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Found in Jackson Creek Park.
June
First summer is here,
the lake so mild.
Summer has come
to the water-child.
We’ll take the boat
and row to an isle.
We’ll bathe in the water,
leave our clothes in a pile.
We’ll play at boats,
we’ll splash and tease.
The sun is so warm
and so is the breeze.
A June day it is
when all is green.
We’ll row through the reeds
and never be seen.
First summer is here,
the lake is so mild.
Summer has come
to the water-child.
~ Excerpt from Around the Year by Elsa Beskow
SEASONAL POEMS:
Will you help me make a chain,
Of yellow, green and white?
Then follow me down twisty lanes,
Through a field of daisies bright.
One by one we gather them,
Then in the oak tree’s shade
We gently thread them stem to stem
And see a daisy chain we’ve made.
~ H. Henley
Here is the little beehive.
Where are the bees?
Hidden away where nobody sees.
Soon they come creeping out of the hive.
One, two, three, four, five.
I’m busy, busy, busy, said the bee,
I shan’t be home for dinner or tea,
It takes me hours and hours
to visit all the flowers.
Little bees work very hard,
Making golden honey,
Taking nectar from the flowers,
When the days are sunny.
SEASONAL SONG:
Summer Wild Plant Song
Rose, rose, belle of the hedge,
Prickles of silver and hips burnished red
Heart-shaped, your petals that flutter like snow,
Dancing to the breeze of summer meadows
Dance in the breeze where summer winds blow.
NATURE ADVENTURES & PROJECTS
Pack your backpack with a snack, water, and extra clothes and get ready to hit the trail (or your backyard!).
Here are some ideas that you might want to try out this week:
Nature art
NATURE ADVENTURE
Bring a basket on your nature adventure and look for a variety of colours and shapes to collect. Gather a few of each item. Remember to harvest responsibly by only taking a one or two leaves / flowers from each plant (leave some for the plant!).
PROJECT
Make a Nature Mandala
A mandala is a geometric shape that means ‘circle’ in Sanskrit.
Nature mandala. Similar to a mandala symbol, a nature mandala is also an “integrated structure organized around a unifying center.” It is a circular and non-permanent symbol using patterns to represent the circle of life. They are made with organic materials found in nature. It is a nature-based activity that allows children to observe patterns and cycles found in nature, which will help them transition from one season to the next.
Except from Sprouting Wild Ones
Photo Credit: Sprouting Wild Ones
Materials:
A collection of natural materials in variety of shapes and colours.
An area to lay out your supplies so that you can easily see your collection of materials.
An area to create your nature mandala (you may choose to create a ‘frame’ using sticks around your workspace).
A camera to photograph your finished masterpiece!
Instructions:
From Sprouting Wild Ones
Pick a peaceful place out in nature to create your nature mandala.
To create your nature mandala, place a meaningful item in the center. Then start placing other items you gathered near the center first and continue moving outward from the center until you've created a circular design.
Continue making patterns until your items are used up and your nature mandala looks complete. And remember, you can create it however you like! You could use bright colors or muted earth tones. Make it big or small. Make it as simple or complex as you want.
PROJECT
Make a Nature Headdress
Headdresses have the power to transform its wearer into a noble monarch, a woodland fairy or some other magical creature.
Materials:
Natural materials collected on your nature adventure.
Long strips of sturdy plain and coloured card stock (wide enough and long enough to go around the child’s head).
Scissors
Double-sided sticky tape
Stapler or single-sided tape
Instructions:
Measure the card stock and cut to fit your child’s head.
Cut a length of double-sided sticky tape and stick it to centre of the card stock (lengthwise).
Stick on natural decorations: flowers, seed heads, leaves and other chosen items.
Staple or tape the ends together to form a crown.
LEAF Scavenger hunt
NATURE ADVENTURE
Grab the leaf scavenger hunt below and see how many you can find on your nature adventure.
Scavenger Hunt from The Big Book of Nature Activities
PROJECT
Make a Leaf Rubbing
Use your leaf collection to make beautiful designs.
Photo Credit: Kid At Art
Materials:
Different types of leaves collected on your nature adventure.
Crayons
Paper
Instructions:
Choose a leaf or two.
Place the paper on top of the leaves.
Hold the paper down so that it stays in place while rubbing a crayon over the surface of the paper.
Honeysuckle hunt
NATURE ADVENTURE
Get to know this sweet smelling flowering tree on your nature adventure: the honeysuckle. Bring along a collection basket to harvest some of the honeysuckle flowers.
Honeysuckle flowers found in Jackson Creek Park.
PROJECT
Make Honeysuckle Honey
Use the honeysuckle flower that you collected to make some honeysuckle honey.
The honeysuckle honey can be added to herbal teas or taken, one teaspoon one to three times a day, to help sore throats, colds and coughs, or headaches.
Find out more about Honeysuckle Honey here.
Materials:
Honeysuckle flowers
Honey
A clear glass jar and lid
Instructions:
Pick honeysuckle blossom and opening buds on a warm, dry day. Put them in a jar and cover with runny honey.
Put the jar on a windowsill or outside in a sunny spot, where it can infuse in the sun. Stir it every few days to mix the flowers with the honey.
After one cycle of the moon, strain, bottle and label.
Recipe from The Children’s Forest
I spy a butterfly
NATURE ADVENTURE
If you were a butterfly, where would you go? Think about what butterflies like to eat… Follow the flowers and see how many butterflies you can spot.
Find out more about Ontario butterflies here.
PROJECT
Make a Pair of Butterfly Wings
Ever wanted to be a butterfly? Make yourself a pair of wings and flutter around the flowers.
Materials:
Large piece of cardboard or card stock
Paint, markers, or crayons
Scissors
2 long pieces of string or ribbon
Instructions:
Draw an outline of butterfly wings on the cardboard.
Cut out the outline.
Decorate the wings. Butterfly wings have symmetrical patterns - see if you can create a symmetrical design on your wings.
Use the string / ribbon to tie the wings on to your back.
Looking for more butterfly resources? Check out this FREE resource from Raising Up Wild Things.
SEASONAL STORIES
Teacher Sabrina reading the story Father Sun and the Dandelion adapted from an Ojibway legend by Juniper Tree Puppets
CONNECT WITH COMMUNITY
You have the opportunity to connect with other parents and families on the Nature (home)School journey through a private Facebook group. The digital forum is a place where you can post photos of the activities that you get up to with your children, share stories or inspirations from your outdoor adventures, and connect with other families. Please follow the link to connect with other families in the online community or from Facebook - search: Nature (home)School Support.