05-03-14 Topic: When children are happy, they thrive!
Our Practitioner Guest: Wendy Fachon is a Master Storywalker and Netwalker. She presents after school learning adventures for Child Opportunity Zone (COZ) programs around Rhode Island. She combines walking and storytelling into a light-spirited approach to teaching physical fitness, creative expression, and environmental stewardship.
THE ANGEL HEART is Wendy’s first children’s book. She has published a story CD, Fiddlesticks: Nature and Nonsense, and she contributes articles to Finding Spirituality, ecoRInews, and Natural Awakenings Magazine. She keeps several blogs, and manages three websites that focus on Children’s Health and Education issues – netwalking.com, wakeuppeople.org, and netergetics.com
For children to thrive and be happy, a strong sense of security forms the foundation upon which they build their lives. This means a loving home in a safe neighborhood, caring neighbors, and a kind schooling environment. Children are truly nurtured in an environment where love, care, and kindness are modeled by adults and older children. When a child comes from a home where there is a lot of fear, depression, anger, abuse, or neglect, it is all the more important that the child be able to get support from friends and adults in the neighborhood, at school, in afterschool programs, and/or in local church communities.
Security or safety is also created by setting boundaries. Boundaries that are not too rigid, yet are clearly delineated and explained, make children feel safer. Children thrive when they have the freedom to roam, run around outdoors, and explore, yet they feel braver and safer when they know an attentive adult is supervising and keeping a general eye on the area and the activity.
Food security is also important. In the early years, the responsibility falls upon the adults to provide children with a well-balanced diet and whole nutrition to insure the healthy development of each child’s body, mind, and spirit. This means providing a variety of fresh food that is as close to its original natural form as possible – without additives such as sweeteners, excess salt, artificial flavorings, synthetic colorings, chemical preservatives, and other unnecessary additives. Sharing healthy enjoyable food with children is part of creating a loving, caring, and kind environment. When both homes and schools fall short of providing adequate nutrition due to ignorance and/or lack of funds, children suffer. When children are well cared for by others, they are better able to identify and connect with their own inner power and draw upon that power to help others, which gives them a true sense of purpose and accomplishment.
