One thing I LOVE about Beautiful Beginnings is the creativity that goes on there each week. Our resident artist at The Settlement, Jane is one of the most creative and fun people I have met and each week comes with new ideas about what we can create from next to nothing, its fab!

In the past few weeks we have been making all sorts of fantastic things such as glove finger puppets, snakes out of old bobbins and shell mobiles. We have even become involved in a local art exhibition called FLOCK where we created pom poms and then made them into sheep! Here are some of the kids counting the sheep we made.

Surya and Jude counting the FLOCK

Sometimes though, it’s what the children create organically that is most precious. One of the cutest creations recently was by two little girls Surya and Willow who went into the garden and made some lovely little nests for the birds. Take a look…

Surya & Willow's nests

We are also excited to announce our Summer Family Garden Party which we are organising alongside The Settlement. It gives us all a chance to put our creativity into overdrive as we are aiming to make all sorts of interesting things to sell for fund raising on the day.

Beautiful Beginnings will be focusing on offering natural parenting support and guidance on the day so we have invited a special speaker, Veronika Robinson from The Mother Magazine which will be fantastic! Veronika will be doing a talk based on her book ‘The Nurtured Family’ which covers ten threads of nurturing to weave into family life, they are practical, and easy to follow. We are really looking forward to having her on the day and hope you can make it for her talk. Please keep checking our website as further details will be announced shortly, and keep Sunday 15th July free!

Clare and I's little angels Shanti, Surya and Jude having a group hug after BB!

We haven’t written about BB for a while not because we don’t have anything to write about but because sometimes being full time mummy’s, running home businesses as well as a playgroup doesn’t leave us with much time for anything else! Clare and I are certainly keeping busy although enjoying every minute of it.

The last few weeks at BB have been lovely but equally different every time. One week we had a group of babies from newborn up to my little man being the eldest at 18 months. So lovely to see the babies, some snuggling into their mummies, some starting to crawl about and some pulling themselves up, all at different stages and all enjoying the songs we sing and watching the different activities.

The next week we had a group of toddlers playing in the toy kitchen, scribbling on paper or going on an adventure in the garden while still checking in on mummy now and again before going off to explore their new world once more.

Last week there was such a special moment that will remain with me for a while. Sitting in the garden with a handful of toddlers in the long grass on one of the first sunny days this year. We discovered a ladybird, and then another, and then another! They were all fascinated some seeing one for the first time. These special moments are priceless and so important not to miss. I feel so lucky to share these first moments with them : )

This week I’m on holiday for a few days and will miss BB for the first time. I certainly will miss all my friends there and be wondering what they are up to this Thursday afternoon. Each Thursday is a new little adventure …

The January sessions saw the return of many of our original members, plus some new families, including a couple of mums who had been regulars at my pregnancy yoga classes. It really is great to get to know women through yoga during their pregnancy, then have the pleasure of welcoming them and their beautiful baby into our friendly playgroup where they can get to know other like-minded parents.

There is something so special when getting to know the baby behind the ever-changing bump! Indeed this is something we, as parents have the opportunity to do each and every day with our own children. Both of my girls never cease to amaze me in their constant learning and exploring of the world around them, and it really is a gift to be there alongside them to share their experiences and to get to know them more each day.

A favourite part of Beautiful Beginnings play group is the circle time where all the parents share something about their child which has made them smile. We have all had much to smile about recently including baby’s first smiles, toddler ‘food art’, kind sibling gestures, and little ones going about their serious business of exploring with no concerns about falling head first into their toy box or pouring the contents of the fridge onto the floor! Our little ones also notice the affection we show to our partners and those around us. We heard today how they love to reach out and cuddle mum and dad together, and share kisses when they see us doing so. By showing our affection and love for others, our children are also learning how to show their own feelings, and how to be open and loving to those around us. Carry on hugging!

The art and craft sessions have focused on using recycled materials to make different kinds of balls. These balls are really easy to make, and are loved by children of all ages: PHOTO’S TO COME!

Simple woollen ball

1. Screw some newspaper into a small ball and wrap with sellotape
2. Tape the end of some wool onto the ball and begin to wind the wool around the ball. Keep changing direction until the whole ball is covered in wool and the whole surface looks neat. Secure the end of the wool.
3. Paint the ball in PVA glue and leave to dry.
4. You can also use think strips of fabric from old clothes for this!

