Amy Pertl-Clark
Nurturing Your Child’s Innate Curiosity

Why it’s important, and 5 simple ways to keep it alive throughout childhood.

Children are born with innate curiosity. They are wired to behold the world around them with a sense of awe and wonder and to relish in the tiniest moments—especially when out in nature. Innate curiosity drives intrinsic motivation—doing something without expecting an external reward. This, in turn, builds cognitive systems necessary for later academic learning. Over time, children can lose this critical skill…but not if we know how to nurture it!

Nurturing Your Child’s Innate Curiosity

HOW TO SUPPORT EXPONENTIAL GROWTH IN EARLY CHILDHOOD - PART THREE: Age 2

HOW TO SUPPORT EXPONENTIAL GROWTH IN EARLY CHILDHOOD - PART THREE: Age 2

Our Progressive Age Series Continued!

After our two recent posts examining the loves and challenges of 18-24-month olds and 12-18-month-olds, today we are focusing on the beautiful age of 2!

We’re happy to say, the famed Terrible Two moniker is more myth than reality. The truth is, outbursts of challenging behavior can arrive at any age. If—as parents, caregivers, or teachers—we prepare, self-educate, ensure we (and our kids!) regularly get plenty of rest, and root our days in predictable routine…those twos need not be terrible at all…

Harmony’s Magic Formula

Harmony’s Magic Formula

AKA How to Enjoy (ALMOST) Every Minute

“Enjoy every minute, it all goes by so fast!” How many times have we all heard a well-meaning aunt or passing shopper utter these words?We know we should enjoy every moment. We do. BUT. The days are long. Some days, extremely long. Especially when we’re sleep-deprived. Or our kids are. Or if we happen to be the parents of particularly high-energy or defiant children. What if we told you we’ve figured out how to break that defeating cycle—that we’d cracked a formula to allow you to take control of the daily steamroller and use it to smooth the inevitable challenges in your path instead of being flattened by them? Well. We have. And it’s easier than you think.

HOW WE TRANSFORM CHAOS INTO HARMONY—AND YOU CAN TOO!

HOW WE TRANSFORM CHAOS INTO HARMONY—AND YOU CAN TOO!

Secrets to Creating Balance, Organization & Peace In Your Everyday

Whether your days are spent in your home or an early education classroom, life with littles is relentless. One moment rolls into the next and the next, and soon an entire day has slipped past. As a result, our minds, homes, and classrooms can get cluttered and disorganized without us even noticing. True to our name, at Harmony, we are overjoyed to have mastered the art of creating smoothly flowing organization systems to make our littles-laden world go ‘round. (We honestly don’t think we could function any other way.) The great news? If we can work this magic, anyone can. The secret is stepping back, assessing your environment, and making a handful of small changes…

Supporting Exponential Growth - PART TWO: 18-24 months

Supporting Exponential Growth - PART TWO: 18-24 months

Our Progressive Age Series Continued!

After February’s post looking closely at 12-18-month-olds, today we are focusing on the blooming abilities and interests of 18-24-month cuties.

The caregiving role for this age range continues to be about protecting our little ones while stepping back incrementally more to allow them the space to grow and discover independently. …To nurture their natural developmental bursts of cognitive and motor abilities. …To meet toddlers’ processing pace with calm, patience, and observation—staying tuned in, and intervening only when support is needed.

Learning Through Play: Less Is More

Learning Through Play: Less Is More

Simple Tricks to Maximize Your Child’s Learning

You may have heard this famous quote often attributed to Albert Einstein: “Play is the highest form of research.” Day after day, throughout our 11 years of thoughtfully setting out materials and carefully observing children at play, our own research has proven itself true: the highest quality of learning through play occurs naturally when we keep it simple. When you spend time with young children, you can easily do this too…

How to Support Exponential Growth In Early Childhood

How to Support Exponential Growth In Early Childhood

A Progressive Age Series With a Sprinkle of Harmony Magic!

Every morning, circa February 2020 and for years prior, Harmony’s play studios were crawling with babies—literally! Our family-favorite Parent/Child Class series offered an opportunity for families, babies, and toddlers up to 3.5 to connect, bond, and explore. Today and in future posts, we’ll share our experience and observations of these crawling, toddling, early years with a sprinkle of Harmony magic—encouraging simple ways for you to nurture your child through the incredible, exponential growth of the first 24 months of life all the way to year 6....

Nurturing Your Child’s Innate Curiosity

Nurturing Your Child’s Innate Curiosity

Why it’s important, and 5 simple ways to keep it alive throughout childhood.

Children are born with innate curiosity. They are wired to behold the world around them with a sense of awe and wonder and to relish in the tiniest moments—especially when out in nature. Innate curiosity drives intrinsic motivation—doing something without expecting an external reward. This, in turn, builds cognitive systems necessary for later academic learning. Over time, children can lose this critical skill…but not if we know how to nurture it!

Finding & Creating Mandalas

Finding & Creating Mandalas

Nature is full of creative inspiration for children and adults alike.

Looking for a way to inspire your little one to sit down and create? Look to mandalas! A mandala is a circular structure with radial symmetry—a design that radiates out symmetrically from the center. You can find mandalas in nature if you look closely enough…

The Story of Us

The Story of Us

Our journey to becoming Harmony.

Once upon a time, Harmony was not called Harmony, and it wasn’t located on the gorgeous piece of conservation-adjacent property your children frolic on today. Our story began in 2010 in a small retail plaza in Rowley, MA, when our name was Play Makers Family Enrichment Center…

Finding Joy in Today's Families

Finding Joy in Today's Families

Getting comfortable with the D-Word—discipline—may just lighten your entire family’s existence.

“Research shows that there is a real lack of joy in parenting today….there's a direct correlation between lack of joy and lack of a sense of control.” - Chrissy Rupp, Harmony Co-Owner

In 2017, Chrissy was interviewed by Newburyport Macaroni Kid, discussing Harmony’s Parents’ Retreat co-hosted by the Greater Newburyport Mothers & Families Club and sponsored by Newburyport Macaroni Kid…

The Simple Secret to Great Parenting

The Simple Secret to Great Parenting

Four easy tips plus a slew of resources from those who inspire us at Harmony!

“Spend more time just watching your child. Stay away from the idea that you have to be your child’s entertainment.” - Amy Pertl-Clark, Harmony Co-Owner

In early 2016, Amy was interviewed by Blogger Extraordinaire Elizabeth Brown, who explores life in New England on her lifestyle blog, Newburyport Daytripper. Elizabeth was curious about simplifying her family life and wondered how to navigate parenting with conflicting cues from so many sources. We were thrilled when she reached out to us for this Q & A…