Creating a Place of Belonging and Empowerment for Children

Wherever you go, it is the staff who make a school what it is.  And the staff at Riviera PlaySchool are all grounded in the same philosophy — that of non violent communication, and mindfulness.  You will notice that every interaction between child and adult has a consistent and tangible feeling of respect and compassion.  And when any conflict occurs, it is a true learning moment, and teachers are on hand to hold space for the children to resolve their own conflicts.  We try to not rush to a resolution of our adult creation.  Sometimes children can take a while to sort a conflict out to a place they deem to be “fair.”.  And we give them space to take the time to do that, while offering support, and helping them keep bodies and hears safe.  We pay particular attention to where we are during the conflict.  We stay on the sidelines.  We don’t jump into the fray energetically.  If we notice our speech becoming more rapid, or our voice becoming louder, then that’s a signal to us to take a step back and let them have their own emotions about the conflict at hand…  It’s pretty tricky, and it keeps us more awake as people.  It is an incredibly magical thing to witness a couple of small children figure out a workable solution to their volatile dilemma…and then walk away laughing together, more emotionally and socially intelligent than before.

Helicoptering and Inner Compasses

I have been ruminating on helicoptering. You know, that thing that we do at the park when we are afraid of offending other people via our child’s poor behavior. “Tommy! Don’t throw sand! Share your toys!”

Hey, Guess What?!! You Already ARE the Perfect Parent!!

If you’re like me, you are your own worst critic. And there is no badge of honor in that, even though we have been brought up to believe it is so. You deserve the same “break” you are wanting your child to be given. And it has to start with you doing it for yourself, since you are their primary teacher. Ease up a little, and give yourself some validation. You deserve it!

“People are people no matter how small”

“People are people no matter how small” is as close to a school motto as we have at Riviera PlaySchool; and it’s fitting that it is quoted from Dr. Seuss’s character Horton. The cornerstone of our program is Non-Violence. Ghandi and Krishnamurti both base their work upon this, as do many western advocates including Rosenberg, [...]

Taking a Step Back Can Provide All the Freedom Your Child Needs!

Freedom to have power, explore, create, play, and resolve conflicts can be given to children anywhere, at anytime. These freedoms are so essential to becoming individuals, and so essential to discovering our own purpose in life, and our gifts. And yet parents these days seem to helicopter over their children, surely motivated by love, providing guidance and a running commentary on their child’s every action: “Say please! Share! Don’t do that – take turns! That’s not nice!” Contrary to these parents’ loving desires for their children, this hovering and directing steals away their children’s opportunity for magic and joy and power, and individuation! How do we arrive at a place where we can allow our children to freely experience the (dangerous?) world we live in?

Hey Dieters: New Study Shows that Television Lowers Metabolic Rate!

Wow! Logic does not always prevail! Logically, we would assume that watching television makes children fat simply because the act of television watching typically corresponds with sitting passively. But now a recent study from two prestigious universities has shown that television watching actually decreases your body’s ability to burn calories. Wow!

If you are trying to lose weight, you might want to read this one……

It’s Never too Early to Reason With a Child

Non Violent Communication, and reasoning (rather than punishing) “works” no matter what the age!  Each child in a conflict learns what they can from it! There are a number of techniques you can use to help children of diverse ages in conflict. When two children are arguing over the same toy, for example, we first [...]

10 Reasons to Seek Alternives to Public School for Your Child

by Jerry Mintz Many parents don’t realize that the education world has changed drastically since they were in school. Schools and class sizes used to be smaller, dropout rates lower, in-school violence almost unheard of, and teachers weren’t terrified of showing affection to their students, or of discussing moral values. Of course, even then, school [...]