exhale interviews :: eileen straiton

I don’t exactly remember how Eileen Straiton and Little Acorn Learning found their way into my world, but I knew as soon as I read about Eileen and her nature-inspired daily guides, that it was just what I was needing to bring a little more rhythm and connection into my often-frazzled days at home with our young children.

Eileen’s guides, which are sent in an e-book format, are designed for home daycare providers and parents and are filled with seasonal activities, crafts, stories, songs, recipes and inspiration. (I store mine in my monthly inspiration binder.) They also contain weekly meditations for caregivers, which I always look forward to reading.

It is my great pleasure to introduce Eileen Straiton, creator of Little Acorn Learning, a home daycare provider, writer, artist and mother of four.

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ebg: How did you come to do the work you are doing?
es: When my second child was born I desperately wanted to be at home to raise my girls. In order to do so I opened a family home daycare out of the lower level of my house. I wanted to offer my girls and the children in my program a nurturing home life that placed emphasis on the arts and nature. To better organize myself, I wrote a monthly program to use in my home daycare. The program includes weekly themes, festivals and holidays to celebrate, nature crafts, recipes, children’s meditation ideas, nature walk verses and a caregiver meditation for myself. It gives deep meaning to the work I do with the children that come into my life. I offered the program to other childcare providers, parents and homeschoolers who were looking to create a healthy rhythm to their day and provide their children with a more holistic childcare experience.

Tell us about your family.
When I met my current husband I was a single mother of a five year old daughter. I worked very hard to support myself and my young child on one income. I have a deep understanding and admiration for women who struggle daily to find balance in their lives between work and family. My wonderful husband adopted my daughter who is now fourteen years old. He is an amazing father and provider. He works full time but also enjoys woodworking and home improvement projects when he has free time. In addition, we have three daughters together ages 7, 4 and 2. I absolutely love having daughters and always wanted to have a large family. I cherish every moment I spend with my husband and girls.

With a thriving online business, a home daycare, four children, and day-to-day household activities, how/when do you make space for self-care and what forms does it take?
Like all parents, I struggle to find the balance necessary to manage all that I do. I always put my home and my family before my work and because of this I will often have to utilize nap times or evenings to do my freelance writing. Writing is a creative outlet for me and is a form of my self-care. I’m very lucky to have found work that I enjoy so much. I also enjoy knitting, creating mixed media art, yoga and nature. Time spent with the children in my program involves much of my self-care as well – we go outside in all but the most extreme weather, we go on nature hikes, sing songs, finger knit, read stories, paint and even do yoga together! Regardless of what I am doing each day, I spend 15 minutes doing my caregiver meditation that is included in my monthly guides. This gives me time to be in silence and it brings me back to living in the present moment.

Can you tell us about your home classroom? What does it look like and feel like? How do you decide what toys and other items to use with the children?
My husband created beautiful wood wall shelving and cubbies for my childcare room. He also makes playstands and we have one in the center of our playspace with a canopy and silk on top. I try to choose natural toys and art supplies whenever possible for the children. Human Beings are drawn to nature and natural materials. It is who we are. That’s not to say that we do not have some plastic items or that every single crayon we own is made of beeswax… but for the most part I try to keep the childcare space as natural as possible.

Do you have a special writing and/or meditation space in your home? Can you tell us about it?
Believe it or not I do most of my writing on my living room couch! That’s also where I spend most of my quiet time when the children are sleeping. We are in the process of putting on an addition which will include a craft room/office for me. When that part of the house is done, I am sure I will take advantage of it for more quiet time especially on the weekends! 

What forms does education take in your family? And how did you come to this decision?
I am deeply inspired by what Waldorf Education has to offer children especially in the early childhood years. Much of what I do and write is influenced by Waldorf ideas and philosophies. My ideal situation would be to send the girls to our local Waldorf school, however with such a large family and very high tuition costs it is not an option. Currently, my two oldest daughters attend our town’s local school and my youngest two daughters attend my in-home Kindergarten program. I firmly believe that the most important thing in a child’s life is a secure and loving home and I work hard to provide that each day.

In my work with new mothers (and in my own experience) I have found many naturally-minded mothers struggling with the desire to be perfect and to get everything “right” when it comes to raising, feeding, and educating their children. Have you experienced this struggle yourself and can you share any words of encouragement for new mothers who look at this beautiful program that you have created and may feel overwhelmed or like they are not doing enough.
Absolutely! I often have to stop and remind myself that it is ok to just be. In my program, I make sure that caregivers know not to feel like they have to complete each activity that I have in my guides. The idea is for them to create a nurturing environment for their children and a healthy rhythm to their day while finding the time to fill their soul. Working with small children takes us in many different directions – the first priority is to care for ourselves and the children. Caregivers must allow themselves the freedom to follow the day’s lead. Life happens daily and it will be a rare occasion that you get to everything you want to do. Even doing some of the things in my guides will help create a healthy rhythm to your day.

Do you have a television in your home? If yes, can you describe when/how it is used? If no, how long have you been tv-free? How did you come to this decision (to use or not use or limit use of television) and how is it working in your family?
Little Acorn Learning does not use television, video games, computers or hand held games during daycare hours. We occasionally enjoy books on tape or child-appropriate music. My own older children will occasionally watch a carefully selected video or non-commercial television program such as PBS after childcare hours or on weekends. The television programs geared toward our children today are often violent, lacking values, promote materialism and include sexual innuendos. We are not a Hanna Montana household! I strive to create a natural, nurturing, home-like environment that stimulates children’s bodies, spirits and souls. In order to do this effectively, I must be very mindful of what images the children are exposed to. It is not an easy task but it is very important to me.

What’s next for you and Little Acorn Learning?
I have so many ideas but such little time! I would love to write a few hardcover books and possibly publish a few children’s books. I have put countless hours into my daycare guides and may soon offer monthly supplements for previous subscribers who want to add some new ideas to the program. I would love to create a program for working moms and mothers with children in traditional schools as I was once in their shoes. My husband is in the process of building an amazing workshop and we will once again offer our wooden playstands and expand by offering other natural toys and playthings. I would also like to expand my online store with products that support caregivers in their work with young children. Eventually I hope to offer weekly newsletters that would give small businesses the opportunity to offer their products to our subscribers. The best way to keep in touch with what we are doing is to join our mailing list which you can do from our website or my blog.

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Eileen has generously offered a free subscription to her March guide for one lucky exhale. return to center. reader! Just leave a comment here between now and Sunday, Feb. 22., at 2 p.m. EST to be entered!

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The winner (thanks to random.org) is…

mandy: “That’s so awesome. I run a home preschool and I can only imagine how much her guides would enrich my ‘curriculum’.”

Congrats Mandy and thank you Eileen!!!