Seven Times the Sun: Guiding Your Child Through the Rhythms of the Day

by Shea Darian

"Sometimes the ordinary events in a child’s life can be difficult – a child who resists going to bed, who fusses over food, who balks at the hectic pace of family life, or dawdles at picking up toys. Mother and educator, Shea Darian, has written a unique and wonderfully creative guide to help parents and children turn these simple moments into loving, consistent daily rhythms forging a strong family bond. Seven Times the Sun is a one-of-a-kind book, full of ideas, reflections, and practical advice offering a fresh view of daily life in the home and family. Weaving songs, stories, family rituals, and verses throughout, Darian shows how to bring joy to such daily events as greeting a new day, mealtime, play, chores, healing moments, rest, peacemaking, bedtime, and personal renewal for parents. A practical, creative, and much-needed resource for parenting in the 21st century."

Genres: Parenting, Education, Nonfiction, Family, Childrens, Teaching, Poetry

221 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1997

About the author

Shea Darian, M.Div. is an award-winning author, family & grief educator, and spiritual care provider. Shea's newest book, Doing Grief in Real Life: A Soulful Guide to Navigate Loss, Death & Change (2022 IPPY Award Winner) presents a new approach to ease and heal the grief of a lifetime. Shea is the creator of the Model of Adaptive Grieving Dynamics, published in the journal Illness, Crisis & Loss, Vol. 22 (3), 2014. Shea's books include Living Passages for the Whole Family (Nautilus Book Award), Sanctuaries of Childhood: Nurturing a Child's Spiritual Life (Foreword Book of the Year Award) and Seven Times the Sun: Guiding Your Child Through the Rhythms of the Day. Shea lives with her spouse, Andrew, in Sun City, AZ. Visit her website at DoingGrief.com

Reviews

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here was the most powerful piece for me: "Homemaking is small gestures of usefulness and compassion; love made visible." - adapted from pages 80-81.

I loved it. Not only have I read it, I also plan on re-reading it.

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice book about using daily rituals in families. Chapters are short and include: a brief commentary or two on the spiritual meaning of the topic (e.g. "Mealtimes"); some ideas for how to integrate spiritual practice into that part of the day; some prayers, blessings, and songs; and a fairy tale. The ideas for spiritual practice are nice (though not mostly new to me). The book includes a lot of original songs by the author, some of which I liked and others I didn't. (She has a thing about how pentatonic scales are great for kids' music, which is apparently a Waldorf thing. I didn't particularly care for most of the songs that she flagged as being in this mode, so I can't say I really agree.)

Some ideas in the book were just a little too cutesy (sure, I'm really gonna tell my kid her splinter is an "elf's needle"... why would some elf be jabbing my kid with a needle anyway?), and at times the overall sunniness grated on me. My personal preference is for someone to acknowledge difficulties in a little more depth before exploring how to work with the difficulties and build in spirituality and meaning. I kinda felt like I needed a dose of Ayelet Waldman after reading this book. What can I say? - I just like a little sarcasm with my spirituality. Pretty sure I'm not cut out for Waldorf.

[MotherMagic · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am loving this! A Waldorf-inspired resource for homeschoolers and parents. Darian's chapters begin with poetic musings, like the very best of a mother's journal entries written just before dawn and the awakening of a family. Insightful and lyrical. Short and sweet thoughts, insights, and ideas for "transition rituals" and ways to honor and celebrate the parts of our daily lives... the waking up, the meal times, the bruised knees, bedtime, playtime, etc. Lots of Darian's original songs and verses made for her own children, plus other traditional pieces, and each chapter ends with a short retelling of a fairytale and a recommended book list. This has been a pleasure to read and very inspiring and practical. No wonder it's a favorite among Waldorf homeschoolers.

[m a e g a n ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for families with young children, wish I had read it sooner. Sweet encouragements for a peaceful daily rhythm. Enjoyed good read-alouds to my son, and a wealth of great book recommendations throughout.

[Gilead Press]

A long-time favorite of the Waldorf school comm-
unity, this is a one-of-a kind book, full of inspired
daily rituals, stories, songs, parenting wisdom
and practical advice to create peace in the family.
An invaluable resource for celebrating ordinary
moments of the day with children.

