"Longer days,
brighter rays,
joyful hearts
in endless ways"
Worm Moon in March
Worm Moon heart drum!
Compost Art.
This Collection’s art activity is inspired by worms’ ability to eat half of their weight in organic matter per day and transform it. What they excrete (poop!) is called castings and it is an amazing fertilizer for the soil. Now, let’s see how creative you can get in transforming your compost scraps!
This Collection’s art activity is inspired by worms’ ability to eat half of their weight in organic matter per day and transform it. What they excrete (poop!) is called castings and it is an amazing fertilizer for the soil. Now, let’s see how creative you can get in transforming your compost scraps!
All about Vermiculture
Digging for worms to build our own "Worm Farm" (vermiculture)
How is it helpful to add worms to our compost?
Adding some bedding (soil)
Collecting worms in a bucket
Adding food scraps for them to eat and turn back into soil.
We're making beautiful compost and worm castings for our gardens!
Chickweed Love!
Chickweed Oxymel
Fill jar 1/4 of the way with dried chickweed
Cover and Fill with equal parts
Apple Cider Vinegar and
Raw Local Honey
Shake!
Store in a cool and dry place. Shake daily for 2 weeks then enjoy!
Fill jar 1/4 of the way with dried chickweed
Cover and Fill with equal parts
Apple Cider Vinegar and
Raw Local Honey
Shake!
Store in a cool and dry place. Shake daily for 2 weeks then enjoy!
Identifying Chickweed
Flowers look like small white STARS!
Flowers have 5 petals (each with 2 lobes so looks like 10)
Oval shaped leaves that grow in an opposite pattern
*A single line of fine hairs runs down the stem of chickweed* (one of the best ways to truly identify that it is chickweed and not a look alike)
Flowers look like small white STARS!
Flowers have 5 petals (each with 2 lobes so looks like 10)
Oval shaped leaves that grow in an opposite pattern
*A single line of fine hairs runs down the stem of chickweed* (one of the best ways to truly identify that it is chickweed and not a look alike)
Chickweed hunting outside
Similar but different. Can you spot the differences?
Looking around for chickweed in the big yard (we were unsuccessful)
Finding and harvesting chickweed in our garden space, success!!
Chickweed Pesto
2-3 gloves of garlic
1/2 cup of cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
2-3 cups of freshly picked young chickweed leaves
1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese
salt
handful of your nut of choice (sunflower seeds, pine nuts, walnuts, whatever)
1 tablespoon of lemon juice (optional)
Blend it all together and Enjoy!
2-3 gloves of garlic
1/2 cup of cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
2-3 cups of freshly picked young chickweed leaves
1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese
salt
handful of your nut of choice (sunflower seeds, pine nuts, walnuts, whatever)
1 tablespoon of lemon juice (optional)
Blend it all together and Enjoy!
Making a chickweed herbal sun tea and a tea party!
Filling the jar with water
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Shaking up the chickweed in the water
After shaking it up we set it out in a nice and sunny spot for a few hours.
Enjoy!
All About Birds!
Painting to "Music for Birds", a playlist on Spotify. We listened to music inspired by birds and let the music inspire our art!
collaging with feathers
Bird Puppets
Feathers! Do all birds have feathers?
Birds that flap and fly!
Peanut butter and seed bird feeders in our trees.
Baby bird from clay
Bird Watching and Identifying
What color birds do you see?
What different sounds do you hear?
Where do you see the birds?
What color birds do you see?
What different sounds do you hear?
Where do you see the birds?
The kids made their own "binoculars" to bird watch with!
Learning about different beaks
Do all birds eat the same things?
What shapes have you seen?
What do you think each beak shape helps with?
Can all shapes and forms of beaks eat the same thing?
What shapes have you seen?
What do you think each beak shape helps with?
Can all shapes and forms of beaks eat the same thing?
First we used tweezers and yarn and pipe cleaners to see if we could catch the worms with the beaks (tweezers). This is great for fine motor skills and muscle building in our hands.
