When Little G exclaimed, “This is what’s so special about my family—that we go on tape walks!“, I knew we hit the sweet spot of connecting, discovering, and being present. Such a simple concept: wrap your and your child’s wrist with tape, and walk around your neighborhood observing and collecting found objects. Little G and I found ourselves stopping to find the trees that leaves originally fell from, and using the feathers we found to test the direction of the wind. The idea for this “slow parenting” activity came from the comments section of Joanna Goddard’s inspiring blog, A Cup of Jo.

One of my favorite slow parenting books is Hurry Up, Henry by Jennifer Lanthier. While the author makes an uncritical comparison between the slow-moving main character, Henry, and his fast-paced best friend, Simon, the reader is reminded that there are times when we all can enjoy the benefits of having unscheduled time to observe and interact with the world around us.

This is a perfect book for children aged four to six and I recommend deepening the discussion of this text by talking about what we learn from the “Henrys” in our own lives.