About Collecting Rainwater
When I think of when in my life I have been the most at peace and felt the most myself, an image that always comes to me is from when I was a child playing outside for hours in the rain, my time mostly spent collecting rainwater.
The memories I have from childhood of collecting rainwater and the images that the phrase conjures up for me today remind me of a few things:
- Kids don’t need fancy or complicated toys learn and grow.
- Engaging in play is like a moving meditation that is connected to or can reconnect us with our truest selves.
- We are a part of nature.
- We have a responsibility to care for our planet and the act of engaging in that care can be a tremendous source of joy.
About Me
I’m a parent coach/early childhood educator and community organizer living in Chicago. My interest in studying child development and education began as a result of my own struggles as a child with sensory and processing differences and continued to evolve as an adult through time spent running and developing curriculum for a professional school for adult learners and finally as a mother who wanted to challenge the status quo of dominator, patriarchal norms that permeate our existing education system.
These experiences really came together when I discovered the RIE approach. Through RIE I became interested in the science of brain development, how trauma is processed and how we as humans form healthy attachments. I went on a very deep dive into understanding all of this for my child as well as re-examining everything from my own past.
In 2020 I completed the RIE Foundations: Theory & Observation Course. I am currently enrolled at the Erikson Institute in a post-graduate certificate in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health. I’m also currently working on the RIE Practicum with my RIE mentors Hari Grebler and Shannon Carr. I am also level 1 certified in DIRFloortime.
I’ve also had a lifelong interest in nature and issues of sustainability so marrying that with practices around child development just makes sense to me. Much of what I have learned about nature and sustainability has come from my own observations through my relationship with nature though I have also learned more formally from many others including a year-long intensive herbalism course focusing on plant identification as well as energetic folk herbalism uses of plants of the midwest region with Jim McDonald (I highly recommend it if you get the chance), classes in natural hide tanning, intensive training in manual approaches to treating pain complaints, and much more.
The place I’ve always found myself has been in nature and I love to share what I’ve learned along the way.