I adore pumpkin pie. If I could have it my way, I would clean off an entire pie myself! Every Thanksgiving and Christmas I look forward to that first bite of creamy, pumpkin pie. But in the meantime, for the sake of my health (mostly my waistline!), I use the imaginary spoon and pretend to enjoy a bite now and then.

No, this is not about dieting. Yes, this is about an imaginary spoon and how you and your child can create an imaginary spoon as well. This is about pantomiming.

What is pantomiming? Pantomiming is acting without words.

I was first introduced to pantomiming when I started co-teaching classes with a theater teacher. I loved watching the teacher use her two hands and mold a baseball bat out of thin air. The students were so curious about what she was making. You could see the light bulb above their heads turn on, one by one, as they realized what she was making and acting out – getting ready to swing the baseball bat. When it came to their turn to create something, it was amazing to witness how this technique of using their imagination completely opened up their world to another form of expression and creativity.

Nowadays when I am teaching by myself sans a theater expert, I incorporate pantomiming into the songs and short poems. One of my favorite ones goes like this:

This type of game is a great way to share a laugh with your child while activating the imagination. It’s also a short and sweet so it can be played just about any time, anywhere.

Here’s to finding your imaginary spoon – making an everyday task just a little more creative!

Technology has permanently and irrevocably invaded kids’ lives — smartphones, tablets, portable media players, computers and connected video game systems fill there lives. Happily for today’s family, it can be an immensely rewarding and uplifting part of life as long as parents and children observe a few simple rules. From The Modern Parent’s Guide series (free to download, and the first covering all aspects of connected life), here are five tips for making high-tech devices a healthy part of your home.

Make a Commitment to Education

Dozens software programs, apps and child-friendly Web browsers promise to block questionable online content. But software’s no substitute for proactive parenting. As many new ways to connect constantly emerge or evolve, technology’s a moving target. The only way to meet the challenge is to constantly keep tabs on and personally try out new advancements. Ongoing research and hands-on trials are essential: You can’t teach the rules of the game if you don’t comprehend them yourself.

Keep Connected Devices in Common Rooms

It’s tempting to let kids keep computers, video game consoles and other Internet-ready devices in their bedrooms. But screens should be confined to common areas of the home. Beyond allowing you to monitor kids’ play patterns and time investment, doing so also lets you see how sprouts utilize systems in context, and whom they interact with. This provides a sense of children’s general computing habits and way in which kids employ devices. Ancillary benefits are also substantial – i.e. not having to worry about anyone sneaking down to pay World of Warcraft at midnight, apart from Dad, that is.

Use Parental Controls

Don’t ignore the basics: From Windows 8 to iPad and PlayStation Vita, most mass-market computing and entertainment devices offer parental controls built-in. System settings – optionally guarded with a password – can limit access to questionable content, the Internet or hardware itself, or filter material by age-appropriateness. Solutions make it simple to block R-rated movies and mature games, limit access to devices during off-hours, prevent downloadable purchases, and/or confine online interactions to pre-approved friend lists. Thankfully, even clueless grown-ups can configure them in minutes without reading the user manual.

Guard Your Personal Information

The Internet can be a wonderful place, but it’s also an intensely public one: Keep your personal information private. Intimate as social networks seem, everyone is ultimately playing a character. Many healthy relationships can be formed online. But it never hurts to stay paranoid. Knowing this, never give out personal information such as names, addresses, birthdays or telephone numbers, or reveal when you’ll be out of town. Likewise, use online services’ built-in tools and custom privacy settings to limit access to photos, status updates or videos of yourself only to pre-approved viewers.

Create and Enforce House Rules

Help kids understand the difference between right and wrong by setting house rules the entire family agrees to on appropriate content, when/how it’s suitable to use high-tech devices and when access is prohibited. Limiting screen time is important too: While the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than one to two hours daily, some parents offer more or less time as a reward or punishment for good or bad behavior. (Others treat use of high-tech devices as a privilege, reinforcing positive habits by letting kids earn time by doing chores or performing well in school.) Note that kids should feel comfortable approaching you with questions as well concerning house rules and questionable content – open, honest discussion is paramount. Long story short: Technology can be a hugely beneficial part of kids’ lives. But to realize it’s full potential, you’ve got to prepare them to meet its ups and downs, and commit to cruising alongside them on the rollercoaster ride.

