Category Archives: home

How to host a low-stress, community-building Shrove Tuesday pancake party

Shrove Tuesday: How to host a low-stress, community-building Pancake Party

Pancakes are political Would you like to know your neighbours better? Do you like delicious food? Do you want to change the world, one small action of kindness at a time? Well, do I have the festival for you: Shrove Tuesday! When I was a little girl, our elderly neighbours had spare keys to our […]

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Giving thanks or saying grace at mealtimes - sacraparental

9 Ways to Give Thanks or ‘Say Grace’ at Mealtimes

An earlier version of this article appeared in my column at Kiwi Families. What are mealtimes like at your place? Do you have family ways of serving, eating or talking together? Would you like some fresh ideas to make the most of the gift of family meals? Here are some ideas for giving thanks at […]

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A month of unschooling in photos: What did learning look like in June for my unschooling kids? | Sacraparental.com

A Month of Unschooling (or ‘Phew! They ARE learning heaps!’)

‘If they’re not being assessed and tested, how will you know if they’re learning?’ ‘What do they do all day?’ Today I’m not meaning to go into why ‘testing’ can be counter-productive to learning (but if that catches your eye, please do read Jolisa Gracewood’s bleak report of US testing terror and read or listen to […]

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How the Maps are Wrong (and Why It’s a Problem)

With friends and family scattered all over the globe, I’d love to have a huge map of the world in our house. When we move to Thailand later this year, it’ll be a priority purchase. The only reason we don’t have one already is my West Wing addiction. What a marvellous show. I rewatched all […]

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Why Father Christmas Doesn’t Visit Our House

I grew up with Father Christmas visiting each December. We had a particularly awesome system, in fact, that involved pillowcases instead of stockings (primarily so a board game could fit, I think). As I got older, I became aware that Father Christmas from the adult point of view was part of our family history, too. My […]

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76 ideas to get ready for Advent! Start now :) | Sacraparental.com

Advent with Kids: 76 Ideas for Getting Ready for Advent

  Yay! Advent is my favourite season in the church calendar, and it’s almost here! Actually, Lent was pretty cool this year, too, with our superduper Lent with Kids series, but the inspiration for that came from all the fun and surprisingly helpful things we did at home during Advent. So here we are! I […]

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Kids for Social Justice: 6 Ways Kids Can Change the World

  Even if you’re little you can do a lot, you Mustn’t let a little thing like ‘little’ stop you – Matilda the Musical, ‘Naughty’, Tim Minchin Changing the world is a hard job. Best to start early, don’t you think? Here are a bunch of ways you can help your kids live a life […]

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On Being a Social Entrepreneur and a Parent (at the same time) [Guest]

Jess Berentson-Shaw lives in on the side of a windswept Wellington hill. Jess has two kids, is a part time researcher and scientist, and runs (and blogs about) her social enterprise called muka kids (mukakids.com). Muka kids is her plan to bring about a sustainability revolution in the world of kids’ clothing production. She has […]

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