21Mar 2024 by catbird No Comments
“Fungi Grow”

“Fungi Grow”

Autumn, Craft Project, Hike Ideas, Learning, Picture Book Hikes, Play, Recipes, STEAM
Picture Book Hikes are a fun and easy way to bring learning outside. Read a book (you can even read it outside!) and then enjoy the related hike, activity and snack suggestions! Fungi Grow Written by: Maria Gianferrari & Illustrated by: Diana Sudyka Maria Gianferrari is one of my favorite nonfiction authors and Diana Sudyka is one of my favorite illustrators so I I had high hopes for this book. It didn't disappoint-- it has simple kind friendly explanations of how mushrooms and mycelium grow and live. It is of course a perfect excuse to take a mushroom hike! I usually think of this as a fall activity because so many edible mushrooms fruit in late summer/ early fall, but there are mushrooms fruiting nearly year round. I love crafting and cooking…
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18Mar 2024 by catbird 1 Comment
Mushroom “Spore” Bombs

Mushroom “Spore” Bombs

Autumn, Craft Project, Earth Day, Garden, Nature Art, Play
As a member of the Plant Wonder Collective, each month I make a craft from the plant of the month. This March is coffee. I was really stumped trying to figure out what to make. Coffee and I are not friends. I had to stop drinking coffee cold turkey in my early 20s for medical reasons and I have never quite forgiven coffee for turning on me. And my husband, who drinks lots of coffee, leaves a little pile of gross coffee grounds on the counter every morning that makes me insane. So I decided I was going to do something with coffee grounds if it killed me. First I made some seed paper with coffee grounds, because of coffee’s high nitrogen content it should theoretically give those seeds a…
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14Mar 2024 by catbird No Comments
Worm Moon Seed Bombs

Worm Moon Seed Bombs

Craft Project, Full Moon, Garden, Play, Spring, Worm Moon
Jonathan Carver is credited as the source of the Worm Moon name, claiming it was a Dakota name. However, every Dakota resource I have found calls this full moon the Sore Eyes Moon, which refers to the glare of the sun off snow. (“Sore Eyes Moon” is how this moon’s name translates from the Lakota and Assiniboine dialects as well.) Allegedly, in the late 1700s, Jonathan Carver wrote that the worms actually refer to larvae that are emerging from winter hideouts around this time. Where I live in the Mid Atlantic, snow is receding in March, and spring is just starting to peek through. I often think of March as the muddy month. Worms make their first trip to the surface as the ground unfreezes and leave their little piles of…
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09Mar 2024 by catbird No Comments
“When the World is Dreaming”

“When the World is Dreaming”

Craft Project, Free Printable, Learning, Picture Book Buds, Recipes
I love picture books. Like crazy, unofficial librarian in my own mind, love picture books. You may have noticed I often recommend books to go with various projects and recipes, I have a whole section devoted to books I love by topic, and include extensive reading lists in all of my books. I also love writing lessons and curriculum and am constantly have discussions with other authors about how I'd love to write a lesson for their book. So I decided to stop talking about it and start doing it! Introducing Picture Book Buds, where I will share some of my favorite picture books and pair them with a craft or lesson and an easy snack. (Check out Picture Book Hikes too which was a an offshoot of Picture Books…
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28Jan 2024 by catbird No Comments
Hibernating Bear Countdown Clock

Hibernating Bear Countdown Clock

Craft Project, Folklore, Midwinter, Nature Art, Winter
A few years ago I read about a folktale in passing that completely captivated me. It said that bears hibernating in their dens turn over on Midwinter. I spent years trying to track down this folktale, and finally determined it is a Norwegian story. I still haven't found a text, but I have done a ton of research and written my own retelling. (More on that later) In Celtic tradition this time of year is called Imbolc and in that climate people are starting to see signs of spring. In many other parts of the world, mine included, Midwinter is the dead of winter with the worst still to come. I like to call this holiday Midwinter, not just because it is the secular names, but because it is so…
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28Jan 2024 by catbird 1 Comment
What is Midwinter?

What is Midwinter?

Craft Project, Folklore, Midwinter, Winter
Midwinter is a celebration halfway between the Winter Solstice (the official start of winter) and the Spring Equinox (the official start of spring.) It is a time that straddles between winter and spring. The date changes slightly from year to year, but is generally on or around February 2nd. It is what is known as a “cross quarter” day on the Wheel of the Year. These days are seasonal midpoints in between the “quarters” or solstices/ equinoxes. This celebration in the dead of winter is about looking forward to spring, and while it often doesn’t feel that way, the days are steadily getting longer and brighter and the earth is slowly waking up from its slumber. Deep underground seeds are just beginning to think about stirring. Sap is starting to…
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25Jan 2024 by catbird 1 Comment
Frost Moon Sun Catcher

Frost Moon Sun Catcher

Craft Project, Frost Moon, Full Moon, Play, Winter
This sun catcher uses the exact same solution as my frost paint, but creates a thick layer in a clear lid instead of a thin layer on a piece of paper. It's extremely simple to make, but will take several days to dry out completely. It is a super saturated salt solution which will grown into crystalline feathers as the water evaporates. Because it's trapped in a plastic lid instead of expose to the air on your paper it will take longer. It’s fairly unpredictable and it’s best to embrace that and enjoy the process. The way the crystal grow is similar to the way frost forms! Materials: 1/2 cup epsom salt 1/2 cup water jar with a lid a clear plastic lid watercolor (optional) Method: Put the epsom salt…
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25Jan 2024 by catbird No Comments
Scented Crystal Snowflakes

Scented Crystal Snowflakes

Craft Project, Full Moon, Play, Snow Moon, STEAM, Winter
Another snowflake project to celebrate the snow moon! Can you really even have enough snowflakes? This would be a great project to do with a snow lesson, Snowflake Bentley, White Snow Bright Snow and the Story of Snow are all favorite books in our house. Snowflakes are a type of crystal that forms around a bit of dust or debris as it falls from the sky and famously each one is unique. Scented Crystal Snowflakes I’ve always loved making borax crystals– I supersaturate the borax solution so that larger crystals form. Most recipes use a lot less borax and that will work, but it will form much smaller crystals.I like to add essential oil to the solution so that it smells nice, but it's completely optional. Ingredients: White or blue…
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25Jan 2024 by catbird No Comments
Paper Snowflakes for the Snow Moon

Paper Snowflakes for the Snow Moon

Craft Project, Full Moon, Play, Snow Moon, Winter
February is the snowiest month where I live, and according to the National Weather Service it’s the snowiest month nationwide. According to the Farmer's Almanac’s list, this month’s full moon is called the Snow Moon based on the report of Captain Jonathan Carver, a colonial expedition leader who claimed the Lakota people called it that. The translation of the Lakota name that I have found is substantially more poetic: When Trees Crack Because of Cold Moon. Similarly, the Abenaki people observe the Makes Branches Fall in Pieces Moon. The Arapaho call this the Frost Sparkling in the Sun Moon, and the Comanche call it the Sleet Moon. One of the simplest ways to celebrate this snowy full moon (aside from just going outside and playing in the snow!) is to…
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