Walt Disney called it “Imagineering” and made imagining fun for all ages!

Young children make sense of the world through play and by using their imaginations.  They learn social and emotional skills through play and interaction with their peers and with adults.

They learn valuable lessons like taking turns and predicting outcomes.    Have you ever built a castle in the sand or maybe just a sand cake with a young child?  Great conversations can develop.  You can discuss your surroundings, like who lives in which house, or whose birthday could this be?  How many people or how many candles should there be?  What about your house or family?  How many birthdays or how old are you this year or next?

They learn vocabulary by trying out different words and different combinations of words.  They learn about humor and what’s funny by playing with words and putting different word combinations together.   For example, “smelly” and “feet” by themselves are not funny, but together it may be hilarious to a young child.   They are developing a sense of confidence by trying new things.  In play they  are not judged or criticized.

Walt Disney certainly understood the importance of imagination for young children and their belief in magic.  Fantasy and reality seemed to weave in and out of stories that children and their parents love.  He knew the importance of developing creativity in children by developing their imaginations.  His stories were engaging for both parents and their children.  He even seemed to be able to touch the child inside every adult.

I was lucky enough to grow up with Walt Disney and Dr. Seuss as my heroes.   I was transported to wonderful lands by the magic of Disney and entertained by the zaniness of many of the Seuss characters.

My book “Last Night I Had a Laughmare” is my own personal tribute to the memory of these two wonderfully amazing people.  It’s my own leap into the realm of Imagineering.  I imagined a book that would enable parents and children to escape together to the land of Gigglyville and meet my own brand of zany folks.   If just for a few minutes, they could share a giggle, a laugh or at least a smile, that would make it all worthwhile.

As an early childhood educator I too believe in the importance of providing lots of opportunities for children to use their imaginations and their sense of silliness.   The silliness enables them to try new things, think creatively and positively about the world they live in.

Here are some suggestions to try with your kids using my book “Last Night I Had a Laughmare”:

• Ask you kids what other funny named characters could live in Gigglyville.  Let them come up with some names and why they would be perfect for this town.
• What other things can you think of that can be done backwards in Gigglyville.
• The residents of Gigglyville can hop on one toe.  See if they would like to try that!
• Try a “dress up day” where you find clothes that are way too big and then way too small.  How do both feel?  Which would they choose if they had to choose one?

Enjoy a happy, funny giggly day or night!

If you have a toddler, you’ve likely heard this phrase many times before: “Mommy, I do it.” They are four simple words that can be the start of a thrilling moment of development or the prelude to a power struggle. Throughout their lives, our kids want and need our support, but they also need to learn the skills to do things independently. One of the biggest challenges for a parent is knowing when to let go, step back, and let your child figure it out for herself. We instinctively want to step in and make it easier, but sometimes, we need to stand down and let our children overcome obstacles on their own.

Cultivating independence is a learning experience for both parents and kids. But, from infancy onward, there are many little steps that we can take to give our children room to grow and develop, while at the same time nurturing their sense of empowerment and confidence.

Here are 3 simple ideas to set them on their own paths:

1. Allow your child to experience frustration and even to fail. We tend to live in a praise-heavy culture where rewards have become nearly meaningless. This over-praising and efforts to “guarantee” success compromise our children’s capacity for achievement and can even create in them a sense of entitlement. Children need to try – and to fail. By allowing children the experience of frustration, we give them the opportunity to problem solve. We give them the chance to dig deeper, try harder. We also allow them to fail and to realize that failure doesn’t define them, nor does it mean complete destruction. It is very difficult for us, as parents, to watch our children struggle and fail, but we need to remind ourselves of the power and sense of accomplishment your child will feel when the task has been conquered or achieved.