Cellophane and wool ball

1. Begin as with the simple woollen ball, but make it slightly bigger.
2. Cover the newspaper in coloured cellophane by wrapping strips all around as with the wool. Secure the ends.
3. Wrap a little wool on top of cellophane for a spiderweb effect.
4. Paint the ball in PVA glue and leave to dry.

Rainbow spiders web ball

1. Blow up a balloon into a smallish size and tie
2. Cut lengths of different coloured wool. Mix PVA glue and water. (its handy to have some towels around for wiping sticky hands)
3. Dip the wool into the glue until soggy, then wrap widely around the balloon. Continue with different colours until most of the balloon is covered and you like the effect.
4. Leave to dry, then when hard pop the balloon and remove.
5. The possibilities with these are endless!

We were blessed with the weather today, and the children of all ages had fun exploring the winter garden, feeling the frozen ground, scratching around on ice and running in the winter sunshine. We are so blessed to be running this playgroup at The Settlement!

Puppet Month

Our crafty genius Jane is putting together plans for our very first puppet month! Over the coming weeks, Jane will show us some of the simple and varied ways we can use recycled materials to make beautiful puppets suitable for babies, toddlers and older children. To make this a real success please try to bring along any (or all) of the following things you may find lying around the house:

• Wool or string
• Old tights
• Old colourful socks, not too worn
• Elastic bands
• Buttons
• Material
• Plastic bottle tops

Beautiful Beginnings News

• We welcomed Helen to the group, she runs a sling meet in Wigton where parents interested in trying out different slings can go along and see what works best for their baby. Find out more on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/North-Cumbria-Sling-Meet/156555121093579

• Clare’s pregnancy yoga pages are on the website now. To find out more about how yoga can help to release stress and anxiety, strengthen your body and prevent backache, and prepare for gentle birth, talk to Clare or visit www.beautifulbeginnings.org.uk/pregnancyyoga

• Hatti’s successful business creative soul marketing is branching out by beginning to help mums start up their own businesses that will fit around their children. Hatti is keen to use her own skills and experience of being a stay at home mum with a successful home-based business to help other mums do the same. If you are interesetd ask her how she can help you or visit www.creativesoulmarketing.com

• We are planning an exciting summer event to celebrate Beautiful Beginnings and to raise the profile of breastfeeding and natural parenting in West Cumbria. We would love people to contribute ideas and to help out!

For those of you on facebook here are some more good natural parenting/ mum groups.

Slings and Things – FSOT and advice

Natures way-parenting group

UK Mums who Make

And of course our Beautiful Beginnings Parent & Child Group

We thought we would show you our Christmas party in a video, it’s our first video so let us know what you think! …..

We have been making many christmas crafts over the past few weeks but I just wanted to quickly post this one while I get 5 minutes as I think its a lovely little decoration and so easy to make! All you need is an old paperback book (or a hard back with cover ripped off).

Take the book and fold as photos below, making sure you fold properly all the way up to the top edge with your nails.

Keep folding like this all the way round, or until you think you have enough to go around. Then if you have some left over just cut that bit off, shuffle it about a bit so it all stands up and then decorate as you fancy. Here is the one I did with my grandmas old brooch on top and some old christmas earings.

Then if you have some pages left over you could make a Christmas banner like the one below. All you do is fold a few pages in half and cut a christmas tree shape down one side so that it makes a tree shaped hole in the page. Then cut a few bits of magazines the same size and sandwich each one between two old book pages. Punch holes in the top and thread string through and your done!

One of the things that Hatti and I had in mind for the Beautiful Beginnings group was to invite speakers along to share ideas around different aspects of natural health and parenting.  In West Cumbria we are very lucky to have a number of experienced homeopaths, and also the Millenium Children’s Clinic which provides affordable homeopathic treatment for families. Hatti and I are both regulars with the homeopaths and practice natural immunity with our children. We have seen the benefits of using homeopathy both ourselves and with our little ones, and were delighted when Carey Blanden of the Millenium Clinic in Cockermouth said she would like to come and talk at the group.

