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Welcome to the latest edition of The Green Parent. We have had a great couple of months getting involved in festivals, making drums and celebrating birthdays and hope that this issue helps you to get the most out of your summer. Summertime is an expansive period, which encourages celebration, gathering with friends and creativity. I am nourishing my connections with women and was thrilled when my sister treated me to a weekend on Dartmoor, making drums with Carolyn Hillyer, recently. The experience was profound, it was very humbling to work with an animal in this way; to clean, cut and stretch the skin of a red deer over a birch frame to create an instrument. And the resulting sound, of my very own drum, is bewitching - utterly captivating - to me. It has unleashed a great sense of possibility and I am looking forward to making more musical instruments, hopefully using materials sourced from the woods and my community. Making music has suddenly come into my life in a big way. I play with a community samba band and love the feeling of being ‘in the flow’ once we all get into the groove. It’s very uplifting and I leave each session feeling pretty euphoric. The singing group that I am part of has a similar effect and I feel very blessed to have found these creative outlets again in my adult life – having spent most of my childhood singing in choirs and playing in orchestras. My children have lots of outlets for creative expression, some structured like drama groups, choirs etc. and some organic and completely self directed. They have recently launched their own magazine called Star, which covers astronomy, crafts, cooking and more. Being home educated, they can work on it when they feel like it, according to their energy levels and natural rhythms. The new magazine is proving very popular with family and friends and the calm, zen-like manner in which they handle their deadlines is a powerful lesson for me! I hope that you find much to interest you in this latest issue with its own beauty supplement. Please write to me and tell me what you think. I’d love to hear from you.

Editor’s Letter

"Summertime is an expansive period, which encourages celebration, gathering with friends and creativity."

Summer blessings from our family to yours,

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{ meet our contributors

Alfie Kohn writes and speaks widely on human behaviour,

education, and parenting. The author of twelve books, he writes for us in this issue on unconditional parenting and how to practice it in your home. Kohn's criticisms of competition and rewards have been widely discussed and debated, and he has been described in Time magazine as "perhaps the country's most outspoken critic of education's fixation on grades and test scores." Kohn lives (actually) in the Boston area with his wife and two children, and (virtually) at alfiekohn.org.

Andrea Mynard is mum to three year old Ruby, partner to Guy, organic gardener and freelance journalist specialising in rural issues. She writes for us on a community project growing it’s own food. Parenting style? “I try to be open and honest, encouraging creativity and involvement. Plenty of imperfections but cuddles too. My favourite way to relax is pottering in the garden, daydreaming about the delicious meals it'll provide.” Best place? "Outside at home, especially in summer, when everything lush and cow parsley rampant.”

Melissa Corkhill, Editor

Holly Jeffery has plans for a small tribe of children. She has an eight year old daughter and sadly lost another daughter too soon. This issue, inspired by her own experiences, she writes for us on how to have a drug free labour in our Green Baby section. What's your parenting style? “Lead by example, with love. Follow your true path and your children will find theirs.” Holly’s most exciting experience was giving birth to her daughter. “It was exhilarating, empowering, overwhelming and completely fulfilling.”

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