getting the birth announcements right.  Moreso than my wedding invites, if I recall.  (Poor, sweet second child Ian...I think he had an email for a birth announcement.)  Anyway, give them your best, most original, and you may find yourself published in Parents.  And those are some very nice people over there.