The writer’s kids reading the old fashioned way at the Goshen Public Library. ( Raheli Harper) We worry about reading. Should we? Reading feels so much more complicated now that I did when I was my kid’s age. I used to have school reading, and I liked... dirt jr. 07 Sep 2023 | 03:39
Dandelion cordage combines the writer’s interest in fiber with her son’s love of foraging. ( Raheli Harper) Intertwining hobbies Maybe you cut the instructions from a magazine, or pinned a tutorial online, or you email yourself with the subject “project... dirt jr. 21 Jun 2023 | 02:28
Ski days: finding flow as a family In the early days of our family’s skiing adventures, we would just go to Mount Peter in Warwick, to have a lunch picnic in... dirt jr. 09 Dec 2022 | 10:59
The writer as a young girl. Boxes of family photos narrowly averted death by basement leak and are now backed up. ( Raheli Harper) Upgrading the ol‘ box of photos “We are the last generation carting around boxes of old photos,” my friend Danielle said to me. I had just finished telling... dirt jr. 27 Sep 2022 | 11:14
Two years of the writer’s journals. ( Raheli Harper) The art of the brain dump Journaling is my daily exhaust valve for the pressure cooker that is parenting. Well, one of my exhaust valves. I write because... dirt jr. 06 Jun 2022 | 02:27
Gardening when the stakes feel high The gardening season is upon us again. And here I stand trying to read the wind and decide if we are growing for a time of... dirt jr. 07 Mar 2022 | 12:16
Hi-tech, low-tech winter afternoons On these cold afternoons, when we might have gone out to play or had activities in the fall, we have been settling into some... dirt jr. 10 Dec 2021 | 10:01
To keep them feeling fresh, you can put away half the games every month, and bring out the other half. ( By Raheli Harper) The game is the teacher My son came home from sleepaway camp with a new love of card games – rainy days were good for playing Uno and Magic the Gathering... dirt jr. 09 Sep 2021 | 02:15
Seven-year-old tells all Hi Eli. So your brother is going away to sleepaway camp this year for the first time. He’ll be gone for most of the summer.... dirt jr. 14 Jun 2021 | 12:44
Complicated lunchboxes I have known In 2007, my then-boyfriend Jim and I bought some complex travel lunch kits called Mr. Bento. There was an insulated canister... dirt jr. 25 Feb 2021 | 12:51
A six-year-old’s map, painted with coffee. ( Raheli Harper) Mapping the world according to you In a time of staying put, my family is engrossed by maps. In some ways, maps have nothing to do with travel – they are a... dirt jr. 23 Nov 2020 | 03:12
A bird’s nest cake — a cake made for the sake of celebrating! ( Raheli Harper) Celebrating is not canceled This past spring, my family laid out a nice tablecloth, set a beautiful table, got the meal on the table and dialed into... dirt jr. 11 Sep 2020 | 03:12
Summertime, and the glamping is easy You know how small kids abandon a present to go play with the box? Backyard glamping is kind of like abandoning the camping... dirt jr. 22 May 2020 | 03:52
Playdough: Just like Grandma used to make I did not learn how to cook from my mother. Instead she often asks me for cooking advice, though she doesn’t usually like... dirt jr. 17 Mar 2020 | 11:06
Make it festive with wine and hot chocolate, or just clear the table and set a timer. ( Raheli Harper) Family drawing night Turn off all of your electronics, gather pens, pencils and crayons, sit down together at the table and draw on paper. Voila,... dirt jr. 13 Mar 2020 | 05:19