Companion Song CD available from www.gileadpress.net.

[t r a c y · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites on rhythm! So much inspiration in the form of story, song and verse. I love that the sections are short and manageable - I felt I could pick it up and put it down throughout the day. A must for Waldorf inspired folk

[Eleny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful. Full of wonderful songs, poems, and advice. It is something I use everyday.

[Lapriel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like how this talks about the rhythms we have in life and how rhythms/traditions/schedules help to shape our lives. Rhythms also help us and our children know what to expect; gives us a sense of security.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was just what I was looking for to inspire me to focus on the rhythms of our day as a family. I love the blessings scattered throughout as well as the tips for creating your own personal rhythm.

[Dionne · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I am fairly new to Waldorf education, I was pleasantly surprised in reading this book to find things I just did intuitively where highlighted throughout. This book helped me to clarify and refine the areas I was struggling with in my personal rhythm and gave me ideas for the weekend.

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not what I hoped for.

[Katy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book had wonderful suggestions for creating rhythms of the day with your children.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The most useful sections of this book, for me, were the recommendations under each category--books to look into to celebrate elements of the day with your little one. Other than resources, not a lot of this book was new to me, but I still want to boost it with a higher star rating because it's a book I believe in. My own little has her own rhythm, and since I am a stay-at-home-mama, we can follow it (especially since it mimics my own), but once she starts school, be it preschool or kindergarten, we'll need to make some adjustments, and I can see things such as song, discussion, play, and other routines as aiding us in that adjustment. I think I'll need my own Mary Poppins to sing to me too!

[Laura Stiller · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a sweet little book about creating rhythms and patterns to your day with your children. It's Waldorf based. I didn't find all of the information useful (I didn't necessarily need song or fairy tale recommendations) but I appreciate the reminder that it's good to slow down, enjoy your children, and include them in the everyday activities of your life.

[Lori Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books for homeschooling families I've read. Based on Waldorf Education theories, it is full of practical examples of songs, activities, games, rituals, and traditions to incorporate into family life that will help create a more peaceful, creative, and developmentally appropriate home environment for learning.

[Kaye · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book contained a lot of good ideas on how to create ritual out of ordinary happenings. The only downer was the large quantity of songs throughout, but I think I only say that because I can't really read music.

[Krystallina Paramithi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although the information in this book apply more to 2-3 year old kids and older, I believe that parents of babies (with a little imagination) can create their own rythms based on the ideas given by Shea. Very helpful book. It even helped me with my job as a kids entertainer.

[Julie123 · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a nanny, dealing with many different families, I have found that when I use the rhythms explored in this wonderful book each child responds with an excitement. I have recommend this book to many families and each of them have made a point to let me know it has helped them greatly.

[Taylor Kundel-Gower · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the rhymes and songs are a little bit cheesy for my personal taste, but the concepts presented in this book are wonderful and I'm looking forward to finding a rhythm that suits my household and makes life a little more magical.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the ideas in the book, but as a matter of practice I have not added many of them to our family rituals. Waldorf education is featured in this book.

[Kit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of great ideas! The only thing is that I would really have liked an accompanying CD - it'd be easier to learn the songs that way.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had a few really wonderful things for children, particularly really little children. But the rest of the book was ho-hum.

[Lisa]

We're reading this slooooowly, now, for a very relaxed book club on Facebook. Let me know if you'd like to join us and I'll add you to the group!

[Cameo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book provides a treasury of parenting tools and reflections that are as healing for me as they are nurturing for the children. The power of song to soothe or otherwise alter the mood in a room always amazes me. I refer to this gem frequently.

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are a few good songs and rhymes alongside some great tips for parents to create and maintain a rhythm. There are more comprehensive books out there. This one I found lacking in its organization.

[Morgan Darian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily the most magical way to grow up. Rhythm, song, verse, and storytelling centered my sister and I throughout childhood. I feel so lucky to have been raised among the pages of these songs and blessings.

[Erynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book that I think would be helpful for parents. Might reread when I become one.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each blessing done in the home is pure magic for kids to feel at ease with the rhythm of their day. Love this book. Excited to use it as our family grows.