The Connected Family Handbook

The Connected Family Handbook: Nurturing Kindness, Warmth and Wonder in Children – By Lou Harvey-Zahra and Danielle Harbison

• Created by an experienced parenting coach/author Lou Harvey-Zahra and a successful parenting blogger/influencer Danielle Harbison
• Offers easy-to-follow activities and helpful advice to grow family rhythm and connection with toddlers to ten year olds in mind
• Ten chapters cover important themes for families: Home, Kindness, Mealtimes, Move, Warmth, Teamwork, Adventure, Nature, Wonder and Celebration
• Each chapter includes a variety of activities -- easy crafts, fun recipes, play ideas, stories and verses -- as well as practical tips and advice of creative discipline, rhythms and routines
• Features over 300 beautiful photographs for instruction and inspiration

• Format: paperback
• Size: 210 x 192 mm
• Publisher: Floris Books
• Subject: Parenting & Child Health; Crafts & Activities
• Illustrations: colour illustrations
• Age Range: From 2 to 10 years
• Extent: 224 pages
• ISBN:9781782508137
• Publication date:  28 Jul 2022

How can simple activities help us connect more fully with our children and live more happily together? What types of games will encourage children to be kind to others? How can crafting and outdoor play build respect for the natural world? The Connected Family Handbook offers empowering advice and practical activities to answer these questions and many more. Experienced parenting coach and popular author Lou Harvey-Zahra and successful parenting blogger Danielle Harbison have created a unique and inspiring book for carers of toddlers to ten year olds. Each of the ten chapters tackles an important theme for families -- Home, Kindness, Mealtimes, Move, Warmth, Teamwork, Adventure, Nature, Wonder and Celebration -- and suggests ways to nurture these qualities in children. Every chapter is illustrated with beautiful photographs and includes easy crafts and fun recipes to create with children, stories and verses to share, as well as tips on creative discipline, positive play and establishing family rhythms and routines. Engage with NATURE by crafting toys from sticks, nurture WONDER by sharing a story about toadstools and fairy folk, encourage KINDNESS by creating a toy medical kit and make MEALTIMES fun with frozen fruit pizza. All of Lou and Danielle's ideas and advice come from a background of holistic child development, and celebrate values including eco-friendly living, connected family life, healthy and fun food choices and the importance of imaginative play.

Table of Contents

Introduction
1. Kindness
2. Home
3. Mealtimes
4. Movement
5. Warmth
6. Teamwork
7. Adventure
8. Nature
9. Wonder
10. Celebration
Acknowledgements
Meet the creators
Index

Reviews

'The beauty of this book for me is that it goes so much further than the usual book of craft and story ideas. As we would expect with Lou Harvey-Zahra involved, it is not only full of wise parenting tips, but it also includes many helpful concepts of child development in easily digestible form. This is a delightful book and would make a perfect present for new parents or even soon to be parents. It would also be an excellent addition to a parents' library for any early childhood setting or parent and child group.'
-- Kindling

'It quite simply, contains everything you would ever need for simple, meaningful connection with your kids… It’s gentle, with tips and suggestions for a calm family rhythm, peppered with lovely creative moments and even some recipes. Crucially, almost all of the contents is easily achieved at home, with the things you have in your house… Every family needs this book on their shelves.'
-- Charlotte and the Boys

'It is one of those books that needs to be in every home.'
-- Our World of Wonder

'It’s packed FULL of so many ideas of things that you can do with your children. Over 200 pages of crafts, recipes, celebrations and much more. I highly recommend it to anyone with children.'
-- Large Family Mama

Lou Harvey-Zahra is an experienced parenting coach and respected author of holistic parenting books. She grew up and did her teacher training in England before moving to Australia where she has taught in numerous kindergarten, primary, special needs and Steiner-Waldorf school settings for over 25 years. Lou runs conscious parenting workshops, online parenting courses, and presents to parents and teachers across the globe. Her books include Growing Children, Thriving Children; Happy Child, Happy Home; Creative Discipline, Connected Family; and Through the Rainbow. She is a mother to two wonderful grown-up children and currently lives in Melbourne, Australia. Danielle Harbison is an experienced teacher, homeschool mum and successful parenting blogger. She has been a teacher, in primary schools, for ten years and is trained in Rudolf Steiner education and positive behaviour for learning. Her blog and Instagram offer inspiration for homeschooling families. Danielle has a deep love of crafts, nature and photography. She is the mother of four young children and lives in Sydney, Australia.