“A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.”
{joining Soule Mama today}
If you’re inspired to follow along, please leave a link to your moment in the comments!
Just a few photos of the urban garden this week as we were busy farm sitting and tending to the rural garden out at the farm. See last week’s garden to get an idea of what we have growing. We’re joining Soule Mama for this fun weekly feature! Please feel welcome to share what’s growing in your garden by posting a link in the comments…
It was lovely to come home to lots of fresh, deep red strawberries for little hands to pick, and to see how alive it all seemed. Being in the garden makes me feel so alive with the smell of soil, the freshness of dew, the insects working away… and the kids carefully inspecting each area of the garden to find what can be harvested.
Four out of our crew of six tending the garden where we were farm sitting. It is so nice when everyone and everything falls into place – each with his or her own important work to contribute to the overall rhythm of the day. The oldest pulling weeds, and the littlest ones collecting the weeds and hauling them out of the garden. All six of us occupied with meaningful work, taking part in growing the food that will nourish our family and others.
Our urban garden…
Beets are coming along, with some tiny carrots (experiments with seeds of years ago) straggling alongside. More carrots were planted over by the tomatoes and cukes. Red Dragon carrots are the carrot of choice for six year olds, I’m told around here.
A row of pretty lettuce is getting ready for salads. We planted some more to have a continual harvest, unlike last year, ahem, when I planted a full 2×8 garden box in lettuce and it was all ready at once. Live and learn, I guess! That is the nature of gardening.
This spinach was photographed right before it was added to one of our favourite dishes – a meal we had several times at a very special little restaurant when we lived in Guatemala. We call it Blue Angel Skillet – sauté onions and cubed potatoes in olive or coconut oil, add diced tomatoes, followed by spinach and topped with grated cheese. There is no more specific recipe, but I promise it is delicious. Add whatever seasoning you’d like – we stick with a simple sprinkle of salt and pepper.
I do believe when we’re at the farm, we’ll have a strawberry patch the size of our entire current garden. These sweet bursts are gone almost as soon as they are picked! Two different varieties grow in our patch – one that has come with us from our previous home – a common ever-bearing variety, though I don’t know the name. The other is an eye-catcher called Fragoo Deep Rose, with deep pink blossoms and more elongated berries.
In recent years, the importance of children spending time in nature has emerged in books, articles, and documentaries. What seems obvious to children, who yearn to squish their feet in the mud, splash in puddles, climb trees and run freely, is now one of those things that has been lost in the generation gap, along with various facets of a self-suffient lifestyle.
Aside from the most challenging time of year (-40 celsius), we try to get outside each day for even a brief foray into the natural world. In our cold winter months, our backyard counts as the natural world, as we play in the snow, watch the birds, gather pine cones, cozy up in snow forts, and watch our breath drift away from our bodies. I can’t stress enough the importance of high quality snow and rain gear! In the warmer months, however, nature walks are a part of our daily rhythm.
We get out our handy nature walk checklist (see below to download) and get to work preparing. We pack up some tea, cocoa or water, some stainless steel or camping cups (to avoid breaks), and some snacks. A light blanket is a must to make a special spot to sit and snack, to lie down for a rest, or to sketch in our nature journals, another key item we pack. We don’t need a lot of gadgets for a successful nature walk, but it’s no fun to be a fair hike from home or the car in need of toilet paper, water or first aid supplies! After a few nature walks you’ll pinpoint the fine balance between too much gear, and just enough.
Some days we trek on foot to our local park to climb trees, watch birds, collect specimens and explore. Other days we pack up for a drive to somewhere new. Visiting various natural areas around your town or city is a great way to expose your children to different ecosystems, varieties of trees and animals, and also keeps things exciting. However, I highly recommend having one or two special spots that your family can visit several times a year. Developing an intimate knowledge of one natural area allows children to witness even the smaller changes that occur with the change of the seasons.
Nature journals, binoculars, microscopes and other tools can be a lot of fun for young learners. At the same time, know that the important part for the youngest learners is to just BE in nature. I couldn’t put it better than Rachel Carson, author of A Sense of Wonder:
“I sincerely believe that for the child, and for the parent seeking to guide him, it is not half so important to know as to feel when introducing a young child to the natural world. If facts are the seeds that later produce knowledge and wisdom, then the emotions and the impressions of the senses are the fertile soil in which the seeds must grow. The years of early childhood are the time to prepare the soil.”
Download your copy of our Tiny Peasant Wild Walks handouts up at the top of this page. Work together to draw a picture beside each item so pre-readers can easily take part in packing as they check items off the list. Laminate and use with a dry-erase pen for easy re-use! We love verses and rhymes and include one with most of our resources as a fun add-on. Children love rhyming and repetition, so feel good about reciting your nature walk verse each time you go on a trek!
Share with us about your nature walks in the comments below! Feel free to link to a post about one of your adventures.
This post was shared at Nourishing Joy’s Thank Goodness It’s Monday link up.
The urban garden was planted late on top of a late season, so our plants are off to a slow start. Regardless of when they emerge and grow, it’s always exciting to walk through the garden to see, smell, touch, and taste the plants that will nourish us in the weeks and months to come!
We’re joining Soule Mama and Beauty that Moves for this fun weekly feature! Please feel welcome to share what’s growing in your garden by posting a link in the comments…
Espaliered apple tree & dill
Green beans & weeds
Volunteer squash
Potatoes (planted in the soil, and then will be mulched with straw as they grow)
Grape vine
Apples
Lavender
Beets, spinach, carrots, peas (seeds from a few years ago)
Strawberries
Haskap berries
Daisies in fallen trellis
Cucumber
“A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.”