 We had a great turn out, with our regular families, and some new ones coming along to see what the group was about. The children, of all different ages, soon got to work making Christmas tree banners from magazines and old books, they looked great, so simple and colourful, and 100% recycled. You could adapt this idea with all kinds of different shapes to make really fab banners for every occasion. The sensory table was very popular again, little ones and big ones spooning lentils and into little pots and making imaginary birthday cakes with old polystyrene packaging beads.

Carey and fellow Homeopath Val arrived with their baskets full of books and remedy kits. They gave a simple introduction and explained how homeopathic remedies can be so effective with children and provide a real alternative to the regular use of Calpol and the like. For those parents who were interested there were bottles of ABC – Aconite, Belladonna and Chamomilla, a combination remedy which is excellent for teething, temperatures, coughs and colds. It is a really good thing to have in for when your little one is unsettled, especially through the night. Arsenicum Album was also available which seems to work wonders with tummy bugs and diarrhoea.

 The rest of the session saw parents taking the opportunity to talk to Val and Carey one to one about various issues in their families and how homeopathy could help. Discussions were wide and varied, ranging from remedies for pregnancy, birth and breast feeding, to dowsing and spiritual healing. A few parents bought books and remedy kits, and others have subsequently made appointments at the Millennium Clinic. I snapped up a Miranda Castro handbook and a remedy kit for childbirth which I intend to lend out to interested pregnancy yoga students.

 There were also a few parents who were not interested, for a variety of reasons, and this is worthy of mention also. Whilst Hatti and I were obviously enthusiastic about the session, it was important to us that people who were not interested still felt comfortable and were able to enjoy the session with their children. Part of the Vision and Values of Beautiful Beginnings is to support parents in all aspects of natural parenting (we know this means vastly different things to different people!) and for all parents to respect the views and decisions of other parents even if these are different to their own.

 A few parents were interested in learning how to dowse for food allergies and sensitivities in their children, so Val and Carey are planning to come back in the new year to show us how to do this for ourselves. How wonderful to be able to identify foods or substances that could cause a reaction in our children and avoid them from the outset. If you are interested why not ask for a crystal pendulum as a Christmas present!

 This week my little ones have been struck down by the coughing vomiting bug which seems to be doing the rounds. I’ve found the remedy Ipecac. 30 to be doing a good job so far!

 Have a look at www.northlakesclinic.co.uk for more details, appointments etc.

The past two weeks at Beautiful Beginnings I have really started to feel like our little vision of a ‘tribe’ has come together. I use the word tribe as it comes from the book Contiuum Concept which Clare and I have based our values for the group on. The vision is to build a group of parents and children to grow and learn with and support each other.

I realised we had reached this last week when Clare and the girls couldn’t make the group so I was to run it on my own. I was a little anxious and waking up that morning with just a whisper for a voice I thought ‘how am I going to sing our songs today!?’. When the dude and I arrived though I was happy to see Jane had kindly set up the toys for me. It was a small intimate group and we made skittles out of decorated plastic bottles with pasta to weigh them down and the songs weren’t a problem as everyone joined in (of course)!

One lovely mum Carolyn who has done a course in babywearing kindly brought her box of slings out of the car and we had a little chat about the different ways to carry little ones. She showed me how to carry Jude using a fabric sling even now he is 14 months and pretty solid, it was actually very comfortable!

At the end of the group we ended up sitting outside in the Settlements meditation circle singing our nursery rhymes. It was a beautiful day and we could have sat there enjoying nature, singing and chatting all day with the children,it was really peaceful. Ian and Mike kindly then helped me with the washing up before we left for the day while the kids happily played.

This week we had fun as we had quite a few regulars and most of the children were younger ones so it was nice to see lots of toddlers bumbling around together. There was play dough to squish and mould and a sensory table to pour lentils and other things from one pot to another, so much fun!

We also went out to the garden and planted some daffodil bulbs for the little ones to watch grow at home. They all had lots of fun digging the soil and patting it down, so cute to watch.

The next task is to make some gifts to sell in our Xmas stall to raise money for BB so our tribe can keep going. I’m currently sewing handmade teddies at home and we are making handmade appliqué books next week. It’s amazing how creative being a parent makes you. Each week the group makes me realise how the children just love to explore and be creative with the simplest things, it makes me question our society especially in the run up to Christmas. Do we need all the presents under the tree? …….