Then we had different types of beaks, what can each beak "catch"? We brought out different kinds of food and beaks to see what kinds of beaks can eat what kinds of foods.
Some birds drink nectar and have long straw-like beaks (like droppers).
Wings Study
What kinds of wings have you seen? What shapes are they?
What shapes do you see in different birds wings?
What do you think each shape helps with and why are they shaped differently?
Do all birds have feathers?
What shapes do you see in different birds wings?
What do you think each shape helps with and why are they shaped differently?
Do all birds have feathers?
Different shapes and purposes of wings
Us vs Eagle wings
An eagles wingspan can reach up to 8 feet wide and they can build nests up to 13 feet tall! They will stay in their nests for years and keep building them up!
We measured our own "wingspan" against that of an eagle's!
How many of us can fit in the wingspan width of one eagle?
Learning flight with Paper Airplanes
Learning flight with balloons with feathers!
How did the balloons with feathers fly differently than those without?
Building Nests
Outdoor nest building. Some nests are on the ground and some in trees!
Building nests through clay.
What do birds use to make nests?
We used straw, string, feathers, and explored other objects birds may use to make a nest.
What do birds use to make nests?
We used straw, string, feathers, and explored other objects birds may use to make a nest.
Tinkering Shed!
Sanding and Gross Motor Development
Fine motor with the spray bottle and gross motor with wiping the table down!
Gross motor development through hop scotch - Jumping!
and counting skills and practice
Lunch Bunch Helpers
Spoon and mashing guacamole
Cinnamon apple shake up
Positive Self Talk and Forgiveness
Reading Slumberkin : Yak Struggles With Mistakes
We asked ourselves these questions to see how we can better respond in situations :
"When I make a mistake I can.."
"When I am trying something new I can.."
"When something feels too hard I can say.."
"Positive things I can say to myself are.."
"When I make a mistake I can.."
"When I am trying something new I can.."
"When something feels too hard I can say.."
"Positive things I can say to myself are.."
What is something that felt hard the first time you tried, but you kept practicing, and it started to feel easier?
-kicking a ball
-throwing and catching
-cutting with scissors
-kicking a ball
-throwing and catching
-cutting with scissors
Beautiful mistakes- learning to go with the flow and integrate mistakes
Tracing and coloring affirmations
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I am enough as I am.
We talked a lot about "positive" and "negative" self talk and how to reframe things in our minds when we find ourselves talking negatively.
Mistakes are just opportunities to learn and find ways to do better next time.
Forgiving ourselves and others for making mistakes.
Mistakes are just opportunities to learn and find ways to do better next time.
Forgiving ourselves and others for making mistakes.
Building stones of kind words we can use with ourselves when we make mistakes.
Some things they said they could say to themselves are:
- It's ok to make a mistake
- It's ok, you can try again
- Let's fix it!
- You're still learning.
-You can do better next time
Some things they said they could say to themselves are:
- It's ok to make a mistake
- It's ok, you can try again
- Let's fix it!
- You're still learning.
-You can do better next time
Kindness Pom Pom Circle
Each kid picked a pom pom from the kindness jar. We went around in a circle and said something kind about another friend. At the end we put the pom poms back and added a huge handful to our jar.
We're getting close to a kindness party!
Each kid picked a pom pom from the kindness jar. We went around in a circle and said something kind about another friend. At the end we put the pom poms back and added a huge handful to our jar.
We're getting close to a kindness party!
Spring Equinox Potluck
A big thank you to everyone who came and celebrated the arrival of Spring with us. We are so ready to be outside enjoying the warm sun rays.
Banana Nut Muffins with Dandelion Flowers
Mix it all Together
Chopping and adding walnuts
Adding dandelions from the garden
Thank you for the fun face paint!
We LOVED the amazing Ronna Dragon!
Super fun Music Time!
Equinox Puppet Show : All about forgiveness
Sweet Puppet Show! The children made all the puppets and wrote the show all by themselves. We are so proud of them and their imaginative, growing minds.
Sweet Pics
"It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold : when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade"
- Charles Dickens : Great Expectations
- Charles Dickens : Great Expectations
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