Extraordinary Parenting: The Essential Guide to Parenting and Educating at Home

by Eloise Rickman

Overview

The Peaceful Home approach to parenting during a pandemic.

We are living through an unprecedented and stressful time, and many parents around the world have been asked to care for and educate their children at home. This presents unique challenges, especially for parents trying to work and oversee their children during long days at home.

Extraordinary Parenting offers authoritative, calm, credible advice that is easy to digest and put into practise straight away, as parents learn to navigate unthinkable circumstances. Central to this quick, informative read is a guide to building strong, flexible family rhythms.

Written by a homeschooling expert with the current Covid-19 crisis in mind, Extraordinary Parenting will have lasting appeal for any family dealing with a sudden change in circumstances—or even just those families who want to rethink the way their household and parenting is structured. What emerges, through Rickman’s Montessori- and Waldorf-influenced approach, is a peaceful parenting style that fosters a slow childhood and a holistic family way of being in the world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781950354504
Publisher:	Scribe Publications Pty Ltd
Publication date:	06/30/2020
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	1,131,333
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.80(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Eloise Rickman is a writer and parent educator. Her work focuses on challenging adultism (the discrimination children face), championing rights-based parenting and alternative education, and helping parents and educators rethink how they see and treat children. She is studying for an MA in Children’s Rights at UCL’s Institute of Education and has a degree in Social Anthropology from Cambridge University, where she first became interested in how family practices shape society. Her first book, Extraordinary Parenting, was published in 2020. She lives in London with her husband and daughter.

Table of Contents

Preface xiii

Introduction 1

The five pillars of parenting and educating at home 2

Educating at home 4

My parenting philosophy: a beautiful childhood 6

Chapter 1 Calm in the storm 10

Nurturing growing brains 11

Building resilience 13

Understanding behaviour as a form of communication 17

When you disagree on parenting styles 22

Unconditional Positive Regard 23

Moving away from control-based parenting 25

Keeping calm in a crisis 26

Talking to children about uncertainty 27

Supporting children through change 28

Using play to support emotional development 30

Challenging behaviour and playful parenting 32

Turning frowns upside down 33

Play helps children process 35

Playdough emotions 37

Positive communication 38

Nonviolent Communication 41

When words are not enough 45

Supporting your child through strong feelings and navigating tantrums 47

Sportscasting 50

How to keep yourself calm during tricky times 51

What to do when you've lost your cool 52

Connecting through nonverbal communication 54

The inner work of parenting 55

Identifying your parenting triggers 56

Developing self-awareness 58

Chapter 2 Rhythm in the home 62

Rhythm, not routine 64

Identifying your family's needs and values 65

Identifying your parenting values 65

Identifying your family's needs 68

Daily rhythms 69

Breathing in, breathing out 69

Example rhythm for daily life at home with young children 70

Anchors 72

Morning time and tea time 77

Working space for self-care into your dally rhythm 80

Weekly rhythms 81

Sites of Mutual Fulfilment 83

When your weeks are unpredictable 84

Rhythm for differently wired children 85

Rhythm when your child has two homes 87

Finding your rhythm when working from home 88

Balancing working and childcare 89

Breathing in, breathing out - again 93

Adapting to your new normal 94

What about weekends? 94

Weekends in times of change 95

Seasonal rhythms 96

Creating a visual rhythm 98

Suggestions for visual rhythms 99

Reclaiming your rhythm when life throws you a curve-ball 100

Chapter 3 Toys, play, and the prepared environment 103

The home as a 'prepared environment' 103

Think cosy, not classroom 105

Making space for beauty 106

Tips on cleaning for people who hate to clean 107

Making smaller spaces work for you 109

Your home is for living, not a show home 110

Adapting your home to different life stages 112

Meeting your family's needs through your home 113

Creating a 'yes space' 113

How to cultivate a prepared environment if you move around a lot 115

Meeting your child's need for independence 116

Meeting your child's need to create 117

Meeting your child's need for movement 119

Meeting your child's need for rest 121

Meeting your child's need for play 122

Toy rotation 125

Four steps to better concentration and deeper play 127

The power of simplicity 131

The benefits of simplifying 133

Toys which will stand the test of time 135

Some of my favourite toys 136

Cultivating your home to encourage independent play 138

Chapter 4 Awakening your child's natural curiosity 145

Natural born learners 145

Knowledge is king 147

Raising scientists 149

The impact of stress 150

Unplanned homeschooling 155

Navigating the space between school and home 156

Putting the 'home' in home education 158

Homeschooling 'kit list' 159

Learning and play ideas for all ages and stages 161

Activity ideas for all ages 161

A note on nature 165

Activity ideas for toddlers and pre-schoolers 166

Activity ideas for school-age children 171

A few words on teenagers 175

Supporting teens stuck at home 175

Home education, not school at home 177

Socialising when you can't go out 177

Homeschooling through crisis: a note for home educators 179

Supporting sibling dynamics 180

What to do when everyone needs you at the same time 184

Building your child's motivation 186

The problem with praise 187

Growth mindset 188

The erosion of intrinsic motivation 189

How can I encourage my child without rewards? 191

Sharing in your child's joy 193

Chapter 5 Self-care for ordinary and extraordinary times 198

Your needs deserve to be taken seriously 199

Modelling self-care to our children 200

Fit your own oxygen mask first 200

What exactly is self-care? 202

Know that you deserve care and pleasure 204

Some ideas for self-care 205

Nurture your mind 205

Take care of your mental health 206

Respect your body 207

Create a restful home environment 207

Protect your boundaries 208

Self-compassion 209

Bringing mindfulness to our lives as parents 212

Simple mindfulness exercises 214

Getting your needs met while parenting 216

Finding community 216

Creating space apart from your children 219

When your needs clash with your children's needs 224

Sharing the load 226

The marriage meeting 229

Afterword: You are enough 232

References and further resources 235

Acknowledgements 247

Editorial Reviews

This book feels like a big hug just when we need it. Eloise’s words offer reassurance, calm, and lots of practical suggestions.”
—Simone Davies, author of The Montessori Toddler

“Insightful, empowering, and accessible.”
—Professor Susan Golombok, Director of the Centre for Family Research at the Universityof Cambridge and author of We Are Family

“An inspiring, creative and helpful book for parents. It’s reminded me that there are simple tweaks we can make to our daily family lives to boost energy and morale.”
—Annie Ridout, author of The Freelance Mum

“In easy-to-read, accessible language, Eloise holds our hands through parenting and home-educating with intention and connection in these extraordinary times. Her advice is practical and evidence-based. I love that the overall tone of the book doesn’t feel preachy but empowering … Eloise shows us how by simply observing our children at play we can deepen their learning of the world. Eloise maintains that you do not need a spacious home, your undivided attention, expensive toys and resources to educate your child.”
—Oh Creative Day

“Eloise‘s book contains such valuable insights into parenting for change. Eloise sees parenting as a radical act and her book certainly inspired confident, calm and compassionate parenting which is truly beautiful.”
—The Way We Waldorf

From the Publisher