Week 7 - Thinking Tree Art & Nature Program

Week 7 - Thinking Tree Art & Nature Program (the Halloween edition)

Weather: cool, grey and rainy today

Soup made by the kids: Not soup today, but festive wood-fired pizza

Herbal project today:

• herbal bath bombs with lavender and calendula petals
  

Art lessons today:

• graphite transfers (fancy stenciling) onto paper
• DIY shadow puppets
• extended doll-making session (making hair, clothing, costumes)
  

Other highlights:

• making personal-sized pizzas baked in the wood-fired oven outside
• Halloween games, such as the pumpkin obstacle course, apple-on-string bobbing, and relays
• wonderful costumes worn by all - we had two wolves, a fox, a few witches, a bandit, a red haired elf, a bat, a construction worker, and more!
• pumpkin puddings and hot apple cider by the fire to warm ourselves

Week 6 - Thinking Tree Art & Nature Program

Week 6 - Thinking Tree Art & Nature Program

Weather: it's getting cool!  Hovering around 0 degrees Celcius today with one tiny snow flurry

Soup made by the kids: Not soup today, but rather fancy oatmeal bowls with lots of toppings

Herbal project today:

• preparing our own blend of Peace Tea - with relaxing calming herbs like lemon balm, catnip, linden, rose and chamomile
• using our senses to get to know lemon balm from the garden
• using our new blend to make herbal tea over the fire - so cozy!
  

Art lessons today:

• imagining a world of small - finding miniature landscapes in the yard and drawing ourselves into them (for example, what would it be like to live in a milkweed pod?)
• developing our skills for drawing birds

Other highlights:

• warm-up games at the nearby park field - so fun to see everyone laughing and running ("catch the dragon's tail" was especially funny as a group effort)
• fresh pumpkin pie for an extra lunch treat
• warming our hands by the outdoor fire which we kept going most of the day
• planning for next week's session - halloween party!

Week 5 - Thinking Tree Art & Nature Program

Week 5 - Thinking Tree Art & Nature Program

Weather: overcast with patches of sunshine, but chilly (felt like 2 Celcius)

Soup made by the kids: Sweet Potato-Leek

Herbal project today: 

• wrapping sage herb bundles to hang at home (and use for winter teas, bath and sore throats)
• discussing various historical uses of herb bundles for health, purification, ceremony
  

Art lessons today:

• form drawing - looking at the human form and proportion (face, body)
• turning the form sketches into flower fairy sketches made to proportion
• cityscape drawings in mirror image
• looking at spirals in nature (shells, etc) and sketching various snail designs

Other highlights:

• delicious warm honey-baked apples made in the outdoor wood-fired cob oven! 
• playing outdoor co-operative running games to warm ourselves up
• learning about how the cob oven was built, and standing around the fire to stay cozy

Week 4 - Thinking Tree Art & Nature Program

Week 4 - Thinking Tree Art & Nature Program

Weather: full sun, exceptionally warm for October (felt like 32C)

Soup made by the kids: Carrot-Coconut

Handmade projects today:

• wood slice painted necklaces (ladybugs) using hand-drills to make holes
• cloth doll making continued from last week, adding yarn hair
• adding to our plant presses for lantern making project (coming up)
  

Art lessons today:

• charcoal tree house drawings based on logs and trees around the yard, then sharing our drawings with the group - such details and imagination!

Other highlights:

• sunny walk to nearby community garden to collect colourful fall leaves and last flower petals for our plant presses
• Flower Families card game with our older kids during free time  
• building a human obstacle course as our morning warm-up game
• closing circle check-in where one child said "she loved everything" about the day!
• such a beautiful relaxed day with our group - enjoying the warm outdoor weather while we can