2. Give your child free time. Make room for play and imagination. Do you hear “I’m bored” all too often? Are your kids used to a hectic schedule of school, sports, activities, and playdates? Free time gives children a chance to explore and to learn independent play. Kids who can choose how to spend their time will learn to venture into new territories, explore their imagination, and develop their creativity. Passive entertainment is not going to build their independence. Get them outside to explore the world, let them pick a book to get lost in, or provide them with creative outlets where they can put their independent thoughts into action.

3. Honor your children. Honoring our own parents is not about blindly accepting all of their choices or beliefs, but about treating them with respect. The same goes for our children. Honor their voices and opinions. Get on their level when you speak with them and take their thoughts and ideas to heart. Validate their feelings and allow them to express their emotions openly and to work through them, even when they are not pleasant. Children who are validated will learn self-confidence and will be much better equipped to manage a wide range of emotions and moods throughout life, without seeking outside influences for confirmation.

Giving your children room to grow and develop a sense of personal independence is one of the greatest things we can give our children.

How do you nurture your child’s independence?

Learn more about finding balance and holistic parenting and connect with like-minded parents at the 9th Annual Natural Living Conference on October 13th in Chicago. You can also join in events online and off-line all month long as part of Holistic Moms Network’s celebration of Holistic Living Month. Join us!

A summer festival in the park, splashing, swimming, enjoying new outdoor games, and old favorites… Dancing, biking, bouncing, jumping rope, roller-skating, playing volleyball or tennis or soccer…A festive tent, the aroma of a delicious picnic as participants learn how to grill low-fat foods… I’d like to introduce you to Hearts N’Parks, an exciting program now taking place at 56 sites across the United States, and available to hundreds of thousands of people.

Kids love it because of the good food and active fun. I love it because it can be a fun way to build habits of healthy eating and healthy active play.

Is it working? A preliminary study of 1200 participants was released on June 25, 2003. The results are as exciting as the days in the park.  Hearts N’Parks is a joint program of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA).

The programs for children and adolescents take place as after school activities or as summer day camps. In the study, children who participated in Hearts N’Parks increased significantly in healthy-eating knowledge, healthy-eating intention, and in actual healthy eating over a period of 7 to 11 weeks. They also reported learning or wanting to play again an average of 5 fun activities that they hadn’t tried before, and getting better at 7 activities they already enjoyed. (The program is also available for adults, who improved even more – adding an average of 2 hours of new physical activity a week after participating in Hearts N’Parks).

What a wonderful way to address the national obesity epidemic, using neighborhood parks for learning to enjoy good food and good fun! You might want to contact the NRPA at programs@nrpa.org or at 1-800-649-3042 to find out about bringing Hearts N’Parks to your area. Or you might want to take the family to the park for your own day of healthy food and healthy fun. Enjoy!

March 10 to 16 is Brain Awareness Week. One important way to take care of your child’s brain is to protect it from injury. Thankfully, wearing helmets has become common and cool while riding bikes. I hope helmets become just as natural during other fun activities, such as skateboarding, scootering, horseback riding, ATV or dirtbike riding, skiing, and even for those last few sled runs of the season.

As a child, I never wore a helmet while racing down a hill on a sled – or on a bike. Now I’ve seen too many serious head injuries, and too many children whose brains were saved by helmets, to ever feel comfortable seeing an un-helmeted racer again.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, there are about 3 million head injuries related to activities like these treated in US emergency rooms each year. Almost half a million of them result in concussions or skull fractures.

Helmets can make all the difference. How cool is that?

Roller coasters are fun! Nevertheless, a study in the January 2002 issue of the Annals of Emergency Medicine reported a disturbing trend in the rate of thrill ride injuries.

Overall, the risk of injury is low. Of the 900 million rides taken in the US each year, about 1 in 124,000 result in a significant injury that is detected. Only about 1 in 15 million require hospitalization and 1 in 150 million rides taken results in a death. Most of the worst injuries are from internal bleeding or from brain damage.

As my own children learned while playing Roller Coaster Tycoon, the fastest rides often have the longest lines, creating a strong incentive to build them bigger, faster, scarier.

Each time the G forces are increased, the risk of injury (detected and undetected) also increases. And thus the rate of injuries is going up each year.