05Apr 2023 by catbird 1 Comment
A Basket for Bunnies Made from Trees

A Basket for Bunnies Made from Trees

Craft Project, Foraging, Nature Collection, Play, Spring Equinox, Spring Portfolio
When I was researching spring holidays for my spring book I was particularly intrigued by a German custom wherein children build a nest in a field or garden in which a hare would lay colored eggs for them. This idea came to the America's with German settlers and seems to be the precursor of the modern Easter basket and the rational for rabbits laying eggs. Eggs and hares were both of course ancient symbols of spring and fertility that predate Easter. All of that to say... I love the idea of making secret outdoor nests for a magical hare to leave gifts in!! I started making a proper basket, but I wanted to simplify it so that it was do-able for kids (and frankly adults...) What I ended up with…
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26Feb 2023 by catbird No Comments
Magical Color Changing Violet Lemonade

Magical Color Changing Violet Lemonade

Foraging, May Day, Play, Recipes, Spring Portfolio
Violets are at their best this time of year around us so we pick tons of them (and leave plenty for our pollinator friends too!) to make crafts and recipes. Flowers are an important part of May celebrations historically and people decorated their houses, themselves and their animals. Color changing lemonade is one of our favorites and we make it almost every year. Violets are a pH indicator, so to make this magical drink you’ll actually have to make two beverages and then mix them in front of your adoring fans. We do this by the glass so that every kid gets to perform the magic trick. What is actually happening is that the acid from the lemon is changing the pH of the drink, turning it from purpley blue…
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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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25Feb 2023 by catbird 3 Comments
Spring Ephemerals Hike

Spring Ephemerals Hike

Foraging, Hike Ideas, Nature Journaling, Spring Equinox, Spring Portfolio
Spring ephemerals are one of the most exciting treasures to hunt for in the early spring. They are short lived woodland flowers that live their entire lives in the early spring before the trees leaf out. They sprout, bloom and set seed all between snowmelt and when the forest canopy shades them out. Their dainty appearance and short life may make them appear delicate, but these plants are tough. Spring ephemerals have all kinds of interesting adaptations and collaborations with other members of their communities to help them survive in such a harsh environment. Because soil temperatures are low this time of year, water and nutrient uptake is more challenging. Many spring ephemerals have developed relationships with mycorrhiza in order to get the water and nutrients they need. Their environment is…
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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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16Jan 2023 by catbird 1 Comment
Forcing Branches

Forcing Branches

Foraging, Midwinter, Nature Collection
A lovely way to celebrate Midwinter is to force winter tree branches. “Forcing” branches simply means that you bring them inside when it’s still cold outside which causes them to react to the warmth in your home and break bud earlier than they would have outside. If you live somewhere a little warmer you may be able to get some early flowers this way, (this is also a great way to start a lesson about the difference between flower buds and leaf buds on winter trees) but nearly everyone will be able to get some charming little green leaves. Willow is on of my favorite trees to force, not just because they are one of the easier trees to coax into an early leaf out, but because they also have…
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07Dec 2022 by catbird 1 Comment
Pine Needle Tea

Pine Needle Tea

Campfire, Folklore, Foraging, Recipes, Winter, Winter Solstice
Pine needle tea is a fun and easy winter beverage hat is is oh so wintery! Its a fantastic source of nutrients, particularly vitamin C, which was used to supplement people's diets in the days before you could go to the store and buy a bag of oranges without a thought. Allegedly, Frenchman Jacques Cartier and his crew were cured of scurvy by an Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) tribe in 1543 and they wrote an account of it. All edible species of pine contain vitamin C-- purportedly have three to five times more than an orange, depending on what source you read. Vitamin C is an immune booster (and a cure for scurvy!) Pine needles also contain vitamin A which improves red blood cell production. Pine needle tea can also soothe sore…
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17Sep 2022 by catbird No Comments
Foraging for thankfulness

Foraging for thankfulness

Autumn Portfolio, Foraging
On ethical foraging and thankfulness. It’s important to help kids understand the ethics of foraging- why we leave some behind, what animals depend on the same foods that we like, and not being greedy. I’ve struggled with ways to communicate that to my kids- they are too young to get into percentages, and being thankful is still pretty abstract... so recently we’ve started making little offerings to thank the forest for our treats. It gives them something tangible to wrap their minds around and helps them to understand- while also being fun to make! This one is for the spiceberries we picked on our hike- and they reminded me several times to leave some for the animals so I feel like it’s working! 
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27Apr 2022 by catbird No Comments
Marshmallow Wands

Marshmallow Wands

Foraging, May Day, Play, Recipes
May Day or Beltane is the first day of May and the halfway point between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice. In some places it marks the beginning of summer, in others, mine included, it is the midpoint of spring. It’s still a bit chilly, but wildflowers are starting to bloom and those “spring” vegetables like radish and asparagus are just starting to come to life. In Japan, the relatively modern holiday of Greenery Day is celebrated just after May Day- and I like the idea of a day to celebrate spring, flowers, gardens and being outside. One of the most important parts of European May Day celebrations were bonfires. Livestock were driven between big bonfires to protect them for the summer. This was the time of year that…
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