One of the comments most frequently shared about the Beautiful Beginnings play group describes the atmosphere. Many people say the group has a lovely feel to it. This always brings a huge smile to our faces and our hearts! We strive to create a group which feels warm and welcoming, where parents and children feel valued, accepted and comfortable to be themselves. We like to imagine a loving energy surrounding the group, inspiring each parent to feel calm and peaceful, connected to themselves and their children. We are new at running a play group and know we won’t always get it right, but we are both learning immensely and like to share the process through our blog and website. We also welcome your feedback, comments and ideas!

Steiner / Waldorf Approaches

Hatti and I spent months researching Steiner ideas for the structure and rhythm of a parent and child group; we learnt that the ‘feeling’ and ‘atmosphere’ was as, if not more, important than the activities themselves. A consistent rhythm to the group, and gentle transitions, marked by simple songs help the children and parents to understand what is happening, and what to expect next.

This is the rhythm of the session, and the songs we use:

• Arriving, shoes off, settling in, free play, art and craft activities

• Tidy up time

“This is how we tidy up, tidy up, tidy up, this is how we tidy up, toys back in their boxes”

• Family Yoga session & circle sharing time, various yoga songs and nursery rhymes

• Snack time, a sharing of fruit, rice cakes and water

“Thank you Earth, Thank you Sun, Love and Thanks to Everyone”

• Outside free play & exploration

“Let’s go outside and have some fun, shoes on, coats on everyone!”

• Song time – seasonal and favourite songs and rhymes

• Home time

“Good bye Lucy, Good bye Lucy, Good bye Lucy, we’re glad you came to play”  

At first the songs seemed a little awkward, especially as we are not confident singers! But it didn’t take long for us to hear the children joining in, they seemed to enjoy the simple, familiar rhythms and are now comfortable and confident with they pattern of the group. They know what is happening and each seems to have their own favourite part of the session!

Hatti and I planned to keep the group running over the holidays, for continuity, and to welcome older siblings, who may usually be at school, into the group. Our first half term session showed us we had made the right decision! Parents who usually work during term time accompanied their partner and child to the group, and other friends, who have been so supportive of the group, but unable to come due to working in a school also came along.

 Having some new faces and older siblings brought a new dimension to the group. The children, of different ages and backgrounds, some schooled, some unschooled, took their time exploring the simple handmade toys. They enjoyed stacking the boxes for the toddlers to knock over, rolling string balls down huge cardboard tubes, and the imaginative play with the train moved on to a whole new level! Extra carriages were needed as they embarked on a train ride to London with superheros as train drivers! It really is great to see all the children involved, creating and participating in the scene in their own way. This simple freeplay, relatively unhampered by adults, shows that children do not need to be constantly stimulated, or to have expensive, electronic toys to keep themselves occupied. Today, the space, simple objects, and a gentle parental presence was all that was needed to fuel their imagination and creativity.

Let’s create, when we’re ready!

As usual, The Settlement’s artist had a range of fabulous activities. Children lay down on some rolled out wallpaper whilst their parents drew around their body. Parents then encouraged the little ones to show where the different features and body parts would go, then together decorated this life sized art. Pipe cleaners and ribbons for hair, stickers and glitter wherever and everywhere! We also made rainbow spiders for Halloween from egg boxes and pipe cleaners. Children took their time, firstly exploring the toys, then as one child began drawing around themselves, another noticed and became involved, until there were as many life size pictures as there were children.

Each child came to the activity when they felt comfortable and ready, and brought with them their own creativity and enthusiasm. Parents didn’t dictate when or how long a child should stay involved in the activity, but they supported them as needed, then continued the activity when their child had finished. This process felt natural and organic, each child contributing in their own time and their own way without external pressures, and each taking home creations they are proud of.

Being Together

During the yoga session we connected to the breath and released the shoulders by making gentle wings for imaginary birds and butterflies. The overwhelming theme shared through our circle time was

“enjoying spending time with our children”

For most families, school takes up the vast majority of their regular week, either for parents, children or both. We heard how the half term week brings a valued oasis, time for parents and children to share simple activities such as painting, baking and decorating. Parents happily shared stories of their siblings playing together, and the joy they feel upon seeing their children happy and having pride in themselves. These moments mirrored the ethos of Beautiful Beginnings; valuing parents and children, sharing simple activities, cherishing time together.

