Planting FUN!!!

"How do we understand one another? We understand the meaning of the words we speak, but on a deeper level we really take in the warmth and cold, the gaiety or gravity of anyone who speaks to us. The personal mood or feeling is, however, overlaid by something else, something the moods of sounds and words bring to us. Pop goes the weasel, ... Pussy cat, pussy cat, ... Worra, worra, worra, ... All of us remember being captivated by such sounds. Looking back we realize that it is not a single 's' or 'r' or 'o' that catches our attention, but the repetition, a rhythmic repetition, growing louder and softer, faster and slower, waking us or making us drowsy, bringing laughter or calm..."

~Rudolf Steiner

Children acquire a range of skills when they tend flowers in the a garden. Lessons about weather, soil, wildlife, ecology, and even language engage all five senses in children as they nurture plants they have grown themselves. Share your love of gardening with a child, and give him an opportunity to turn a summer of fun outdoors into a lifelong hobby.

Butterflies and Bumblebees

Planting flowers that encourage pollinators to visit your garden captivates children and provides an important lesson in ecology. Children can be afraid of bees, but if they’re not allergic to beestings there’s no reason why kids can’t enjoy observing non-aggressive bumblebees and native honeybees filling the pollen baskets on their legs.

Butterflies are easy to attract with nectar-rich flowers like butterfly bush or ‘Butterfly Blue’ scabiosa. You should also plant host plants like bronze fennel so children can observe the entire life cycle of these garden jewels.

Let's Plant a Dinosaur Garden

If your child marvels at the prehistoric world that dinosaurs once inhabited, you can recreate some of that antediluvian mystery in your own backyard. Plants that thrived during the Jurassic period include ferns, conifers, cycads, and gingkoes. Although the exact species that lived millions of years ago may not be available for cultivation now, the architectural beauty of similar plants may start a learning quest for the budding botany student.

Plant your Child's Name Garden
This is so much fun to do with a child of any age. Go together and pick flowers that represent the first letter of the names like for A BROOK garden I would plant


Blueberry bushes
Raspberry Bushes
Oregano
Ozothamus
Kolkwitzia


This is a great way for learning about new plants and a special garden all of there own .


Here is a great little verse to say while planting your special plants.

A little seed for me to sow.
A little earth to make it grow.
A little hole, a little pat,
a little wish, and that is that.
A little sun, a little shower,
a little while, and then a flower.

~Sing Through the Seasons

May Day

"Spring, the most welcome of seasons, comes yet very slowly. The spell of winter is hard to shake off. Catkins seem in no hurry to lengthen, a new shoot passes through a clod of earth but lingers, reluctant to rise in the cold air. As the days grow longer and the breeze softens, we patiently wait and hope. The stony ground realizes, the ditches gurgle with the spring rains, and juicy buds swell on the twig. Suddenly comes the surprise of a warm day, and with it the urgent activity of growth. Beneath our feet the ground turns lush, the hedges fatten in a haze of green, and a hungry bee flies past. Nature springs effortlessly into creative action; the birds sing praise in concert."

From the wonderful book: All Year Round

May Day (May 1st) is celebrated in many places around the world. The traditions and stories surrounding May Day vary from place to place. There is, however, one thing that is similar in most celebrations - the use of Flowers!

One of the most popularly known May Day traditions is to hang a basket full of spring flowers and/or other small gifts on a neighbor's doorknob. The trick is you don't want the neighbor to see you! If you get caught, you are supposed to get a kiss.
A popular activity on May Day is to decorate a pole with brightly colored ribbon or paper streamers. Some also add flowers and balloons. The pole is usually carried in a parade and then placed in the ground at a designated area. People then dance around the May pole, holding the ends of the streamers or ribbon in their hands.

