A natural approach to family life

JUNO is a print and digital bi-monthly magazine which inspires and supports parents as they journey through the challenges of parenting. We have an ethos based on conscious parenting, sustainability, social justice, non-violence and a commitment to personal growth and spiritual awareness.

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Parenting support

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  • The magic and power of baby massage

    The magic and power of baby massage

    “Do babies really need massaging?” is a question we have been asked, as well as “Do babies need to relax or need help with their stress?” If we approach massage with this adult motivation, it may seem a strange notion to massage an infant, and it’s true that babies do not carry the adult stresses of life like paying the bills or juggling jobs and parenthood. However, they can benefit hugely from as little as 10 minutes of massage daily, because not only is it relaxing, but it also runs far deeper and has long-lasting benefits. Forming a connection and a bond for life Attachment and bonding are an important part of the early relationship between parent and baby, but not all parents get a gush of love or feel an instant bond with their baby. Sometimes it takes a while for the love to grow. There can be a...

    The magic and power of baby massage

    “Do babies really need massaging?” is a question we have been asked, as well as “Do babies need to relax or need help with their stress?” If we approach massage...

  • What really creates secure attachment?

    What really creates secure attachment?

    I’m an attachment theorist, but at times I find myself dismayed by the way our misunderstandings about attachment so often make parents feel inadequate. I’d like to set the record straight about what really creates secure attachment. Attachment theory was developed by John Bowlby when he observed children’s reactions to being separated from their parents during World War II in England. Attachment theory is now supported by an impressive body of academic theory and research, but the basic idea is simple and intuitively obvious. Human babies are born helpless because of their big brains. To survive, they need parents to protect them from harm for many years, and to teach them survival skills. So all humans are born seeking close attachments, and every aspect of their development hinges on those first relationships, usually with their parents. Attachment research, including longitudinal studies, has repeatedly shown what babies require to become securely...

    What really creates secure attachment?

    I’m an attachment theorist, but at times I find myself dismayed by the way our misunderstandings about attachment so often make parents feel inadequate. I’d like to set the record...

  • Ways to balance digital media with real life

    Ways to balance digital media with real life

    As a digital education correspondent, I am around screens a lot. I am also a mum and know the challenges of balancing screen time in our family lives. I wrote The Art of Screen Time to help me and my readers get past the anxiety about children and screens. Here’s a summary of what I learned writing it: enjoy screens; not too much; mostly together. You will be more effective as a parent and have more fun as a family if you drop the guilt and embrace the good that screens have to offer, while balancing media with other priorities. When in doubt, try to use media as a means of connecting. On average, school-aged children today are spending more waking hours per week with electronic media than on any other single activity. That includes school. Adults, meanwhile, are spending most waking hours engaged with electronic media. Excessive exposure to...

    Ways to balance digital media with real life

    As a digital education correspondent, I am around screens a lot. I am also a mum and know the challenges of balancing screen time in our family lives. I wrote...

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Family Time

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  • Spring mindfulness inspiration for families

    Spring mindfulness inspiration for families

    Mindfulness can be described as the ability to be present in the moment, without judgement. The practice has become increasingly popular over the years, with both science-based and spiritual techniques supporting stressed-out individuals to feel calmer and less anxious, and to reduce symptoms of low mood and depression. I spent many years of my adult life being anywhere but the present moment. When I became a mother, so much of my time was divided between the demands of my tiny human, alongside those of a household and a demanding job, and my brain only wanted to focus on the to-do list ahead or ruminate anxiously over the past. At 12 months postpartum, I finally received a diagnosis of postnatal depression and birth trauma (PTSD) and discovered the magic of mindfulness on my recovery journey. Without sounding too clichéd, it completely changed my life for the better. So much so that...

    Spring mindfulness inspiration for families

    Mindfulness can be described as the ability to be present in the moment, without judgement. The practice has become increasingly popular over the years, with both science-based and spiritual techniques...

  • Family festivals and adventures for the year ahead

    Family festivals and adventures for the year ahead

    Wood Festival Like a seasonal awakening and injection of optimism, Wood Festival is an intimate and perfectly programmed festival of music and nature that sees people gather in a glade too small to get lost in, to live, learn, and have fun, enjoying the simple, beautiful things in life for a weekend each May. The music is largely folk and Americana. Local bands rub shoulders with international acts, though no one gathers a crowd like the legend that is Nick Cope! There is a full programme of free workshops for all ages, with activities ranging from bookbinding to yoga, whittling to harmony singing. The children’s tent hosts endless performances and activities; stalls are carefully curated (no flashing tat of questionable origin that you’ll be badgered to buy); the restorative healing area is full of people who genuinely care; the food is wholesome; the bar boasts locally sourced beverages; and a...

