13Aug 2023 by catbird No Comments
Solar Balloons

Solar Balloons

Craft Project, Learning, Play, Recycled Materials, Summer
We always struggle a bit with the dog days of summer-- its hot and humid and no one really wants to do anything. That coupled with the sinking "summer is ending soon" feeling that I always get this time of year always seems to make me cranky in august. So instead of sitting around we decided to break out some simple projects that benefit from sweltering heat- the first of which was this solar balloon. What is a solar balloon anyway? "A solar balloon is a balloon that gains buoyancy when the air inside is heated by solar radiation, usually with the help of black or dark balloon material. The heated air inside the solar balloon expands and has lower density than the surrounding air. As such, a solar balloon is similar to a hot air balloon. Usage…
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24Jul 2023 by catbird 1 Comment
Corn Husk Candles

Corn Husk Candles

Craft Project, First Harvest, Green Corn Moon, Nature Art, Summer
The "corn' that most Western Europeans refer to around First Harvest (also called Lammas or Lughnasadh) is actually just old fashioned slang for "grain" and most often refers wheat. As a North American on the other hand, corn as in maize, is having its moment this time of year. Some Southeastern American Indian tribes celebrate a Green Corn Festival in early August to celebrate the corn harvest. “Green corn” is of course not corn that is the color green (although there is green colored corn), but simply sweet corn—that is, corn that is eaten fresh as opposed to mature corn that is dried and ground up. It’s the same reason we call green beans green– it’s not because they are the color green, but because they are eaten in an…
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23Jul 2023 by catbird No Comments
Flower Moon Dried Flower Art

Flower Moon Dried Flower Art

Craft Project, Flower Moon, Nature Art, Nature Collection, Spring
The May full moon is most often called the Flower Moon. “Flower Moon” is attributed to the Algonquin and Comanche peoples. The Anishnaabeg call May’s moon the Blossom Moon, and the Kalapuya are even more specific: Camas Blooming Moon. The Shoshone call this the Budding Moon. A common proverb in English-speaking countries asserts that “April showers bring May flowers!” It’s in May that many spring flowers start to appear, whether they are weeds in a lawn, cultivated flowers in a garden, or fleeting “spring ephemerals” in the woods. In most places May is a point in the spectrum of spring, and many of the full-moon names reflect that. Both the Choctaw and Creek tribes call this the Mulberry Moon, and the Arapaho call it When the Ponies Shed Their Shaggy…
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23Jul 2023 by catbird No Comments
Pink Moon Petal Hunt

Pink Moon Petal Hunt

Craft Project, Full Moon, Nature Art, Nature Collection, Pink Moon, Play, Spring
A great way to celebrate the Pink Moon is to go on a "pink" scavenger hunt and see how many bits of pink you can find creeping out after the winter. You may find some pink flowers, but pink is also in other unexpected places like leaves, sticks, and even insects! How many types of pink things can you find? Pink Moon Scavenger Hunt There are no checklists for this hunt, just look for things that are pink! They can be natural things like petals and leaves or anything else that's pink and catches your eye. You can take photos to keep track or physically collect some items. (Take care with natural items, plants are just starting over for the year so it's best to stick with things that have…
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22Jul 2023 by catbird 1 Comment
The Falling Leaves Moon & Lantern

The Falling Leaves Moon & Lantern

Autumn, Craft Project, Falling Leaves Moon, Full Moon, Nature Art, Nature Collection
The October full moon is most often called the Hunter’s Moon in popular moon-name lingo. This name was cited in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1710 and is almost certainly European in origin. It is believed that this full moon came to be called the Hunter’s Moon because October was the time to go hunting to store up food for the cold winter ahead. Still, this name doesn’t resonate with me at all. In contrast, the Falling Leaves Moon is an Anishinaabe term referring to the seasonal changes in much of North America this time of year. The Abenaki call this moon the Leaf Falling Moon, the Arapaho use the Falling Leaves Moon, and the Lakota name is the poetic When the Wind Shakes Off the Leaves Moon. The Cree term…
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22Jul 2023 by catbird No Comments
Green Corn Moon Microgreens

Green Corn Moon Microgreens

Craft Project, Full Moon, Garden, Green Corn Moon, Nature Art
The August full moon is frequently called the Sturgeon Moon. This is because sturgeon were often caught in the late summer in the Great Lakes. I don’t live in the Great Lakes area however, and sadly I have never seen this cool fish. Instead I prefer to call this moon the Green Corn Moon because it better reflects what’s happening around me in August. Fields of corn are everywhere, and I can't seem to eat enough of it. This name mirrors traditional names used by several tribes: (Green) Corn Moon is used by the Algonquin and Ojibwe, Harvest Moon is used by the Dakota, and Ricing Moon is used by some Anishinaabeg. All of these names make reference to gathering maturing crops. Several tribes in the southeast have Green Corn…
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22Jul 2023 by catbird 1 Comment
Grass Harvest Moon

Grass Harvest Moon

Autumn, Craft Project, Harvest Moon, Nature Art, Nature Collection
The Harvest Moon was so named in Europe because the light of the moon allowed farmers to work into the night to bring in the harvest. This full moon is always the one closer to the Autumnal Equinox, so although it most often occurs in September, it sneaks into October every now and again. The Diné call September’s moon the Big Harvest Moon. The Shoshone and the Passamaquoddy call September the Fall Moon, the Algonquin refer to the Middle Between Harvest and Eating Corn, and the Hopi people call this the Moon of the Full Harvest. In many places September is a time of Harvest and there are countless ways to celebrate the bounty of this time of year. I have been increasingly planting native ornamental grasses in my garden…
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22Jul 2023 by catbird 1 Comment
Blue Moon Cyanotypes

Blue Moon Cyanotypes

Blue Moon, Craft Project, Full Moon, Nature Art, Nature Collection
Blue moons are slightly misunderstood. You see we have 12 months in our year, but there are 13 full moons. So each year there ends up being an "extra" moon in the western calendar. (This is not true of some other calendars.) If you are interested in this sort of thing, the way we got to the current western calendar is somewhat fascinating and insanely circuitous. But anyway, back to the moons, the extra moon doesn't always fall in same month and sometimes has it's own special name (like if it falls in September) but generally it gets called a blue moon. (Like the expression "once in a blue moon.") Why it's called a blue moon isn't abundantly clear, and according to astronomers the actually definition of a blue moon…
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01Jul 2023 by catbird 2 Comments
Painting with the Rain

Painting with the Rain

Craft Project, Full Moon, Nature Art, Play, Thunder Moon
Many people call July’s full moon the Buck Moon because that’s the name that the Farmers’ Almanac has chosen, but the names found among sources (both Native American and European) are all over the place. Of course, there are different things happening in nature depending on where you live. Still, a theme can be found among many July moon names, and it’s all about the berries: Berry Moon from the Anishinaabe, Moon When the Chokecherries Are Ripe Moon from the Lakota and Arapaho, Red Berries Moon from the Assiniboine, and Blackberry Moon from the Shawnee tribe. Several other names reference the heat of midsummer.  For me though, July often brings a period of intense summer thunderstorms, so that is why Thunder Moon is the name I prefer. “Thunder Moon” comes…
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