Letting go of some of the stresses and complexities of parenting for a while, and simply enjoying spending time with our children, sharing simple, gentle activities seems to bring peace, joy and happiness to all. Yogic philosophy reminds us that stress only causes us problems when we don’t put down our burdens and nourish ourselves and our relationships for a little while. Our burdens and stresses will always be there to pick back up again, should we so desire, once we have enjoyed some soft, deep breathing, gentle yoga postures, a walk in nature, or some simple sharing with our children.

 “Cherish the moments and the years will take care of themselves”

 Our snack time this week was especially special, as Carolyn brought along delicious vegan chocolate cookies. They were enjoyed by all, having the perfect consistency for teething toddlers and parents alike. Keep checking the blog for the exclusive recipe!

“Lets go outside and have some fun, shoes on, coats on, everyone!”

 A Wishing Tree

Our outside time today saw children and parents alike foraging for autumn leaves to be laminated and stuck onto an autumn collage. Little hands enthusiastically collected an array of yellow, red, orange, brown, green and yellow leaves, as well as some beautiful autumn flowers. The little ones were keen to share the fabulous garden and secret woodland area with their parents. Ali told us how the woodland meditation circle had been created by one of her community groups who had taken a real pride and ownership of their creation. How inspiring to hear how people can move forward in their lives and come together to create a beautiful woodland space, channelling their energy into nature, art and creativity. The result is an enchanted woodland meditation area enjoyed by all who discover it. Thank you to all involved!

Our session ended with Ali’s beautiful idea of the children sticking their leaves onto the tree and making a wish! I wonder what they wished for…

This Thursday was the 4th week at Beautiful Beginnings and we had some new faces and a wide range of ages of children which was lovely. We even had our first grandma who brought along her grandson who was staying with her for a couple of days.

Clare and I arrived at The Settlement to find Jane had started to set up and this week the cardboard box train had been paper mached and painted! There was also a new edition to the cardboard box toys in the form of a microwave with a door that opened and a knob that turned. This amused my little dude no end as he likes anything that opens and closes!

I love going in to find out what craft Jane has in store and this week I wasn’t disappointed as we were making Japanese rain dolls or ‘Teru Teru Bozu’ which you are meant to hang in your window to warn off the rain, or upside down if you want it to rain! They are really easy to make -

• Scrunch a bit of newspaper in a ball
• Place in the middle of some white tissue paper (or white fabric I guess)
• Fold it around and secure the head with some ribbon
• Draw or sew a face on with whatever mood takes your fancy
• Place a tiny bit of Sellotape on the top of the head then use a needle to thread some thread through the top ( if using fabric you won’t need the Sellotape it’s just to support the tissue fabric)
• You can then tie it to some string and hang it across the window

I think these would also be great as Christmas tree decorations as they look a little like angels!

Once again each parent came and enjoyed making these simple dollls whether or not their child was involved. This was Clare and I’s thought behind the craft, that if we provided a craft activity for parents to get involved with then children will see their parents doing this and hopefully want to join in of their own free will rather than being instructed to do so. Steiner education is based on imitation and the Continuum Concept urges that children will eventually learn and copy by example rather than instruction so we wanted to try this environment in our group. All parents know that their little ones want to copy everything they are doing so it wasn’t a surprise to us that the children at the group naturally want to join in with what we are doing. It’s so nice to watch things happen so organically and smoothly in this way and also with the use of our transition songs! They work so welI have started using them at home. I have found myself singing ‘this is the way we change your nappy’ or ‘this is the way mummy has a shower, wash, wash, wash…’ and it amazingly saves a few temper tantrums and makes things lots easier!

During Clare’s yoga this week she went through a bit of yoga to help parents and added some children’s songs in the middle. She reminded us that when sometimes the stress of parenting gets on top of you take a deep breathe and focus back on your heart centre then breathe out and let it all go. If you focus on the heart then you can only come from a place of love. I have decided to start using this technique at dinner time when I usually have pots and pans on the go, a toddler round my leg and steam coming out of my ears! Or when I remove the little dude from the unhappy dogs bed for the 50th time : )

I’m going to end by mentioning a lovely song that we sang in circle time today ‘mr sun’. Here is a link to it so you can sing it at home too! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpBVTL27Sns&feature=youtube_gdata_player