    Family festivals and adventures for the year ahead

    Wood Festival Like a seasonal awakening and injection of optimism, Wood Festival is an intimate and perfectly programmed festival of music and nature that sees people gather in a glade...

  • Ideas for celebrating Winter Solstice

    Ideas for celebrating Winter Solstice

    Celebrant Lu Garner has been celebrating the winter solstice for many years. Here she shares some ideas for creating your own celebration. I don’t know about you but my daily family life is a hectic affair – and never more so than in the run up to the festive season. At the best of times it seems that life travels past so fast – children seem all grown up before my very eyes, new directions abound in my personal and work life, world events take my breath away, and literally I can be gasping for air, for the chance to make sense of it all. That is what ceremony or ritual is all about – creating a space to make meaning of the cycles of our lives, whether we are honouring a birth, a death or the turning of the year. Eight years ago I co-created a group in Derbyshire...

    Ideas for celebrating Winter Solstice

    Celebrant Lu Garner has been celebrating the winter solstice for many years. Here she shares some ideas for creating your own celebration. I don’t know about you but my daily...

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Education

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  • Everything you need to know about Forest School

    Everything you need to know about Forest School

    The first Forest Schools originated in Scandinavia where outdoor living is regarded as an important part of their culture. It was introduced into the UK in 1993 when a group of early years teachers visited a school in Denmark and were so inspired by this outdoor, child-centred approach that they set up their very own school in Somerset. My own personal journey into Forest School began in 2016 when my youngest daughter started primary school. I was keen to return to work in the education sector but didn’t want to return to fulltime teaching, deciding instead to set up a toddler group in my local woodland. My training began soon afterwards. I was immediately drawn to the ethos of Forest School and was delighted to see how well children responded to being outdoors in the woods with a range of resources and activities to choose from. As an ex-teacher it...

    Everything you need to know about Forest School

    The first Forest Schools originated in Scandinavia where outdoor living is regarded as an important part of their culture. It was introduced into the UK in 1993 when a group...

  • The magic of Forest School Camps

    The magic of Forest School Camps

    "Forest School!” calls the leader. “Caaaamps!” chime in 119 other voices. We’re in a field. Cold, wet, muddy. It’s the middle of a Welsh summer. And there’s a hurricane coming. We’re getting ready to batten down the hatches. To make sure that everything is shipshape, pegged down and ready for the coming storm. And we go at it with a will. I see a determined 4-year-old dragging a heavy spade, helping a group of camp elders to dig a new fire pit. There are 6-year-olds holding down flapping canvas, hair and voices whipped wild by the rising wind. Groups of enthusiastic teenagers sing rousing sea shanties as they stack up wood for the fire – a human chain of grinning children pulling together for the benefit of the community. And as I look around me, I’m filled with such wonder and gratitude for this: the pulling together of individuals for...

    The magic of Forest School Camps

    "Forest School!” calls the leader. “Caaaamps!” chime in 119 other voices. We’re in a field. Cold, wet, muddy. It’s the middle of a Welsh summer. And there’s a hurricane coming....

  • Naturally Talented: reframing dyslexia as an advantage

    Naturally Talented: reframing dyslexia as an ad...

    What if we could remove the stigma associated with a diagnosis of dyslexia? What if we could get people to see it as a potential advantage, rather than a setback? What if, in the process, we could vastly improve our children’s experience of their dyslexia?  A diagnosis of dyslexia is too often a cause of great concern and worry for both parent and child. Why? Because it is seen as a ‘difficulty’; a ‘disadvantage’ or a ‘disability’. Even the word ‘dyslexia’ translates as ‘a difficulty with language’! It stems from the combination of two Greek words: ‘dis’ meaning ‘lack’, and ‘lexi’ meaning ‘word’. So, dyslexia means ‘to lack words’. Hardly surprising then that in a society which relies heavily on written communication, ‘lacking words’ has been seen as a definite drawback. Historically there has been very little support for those with dyslexia. It has often been misunderstood, overlooked or misdiagnosed. No...

    Naturally Talented: reframing dyslexia as an advantage

    What if we could remove the stigma associated with a diagnosis of dyslexia? What if we could get people to see it as a potential advantage, rather than a setback?...

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Complete your collection

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A Chance to Win

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  • Testimonials

    "I love knowing I'm not the only one who parents this way." - Mayita


    "Reaffirms and inspires our natural way of parenting and living. Absolutely love JUNO!" - Emma

  • Published with the seasons 🌱

    Early Spring - 1 February

    Spring - 1 April

    Summer - 1 June

    Late Summer - 1 August

    Autumn - 1 October

    Winter - 1 December

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