Children at Their Best (eBook)

Karin Kalbanter-Wernicke initially trained as a child physiotherapist and went on to study shiatsu in Japan for several years. In 1985, together with her husband Dr. Thomas Wernicke, she founded an institute for Complementary and Alternative Medicine just outside Frankfurt, Germany. Karin teaches baby and child shiatsu internationally and is a Founder of the German Shiatsu Society. She has written several books including Baby Shiatsu, published in English by Singing Dragon. Bettye Jo Wray-Fears is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) and licensed massage therapist. She trained in Shiatsu with Karin in 1985, founded the Shiatsu Massage Institute in 1997(Florida) and has taught the 5-Elements at Karin's Institute since 1991. She is an integrative teacher and family-child therapist combining her background in traditional psychotherapy, human development, eastern bodywork and mindfulness Buddhist practices. She lives in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Introduction. 1. How do our Children Develop?: Overlapping the Western and Eastern View. 2. The Foundation of the Traditional 5-Elements and Their Relationship to Child Development. 3. The 5-Elements in Child Development: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water. 3.1. The Wood Element in Child Development. 3.2. The Fire Element in Child Development. 3.3. The Earth Element in Child Development. 3.4. The Metal Element in Child Development. 3.5. The Water Element in Child Development. 4. 5-Element Examples of Children in Everyday Life. 5. How We Work with Children and the 5-Elements. 6. The Role of Adults in 5-Element Work with Children. 7. Guidelines and Examples for Creating 5-Element Environments for Children in the Home, Schools, and Therapy Settings. 8. Ideas and Exercise Examples from Practice. Chapter 9. Example of a Five-Week Project and Community Event for Every Age. References. Index.