Kids and Their Animals

Kids and Their Animals

It is clear to us that animals teach us many lessons, if we are willing to listen and learn them. Children are WONDERFUL in this regard because they know so well that you don't have to speak the same language to communicate perfectly. Adults, with all of our rational nonsense forget this all too often.

This magnificent past weekend, the first in Spring, reminded me of how amazing the relationships between kids and animals can truly be. Yes of course we all hear the horror stories in the news about troubled children who torture and kill animals...but that is an extreme abnormality. Most often we see amazingly loving relationships.

Of course, at Lillunia we love to expose babies and children to animals that they might not otherwise see- like Tigers and Monkeys and Polar Bears. But just to watch the magic between a girl and her pony or a boy and his dog or any endless number of loving and respectful relationships between our kids and their animals is true magic.

And the magic works on so many levels. "Pets" teach our children responsibility to be sure, but they also teach kids how to share, how to play "together", how to think about the needs of something other than oneself...and ultimately how to appreciate the diversity of life that is enjoying the world with us!

We love watching these relationships and fostering them whenever possible. We hope you, and your kids do too!

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On Nurturing Communities You Keep

On Nurturing Communities You Keep

The founders of Lillunia were fortunate to go to The Chapin School in New York together. Besides being an extraordinary place to learn and to grow and to evolve, the community at Chapin has served us long after our tenure ended, fostering an unparalleled alumnae community that is endlessly supportive, receptive and nurturing.

On March 2, 2010 Lillunia visited Chapin in order to give a talk to an Upper School Art class called Pencils to Pixels. Characteristic of our experience with the school, the head of the art department who is teaching the course was a dearly beloved teacher of ours when we were in school and a very special person who we have kept in touch with all of these years.

We had a blast to be sure, and were reminded of the fundamental...in fact, essential value of communities like Chapin; communities that teach children to constantly learn and to be inquisitive, to follow their dreams and to believe in themselves.

We are so grateful to the school for all that they have given us, and to our parents for having had the wisdom to send us there.

We hope that we will have the wisdom to put our children in environments that foster such positive growth and enduring relationships. These are truly the types of communities that make humanity such an interesting thing to be a part of!

In some small way- we at Lillunia are trying to foster a community as well; a community of like-minded, responsible children who learn early in their lives all that they have to give to our planet and their individual communities; nurturing being at the heart of this all...