Miniature Maypoles for May Day

	small glass or clay gardening pots (large if making a centerpiece)
	gold or brown sprayed florist's picks
	three shades of narrow ribbon
	glue gun & stick
	potpourri or potting soil if using potting soil, moss small flower or rosebud to affix to top Make the poles by getting out all of your items. Wrap the florist's pick (pole) with the three shades of ribbon, weaving through in the traditional "around the Maypole" fashion. Tie the ribbon into a bow at the top and affix the rosebud or other small flower on top of that with the glue gun. Place the pole into the center of the pot (easier if you place a drop of the glue onto the bottom of the pole before placing it in). Then surround the pole with the potting soil and moss or the potpourri. Tie a color-coordinated ribbon around the pot and use as decoration at your nature table, dinner table or as a craft activity for the children and friends. Depending on the size of the pots and poles, we have used these as small favors at our May Fairy parties, as grand centerpieces at picnic tables and as Maypoles in our garden, inviting the fairy folk to participate in the fun. Enjoy! The Celtic year is divided into the dark and the light. Samhain begins the dark half; its counterpart, Beltane, is the beginning of the light half. Beltane and Samhain therefore divide the year into the two primary seasons, Winter and Summer. Beltane went by many names: Beltaine in Ireland, Bealtuinn in Scotland, Shenn do Boaldyn on the Isle of Man and Galan Mai in Wales. It is also referred to as Cetsamhain which means "opposite Samhain." By Celtic reckoning, the actual Beltane celebration begins on sundown of the preceding day, April 30, because the Celts figured their days from sundown to sundown. The word "Beltane" literally means "bright" or "brilliant fire," and refers to the bonfires lit to celebrate this festival. Sundown was the time when the great Bel-fires would be kindled on the tops of the nearest beacon hill (such as Tara Hill, Co. Meath, in Ireland). Cattle and sheep which had been kept inside or close to the farmsteads during the long winter months could now be turned out into the fields or led away to their summer pastures. The tribal herds were ritually driven between the bonfires, to purify and protect them in the upcoming year. Healing herbs were burnt in the fires, producing smoke which would help destroy parasites and help prevent illness among cattle, sheep and other livestock. Another popular custom was to leap over the Beltane bonfire. Young people jumped the fire for luck in finding a spouse, and pregnant women jumped the fire to assure an easy delivery. Domestic fires, which were kept alight all through the year, were extinguished on Beltane Eve and then rekindled from the great Bel-fires with torches the next morning. Even these small household fires were sacred, and Celtic Christians developed trinitarian rituals associated with tending the household fires. When fires were smothered for the night, for example, the peat blocks were divided into three equal sections and prayed for in the name of the God of Life, the God of Peace and the God of Grace. Then the whole fire was covered in ashes in the name of the Three of Light, with the following prayer: "The sacred Three to save, to shield, to surround, the hearth, the house, the household, this eve, this night, O this eve, this night, and every night, each single night. Amen." Beltane is a holiday of fires, flowers, fertility, and frivolity—celebrating the reawakening of the earth and the return of life to the world. Handfastings—binding couples together for a year and a day, were traditionally performed on this day. It was customary for young lovers to spend the night in the woods. The best known tradition associated with the day is to dance around a tree while weaving greenery around it. This dance around the May Pole, using cloths or ribbons, is still performed in many parts of the world, and is the primary Beltane ceremony that has survived to the modern era. May-Baskets by Evaleen Stein Let us take our baskets early    To the meadows green, While the wild-flowers still are pearly    With the dewdrops' sheen.  Fill them full of blossoms rosy,    Violets and gay Cowslips, every pretty posy    Welcoming the May.  Then our lovely loads we'll carry    Down the village street, On each door, with laughter merry,    Hang a basket sweet.  Hey-a-day-day! It is spring now,    Lazy folks, awake! See the pretty things we bring now    For the May-day's sake!

An Eostre Story.

One perennial symbol of Easter is the Easter egg. The Phoenicians, Persians, Hindus, Egyptians, and Chinese believed that the world was created out of an enormous egg. In one Hindu myth from ancient India, this Egg of the World broke into two separate halves, each representing the underlying illusory duality or maya in all of Creation. A golden half symbolized the sky while a complementary silver half represented terra firma or earth’s soil and seas.


This eternal egg has come to symbolize fertility and procreation, or the birth and spawning of new Life itself. The Easter Bunny? Of course, rabbits are prodigiously fertile, and are often regarded as fertility symbols. Oestre was said to have been importuned by a giant bird that desired to be transformed into a rabbit, and when she complied, he gratefully laid eggs each spring as a ritual offering.



Eostre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of springtime, was bringing spring to the land when she happened upon a girl who was weeping in the forest. For the girl did not know what to do. The girl had found a bird who had frozen to death in the snow. Taking pity on her, Eostre went to the girl to bring the bird back to life for she couldn't bare to see the girl feeling so sad but Eostre could not save the bird's wings so she turned the bird into a rabbit.

Having once been a bird, the rabbit retained its ability to lay eggs and every Eosturmonath (Eostre month/April) the rabbit would lay eggs in all the bright colours of spring as a thankyou to the goddess Eostre for saving its life.

And that is the story of the 'easter bunny' and the tradition of why we decorate eggs in bright colours. Eostre was the goddess of springtime and fertility hence the further symbolism of rabbits (procreation), eggs (fertility) and chocolate (aphrodisiac).

Easter Fantasy and Natural Dyed Eggs

I saw the Easter Bunny as he quickly hopped along,
His heart all bubbling over with a happy Easter song.
He gathered eggs from here and there,
prepared his colored dyes
and in a most efficient way he
proved to be quite wise.

