Sunday, May 19, 2024


A Mindful Garden Where Active Minds Blossom...We nurture your child's beautiful inner nature through engaging, nature-based, hands-on play.

Riviera PlaySchool offers a humanistic, constructivist, and mindful program for the "whole child," inspired by the best of Attachment Parenting, Reggio Emilia, and Non Violent (Compassionate) Communication. We are also inspired by other forward-thinking philosophies, including the fun and freedom to explore of Bev Bos, the beautiful and abundant nature of Waldorf, and Maria Montessori's easily digestible, experiential approach to learning. PlaySchool has the distinction of having been chosen as the very first ever practicum site for UCLA Extension’s Early Childhood Education Certificate Program. We will also continue our partnership with El Camino College Childhood Education Department that currently brings student teachers to Riviera PlaySchool to learn from our wonderful staff... Read More

Parenting From Balance©

Pain and Pearls

This has been an incredible year for me.  As I was admiring how much I love my life, I was also thinking about how numb I had been for the past 21 years.  Since 5 weeks earlier I had been voraciously un-numbing, and I was realizing a lot.  And I was creating a lot, too.  My art had come back to life. “It makes me think of a pearl,” I... [Read more of this review]

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

Just remember, if it resonates, then it is simply the mirror — it is alive in you, too. 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... [Read more of this review]

Post Partum, Sex, and Child Poverty in the US

I am not purporting to have any answers here, just wondering…and wanting to look at some things with you. I think we are underestimating postpartum in men.  In fact, we may even be ignoring it altogether. Now, I am not saying that women are well taken care of and supported in the arena either. By any means.  I mean, in one extreme yet common... [Read more of this review]

Kindergarten Testing and the Shocking Results…

This is exactly why I created PlaySchool! http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/02/06/a-really-scary-headline-about-kindergarteners/    Read More →

Unconditionally Loving …. Me?

There is no such thing as “conditional love.”  Love, by definition, is UNconditional. Which brings me to some thoughts about self compassion and self-acceptance (the only keys to parenting in an unconditionally loving way….) Lately I have really been meditating on seeing who I am NOW.  Forget about the past 30 or 40 or 50 (yikes!)... [Read more of this review]

Just Say “No.”

When clarity is not mine, but everyone around me is pulling for an answer, I just say no.  I make that my “go to” answer.  Why?  I believe that saying NO when I am not clear teaches my children to heed their inner compasses.  It makes them pay attention to that feeling in their  gut that tells them when something isn’t quite right.... [Read more of this review]

:: Kids Hear Your Vibe, Not Your Words ::

I love Scott Noelle….and love to share his pithy and wise insights like the one below. XXX Linda   THE DAILY GROOVE ~ by Scott Noelle www.enjoyparenting.com/dailygroove :: Kids Hear Your Vibe, Not Your Words :: The younger your child, the more his or her interpretation of your words is based on the emotional energy they carry — your... [Read more of this review]

Can Emotional Intelligence Be Taught?

One day last spring, James Wade sat cross-legged on the carpet and called his kindergarten class to order. Lanky and soft-spoken, Wade has a gentle charisma well suited to his role as a teacher of small children: steady, rather than exuberant. When a child performs a requested task, like closing the door after recess, he will often acknowledge the moment... [Read more of this review]

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