{joining Soule Mama today}
If you’re inspired to follow along, please leave a link to your moment in the comments!
On a recent trip to the park with family, we were pleasantly surprised to find an old mill museum open for visitors. The boys had a blast checking out the old stone mill, watching it turn and grind the grain into flour, and the best part – feeling its smooth texture on their hands.
The woman who was volunteering at the mill that day was so patient with the boys, and so encouraging of their exploration and play. She didn’t tell them not to make a mess, or to keep their voices down. When it was time to leave, the boys were covered in flour. Her wise response – it’s nothing a good roll down the hill won’t take care of!
We need more people like this woman who can encourage and empower our children. Who understand that children are not just little adults. I am so thankful for the gentle reminder I received that day, and well, the hill was a huge hit.
“A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.”
{joining Soule Mama today}
If you’re inspired to follow along, please leave a link to your moment in the comments!
Most of us can likely conjure up memories of lemonade stands or other entrepreneurial endeavours from our own childhoods. I recall lemonade stands, as well as a season where some friends and I sold slushies made with our Snoopy slush machine and mini donuts coated in white powdered sugar that we purchased at the grocery store. We worked hard for our money, biking to the store, picking out the best donuts, cranking that Snoopy slush machine handle round and round…
Our children (ages 3, 6, 9 and a 13 year old who helps them out) are following suit and love their annual lemonade stand out at the lake house. Lemons are squeezed, maple syrup added, stirred and fingers licked, markers and crayons are busied making signs. The kids make flyers with the date and time and go up and down the cottage area belting out the good news of the lemonade to come. There is a lot of pride in the autonomy of the whole thing, this lemonade business of theirs.
As I write this, I am reminded of some news in the past couple of years about lemonade stands being shut down. Thankfully, we haven’t dealt with that in our area of the world. Lemonade stands and other projects like this are so empowering for children, and well, just plain fun.
Our kids chose to try blueberry and strawberry to increase the appeal of their stand.
Facilitate their experience, offer suggestions if you’d like – but if they decline, let it go – they are exercising an important decision-making muscle and experiencing calling the shots!
Stock up on cups and napkins (making some cloth napkins would be a fun side project), poster paper and markers, and make sure to have a float so the kids can give change if necessary. Note in their sign, that the kids chose to give a discount to any customer willing to suck on a lemon! That was a hoot!
Well, how can it not be, really? Even if you don’t go out of your way to make it happen, your children will learn so much – how to make lemonade, how to interact with customers, some money and counting skills, and depending on age possibly some more advanced business skills like marketing and budgeting. Our children kept track of their three flavours on a simple paper chart. Now they know that blueberry lagged far behind strawberry and plain, and this season they can choose to stick with the more popular two or they can add in a new flavour.
Who doesn’t love seeing little ones playing shop-keeper? These stands seem to create such a cheerful atmosphere. People come out of the woodwork to support their little neighbours, friends join in the fun, cars stop and the kids cheer. It’s a good feeling all around. If lemonade isn’t your kids’ cup of tea, consider suggesting a mini farmer’s market selling your garden produce, a yard sale where the kids choose some of their items to sell, a bake sale, etc.
We’d love to hear some of your tips and ideas!
Whether celebrated for it’s religious significance, as a family tradition, or as a way of welcoming spring, we can all agree that Easter is about new life; blades of grass poking through freshly thawed soil, tender shoots emerging from a deep slumber, just as we breathe in the fresh spring air after a long, dark winter. Traditionally, children toting baskets and a sense of adventure would hunt for eggs – real, whole eggs – hidden in the grass. The eggs were, and still are for some, a symbol of new life. Somewhere along the way, whole eggs led to chocolate eggs, which led to chocolate bunnies, chocolate hens, jelly beans, marshmallow peeps, and well, you get the picture. The celebration of new life and a new season are easily lost in the mountain of candy. As a child, I adored Easter. I am certain I loved the chocolate and candy, but most of my connection to our family celebrations lies in the excitement of the treasure collecting and the feeling of transformation – of going to bed at night eager in anticipation of the newness and lightness that Easter would bring. As a parent, I want to bring that anticipation to our home, but I don’t want to bring the sugar. Over the past few years, I’ve come up with a few things that get a check of approval from our whole crew – kids and parents alike. Find it in our Celebrating Easter Mindfully package in the shop. 
One of my fondest childhood memories of Easter is dyeing Easter eggs in my grandmother’s kitchen, surrounded by family, while snacking on grandma’s famous Paska (Polish Easter bread).
I can recall the sweet, yeasty taste of the homemade bread, the smell of the local pickerel or ham we’d enjoy later at dinner, the whole boiled eggs carefully prepared for the dyeing and decorating – yet, in the middle of all of these wholesome parts of such a special celebration, a cardboard box is ripped open, some packets of chemical dyes are dumped down onto the counter and then carefully stirred into warm water with vinegar.
It wasn’t until I was in high school or university that I started to wonder if the chemical dyes on our egg shells could affect our health. Often those bright colours would indeed make their way inside the shell and onto the actual egg.
I now have children who also love the excitement of decorating Easter eggs as part of our celelbration. I’m thankful that we’ve learned the skill of making homemade plant and food based dyes that have beautiful results and provide us some peace of mind. Purchase the PDF tutorial in the shop!