Down the lane to pixie land where elves and fairies play,
Where kitten fluff was happily at work with doggy tray,
so many chores that must be done before that Easter dawn
when children searched for colored eggs just when the night is gone.

Carefully he checked his list of every girl and boy,
some colored eggs for everyone,
perhaps a sparkling toy.
How happily he did his work,
each basket quickly done
and he was off upon his way for lots of Easter fun.

Mister Bunny wined his eye and scurried on his way
for everything must be just right for children Easter day.
Their Easter dreams must all come true,
Each basket filled so grand
and Mister Bunny planned it all
in Easter Fairyland.

By Garnett Ann Schultz

Hop into Easter and Spring with these beautiful Eggshell Tulips

I have seen so many lovely Easter and Spring crafts online recently. That I was inspired to make some of my own to share with you all. You can make this craft work well for any age group.

Here are the following items you will need to create these lovely little flowers:

Pipe cleaners (Depending on how many flowers you want to make)
Green paper
yellow or orange paper
Blown eggs/hard boiled eggs cracked in half
Green wool roving
food coloring

 So first you need to dye your eggs. We choose a beautiful golden yellow. If you are working with young children it is best to make hard boiled eggs and dye the eggs first then crack them in half yourself after.

After the eggs have dried a bit you are all ready to begin.If you started with hard boiled eggs this point you need to take a nail and poke a whole into the bottom of the egg .  Take your yellow or orange paper and cut it with a fringe like your making grass. Now you'll have everything all set. You can lay out your items like I have for easy assembly.

 Next you will take a small amount of your green roving and wrap it around your pipe cleaner like so....

Then gently rub it between your hands to secure all roving together. You can do this a few times until it is nice and tight.

 Like this picture below....

Then take your yellow or orange paper and roll it up like the following pictures....

Then start to fan it out a bit ...

You should have something similar to this...you can secure it with tape...

Now take your eggshell half and pick up your pipe cleaner and poke it up through the bottom then bend it over so it doesn't fall out.

Get your glue gun and squirt some glue into the egg ( you can use elmers glue if working with younger children or even tacky glue)

and add your yellow or orange piece to the center like this...

Glue on your leave to the stem....

And that is it!! You can place your flowers into a vase or flower pot . They make a perfect homemade gift for Easter,Mother's Day,Grandparents,Aunts or make a bouquet to give to a friend.

Ours are growing out of this flower pot :)

HOPPY SPRING !!!

Do you have any special crafts you make for Spring or Easter?

Rainy day post and backyard tour

Hey Everyone! Thanks for stopping by..I'd like to take you on a special tour today ...this is a tour of our backyard. Since it is Spring the grass is still brown but it sure is lovely to see it finely..

On our first stop we travel by some little ones, who seem t be basking in the Spring sun..we will be very quiet as we tiptoe by them ....

Next we are searching for an Elephant. Somene said that they are hiding in the grass arund here. I am not sure if they know what they are talking about but I will look around and see. Hey, while you are with me if you see any animals please let me know. Thanks

Aha!! Thanks so much for helping me find that Elephant! Seems like it was hiding over here in the grass. Who would have known that Elephants hide around here?

Okay are you paying attention? We are looking for a Brown cow now . It was last seen in this area of the backyard. We think she may have wandered off somewhere in the snow. Let's take a look around and see if we can spot her.

Okay, I can't find her anywhere ....Do you see her hiding somewhere?

Alright, I think we found all the animals. Let's head over to our Fairy House. I heard there are some new guests staying there.

It's a wonderful family of pigs! They seem to have made the place very cozy and have removed most of those pesky roots that were blocking the entrance!

Now here is my brother Gabe. He wanted to play along for a bit. In our family we all really love animals and someday we hope to have our own chickens and maybe an Alpaca or too!!

Little pig wanted to say "Hello everyone we hope you are enjoying the tour of our backyard!"

There is that Brown cow...We found you !! Brown cow says "Mooove on over ....I want to say Hello to everyone too!!"

Okay here we are back on tour...My mom spotted this pretty dried flower. Isn't so beautiful. She said she loves the detail in it.

This is my older sister Brooklyn. She is such a fun and kind person. I think she has the most beautiful smile. Don't you ?

Just decided to take a break and rest on my mamas back. I love her so much, she makes a perfect place to rest my head.

Well we are off for now ...It is raining  here today in the Northeast is it is a perfect time to make some chicken soup and relax....Maybe we get to do some puddle jumping later :)

How do you like to spend your time outside? Do you have any Favorite games to play?? What is the weather like where you live?