nature

From chickens at camp

We’ve had a chicken inspired time at camp. In anticipation of our neighborhood chickens coming for a visit we had a few projects for grown ups and for the kids.  The moms cut out felt chickens and spent a few minutes each week sewing as I “worked” with the kids.  We worked in the garden digging compost and  looking for worms.  We planted Swiss chard seeds and painted cardboard chickens .  While the kids and I explored and created the moms chatted and stitched.  One mom said her family would be impressed that she “made” something.  I think even if you’re not particularly crafty or creative just having a little time to “play” with creative materials can be relaxing and inspiring for adults.  We topped off our chicken series with a visit from our neighborhood hens, Rosalita and Mamacita.  Everyone had a chance to hand feed these gentle birds and all the moms who started a felt chicken, finished it!!!   

From st gemma theo joel lucas from theo mom

Here are a couple pictures I love that were taken way back last winter/spring.  Theo’s mom emailed them to me and I just figured out how to save them to my computer then move them to my Piccasa account for use here……wow!  I did it but it wasn’t easy!…..I’m so not a computer person!

At any rate it was a beautiful day and we were having fun with the scarf chase game and a walk to our “listening tree”  We haven’t gone to the listening tree all summer.  It’s just outside our gate and down the gravel drive way.  I go out with the kids and a few parents (not necessarily all of them).  We stop at the big oak tree and just listen….quiet!…..listen…..

From st gemma theo joel lucas from theo mom

 We had fun with worms today.  We built a worm farm by layering dirt and sand in a clear plastic bottle then dug up worms from the compost heap and added them along with some food (lettuce, apple peel) .  We also painted toilet paper roll worms and peeled some organic apples with worm holes…..no worms there!  The idea with the worm farm is that we cover the bottle with paper so that the worms have darkness which they like .  Then you can peek at their work by removing the cover and seeing where the worms have been by the trail of sand they leave.  I’m anxious to hear back from everyone to see if their worms ate the food and made sand trails up and down the side of the bottle.  Everyone can enjoy watching their worms then dump them out into their garden so they can help make the flowers and plants grow stronger.

From st misc + worms

Joshua loves peppers so he helped me harvest a “sweet treat”

It was an easy, breezy day at camp. Everyone seemed to be drawn to the hammock…..ahhhhh….a quiet moment

We started camp with a quick run around and a few songs then off to explore and create.  Our project this week was our take on Tibetan Prayer flags.  I’m sure you’ve seen these flags flying in different places around town or maybe seen pictures of them flying on mountain tops in Tibet…one of our moms has been to Tibet and has seen the flags there first hand.  The colors of the flags represent different things:  yellow-earth, blue-space (spirit), green-air (wind) etc.  Each flag has a prayer or good wish for healing, happiness in the world.  The idea is to hang the flags where the wind will catch them and blow the good wishes ’round the world……..wonderful!  Our flags were made on unbleach muslin, decorated with permanent markers then dyed by dipping in a solution of koolaide, vinegar and salt.  This “dye” is not permanent on cotton but was fun to work with and safe.  The kids hung their flags on the clothesline to dry then we strung them together so they could take them home and find a place to hang them so the wind will catch them.

As you can see in the slide show a couple grown ups found a moment to themselves to create.  I love when parents have a moment to themselves.  When you have small children that is often hard to come by.  Most parents don’t have a chance to create and play with art so when they can do it here at camp I think it’s a special treat.  While I set the projects up for the kids and ask parents to let the kids do their own thing I love the bonding that occurs when parent and child work side by side; parent available to help if needed, child free to explore as they choose.

Our neighbor horses came for a visit at the fence and all the kids who wanted to fed them watermelon.  I usually instruct the parents on how to help their child feed the horses but today I helped the kids.  I learned this from a “horsey mom”….hold the food by the end with plenty sticking out for the horse to get…carrots, long pieces of watermelon etc.   The child holds the food and the grownup covers the child’s entire hand with their own (protecting the child’s fingers).  I’m not comfortable with the method of holding the food on my out stretched palm….too many little fingers to get in the way!

After feeding the horses we buried the rest of the watermelon rinds in the compost pile.  This was another object of fascination.  The kids love looking at all the wiggly worms.  We’ll be making a worm farm in the next couple weeks…..the kids will love that!

From Collages

Inspired by an article in Mothering Magazine we gathered herbs and flowers from the garden; lavender, roses, thyme, sage, rosemary, mint, and some unidentified bits of green the kids found.  We made a tea with the fragrant herbs and flowers and while the tea steeped we wrapped more herbs and flowers in a square of fabric with a cotton ball to absorb a few drops of grapefruit essential oil.  The fabric sachet was to take  to enjoy a foot bath at home then the hot herb tea was added to a small tub of cool water for the kids and moms to take a foot soak…..so sweet!  I hope everyone will find time sit with their kids and soak their feet and share a special moment.  I imagine a cool soak on a hot afternoon while sipping iced tea or a warm soak on a cold day with a story and maybe a cup of hot cocoa.

From smiling tree camp starts May 09

There’s a different feel around Smiling Tree Farm…..summer’s in the air!  The days are warmer so we’ve got the wash tub out and the kids are washing laundry and hanging it on the line.  The quilts and wool blankets are off the beds and spread on the front lawn for our picnic lunch.  We painted flower pots and planted marigolds in the pots to take home and planted some in the garden to enjoy here at camp all summer long.  I’m looking forward to having lots kids and parents spend some quality time  together here in “wine country”

From smiling tree last of the carrots

This group of kids seemed to enjoy picking the carrots from the garden at Smiling Tree Farm the most.  They treated it as a hunt….hunt for carrots, hunt for worms, hunt for bugs and snakes.  Today we found a fuzzy catepillar and picked the last of the winter carrots before getting ready for our spring / summer garden.  While Katie and the others painted pine cones, Mac decided he wanted to paint a stick (5 feet long!) he found…..it’s all good!

We’ve been “working” in the garden.  This day we moved buckets of compost down to our new kids’ strawberry patch.  Everyone was intrigued by the worms.  Katie used her hat to hold her temporary collection of worms.

From st gardening worms etc

 Here’s a new favorite song from the very sweet book “Wiggle and Waggle” by Caroline Arnold 

A Digging Song

We wiggle and waggle, squiggle and squirm. 

 Digging in the dirt is the life of a worm. 

We Dig and we sing all day long,

Our wiggly, waggly, gardening song.

We’ve been having a great time at FUN School.  We made bagel peanut butter bird feeders and yummy oatmeal apple cookies.  Every week we take a little hike to the “listening tree” and have been crowing to the neighbor rooster.  The listening tree is just a stones throw but seems miles away to the kids especially if they leave their mom or dad back at the house.  When we get to the tree we stop and listen…..we hear birds and the wind and airplanes and cars.  Some mornings we do yoga and sing songs and play in the rice hulls outside.  The weather continues to be good with not enough rain.  We even play tag on the front lawn with our colorful scarves.

From Drop Box

From Collages

Oh my it was cold this morning!!  We went out side to play and explore and found some ice with leaves frozen inside….beautiful!