22Mar 2023 by catbird 2 Comments
Recycled Can Garden Markers

Recycled Can Garden Markers

Craft Project, Earth Day, Garden, Recycled Materials, Spring Equinox, Summer Solstice
Here is a fun and easy way to make plant markers for your garden out of recycled materials. I use really utilitarian markers for the most part, but my kids always want to make some for their garden and I have been trying to think of a way to make markers that are both beautiful to look at and simple to make. These check all the boxes, they are simple enough for kids to make, they look amazing--almost like enamel I think--and they use repurposed seltzer cans. Kids don't need to be able to write letters to make them, although they work with words as well. (You just have to write them backwards... more on that below.) This is a great project for early spring when there is lots of…
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16Mar 2023 by catbird 1 Comment
Botanical Cascarilla Cascarones

Botanical Cascarilla Cascarones

Craft Project, Garden, Spring Equinox, Spring Portfolio
There used to be a lady in my neighborhood who made hundreds of cascarones every year for the neighborhood egg hunt. I have no idea how she pulled it off-- but it was always magical. She retired and moved away and while I’m not ready to take up the charge for the whole neighborhood I knew I wanted to make some for Spring Equinox and take them to the next level. Eggs are a classic symbol is spring— they start out hard and lifeless as a rock, then almost without warning they burst open with life. There is a clear parallel to winter, dead and gray and then suddenly there is green popping up everywhere and life explodes. These eggs are dyed with cabbage (blue) and turmeric and cabbage (green)…
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25Feb 2023 by catbird 3 Comments
Dying Eggs with Natural Materials

Dying Eggs with Natural Materials

Craft Project, Foraging, Nature Art, Play, Spring Equinox, Spring Portfolio
Eggs are a classic symbol of spring, while they seem fairly ordinary to us these days, they must have felt magical to ancient people. One minute they look like a cold and lifeless rock, the next they explode with life. It's exactly what the landscape if doing, one minute its winter, cold and dead, and then suddenly new life begins cropping up everywhere. Traditions around decorating and dying eggs substantially predate the easter eggs we now think of. It's a perfect way to celebrate the Spring Equinox. There is always a rash of natural egg dying posts this time of year, but I feel like they often fail to really explain the difference between natural and chemical dying. With those grocery store kits you can pop an egg into dye…
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24Feb 2023 by catbird 1 Comment
Singing (Playing, Crafting & Learning) in the Rain

Singing (Playing, Crafting & Learning) in the Rain

Craft Project, Learning, Nature Art, Play, Spring Equinox
It rains more in spring. The earth seems to need it to wake up. It's a much gentler sort of rain that we tend to get in the summer. It's some of the best rain to play outside in because there is rarely thunder and lightening with it. There are a million ways to enjoy spring rain- not the least of which is just walking around and jumping in puddles! Below are some of our favorite ways to play in the rain. Rain Painting Rain painting is simple and uses supplies that you probably have on hand already. The only thing that can be tricky is explaining to younger children that the rain is going to change their picture, but once you've done it once or twice it makes sense.…
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13Feb 2023 by catbird No Comments
A Valentine for your Babies 3 Ways

A Valentine for your Babies 3 Ways

Craft Project, Foraging, Garden, Nature Art, Nature Collection, Valentine's Day
I have always found Valentine's Day to be kind of a weird holiday (full disclosure, its also my birthday.) I mean why do school children give each other valentine's about romance? I have shifted my thinking about it somewhat by diving into winter birds and the start of nest making season, but this year I wanted to make something for my own little guys too and was inspired by some research I was doing for the floriography valentines I made earlier. As it turns out moss is symbolic of maternal love-- and it makes for an adorable nature crafting material so what better jumping off point? The plants I picked out to use are: Moss: maternal love Pansy: merriment Pussywillow: motherhood Cinquefoil: beloved child Fern: fascination & magic Juniper: protection…
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13Feb 2023 by catbird 2 Comments
Printable Floriography Valentines

Printable Floriography Valentines

Craft Project, Free Printable, Garden, Nature Art, Valentine's Day
Floriography is the art of communicating with flowers, with different types of flowers having particular symbolic meanings. Some form of floriography has been practiced for thousands of years across Europe, Asia and Africa, but the best known floral code today is the Victorian Language of Flowers. In the 19th century, particularly in the UK and the United States, it became all the rage to send coded messages with flowers. There were floral dictionaries published and you could convey just about anything with the flowers you exchanged. (Although there are often multiple meanings for the same plants) Floriography was the emoji of the Victorian times, and like the emoji, it can be used to send coded messages. I put together the printable valentines below from some of the words that jumped…
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04Feb 2023 by catbird No Comments
Color Changing Blue Butterfly Pea Valentines

Color Changing Blue Butterfly Pea Valentines

Craft Project, Nature Art, Play, Valentine's Day
We love a good color changing secret message around here... and there are lots of plants that will change color depending on pH levels. One of them is the Blue Butterfly Pea flower which turns from a beautiful deep blue to bright pink in the presence of an acid. The pink is perfect for a secret valentine! https://www.pinterest.com/pin/91831279894699638/ Color Changing Blue Butterfly Pea Valentines A fun and easy way to make valentines or valentine's day art with plants! Materials: a handful of dried blue butterfly pea flowers boiling water watercolor paper foam brush matte acrylic medium (you can also water down white glue a bit, but it will be shiny) a lemon Method: Pour just enough boiling water over the blue butterfly flowers to cover them. Let them steep until…
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03Feb 2023 by catbird 2 Comments
Nesting Materials Willow Heart

Nesting Materials Willow Heart

Craft Project, Learning, Nature Art, Play, Valentine's Day
If you've read any of my Valentine's posts, you probably already know that I like to celebrate birds around Valentine's Day. There are old folkloric beliefs to support this, people have long believed that birds in temperate climates start looking for mates and making nests in February and its' even though to be part of the reason that this time of year was chosen to celebrate love. Scientists do know that this is both a great time of year to spot birds in the absence of foliage, and the time that many early birds start to build nests. (Check out the Great Backyard Bird Count for a fun citizen science project_ Many birds time the hatching of their eggs with the emergence of insects in the early spring, some are…
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