Oh, the little things...I was pretty sick this morning & after Johnny talked to the kids about helping out mom a bit today, they whispered to each other....Iris went & put socks on her hands, Hank grabbed a bag, & outside they went. After a bit I heard the three of them coming in, saying, ‘don’t tell her yet, let’s surprise her!’ Anyway, they collected Stinging Nettles(with socks on their hands) & brought it back to make tea for me to feel better.
That was, by far, the sweetest cup of #tea I’ve ever had. -Amanda Jo
#grateful #kindkids #wildkids
Checking on & taking care of the animals, preparing & enjoying #ramps with fresh eggs, collecting #violets & #dandelions for making fried Dandelions & canning Violet Jelly together...Then, off for a #hike to explore, laugh, climb, fall, slide in the mud, & get back up again....and identify some plants, too. All in one beautiful day at #lunahillkidsclub
The day has left us with only the light, fall asleep smiling with a sigh, gift of gratefulness. Aren’t children the best at reminding you what it’s all about? #plymouthindiana #marshallcountyindiana #indiana #nature #getoutside
We’ve found lots of Morels, but it’s our first time seeing a #falsemorel in person...Cool! The main two differences are the smell of this is almost sweet, like corn, & the center is not hallow, like a true Morel. Oh, and of course, this one is not edible! #nature #fungi #mushroomsofinstagram #mushroomhunting #plymouthindiana #northernindiana #marshallcountyindiana
First #lunahillkidsclub this week....we prepared the area, built, and planted beans for a tee-pee the kids will get to watch grow and enjoy.(They already made plans to read books together underneath:) We foraged & snacked on edible flowers, threw out milkweed seeds for the butterflies we will raise together, fed & took care of the animals, read books about mindfulness, made terrariums, and had some quiet time together with our eyes closed, hearing and sharing all the emerging life we heard around us. We only had two #kids this week, but it was easy to feel the good ol saying that ‘It’s about quality, not quantity’ ring true. #nuturingwonderwithnature is our passion and we so look forward to all the kids we will get to share our farm with! #excited #grateful #outdoorkids #plymouthindiana #northernindiana #indiana #nature #wildschooling
We didn’t have what I needed, so I made a new garden tool for #weeding today! There was one chicken following me around, waiting intently...she gobbled up every worm she saw squirm to the surfaced....Clever girl! #healthysoil
Iris helped prepare the beds, then her and I planted Brussels Sprouts, lots of different Lettuce, Rainbow Swiss Chard, and Snap Peas. We’re looking forward to #planting more tomorrow!
We had another lovely and uplifting class this weekend! We were there to teach, practice, and listen, and these clever littles ones did not disappoint! We talked about how busy this time of year can be, especially visually, with all the emerging beauty and flurry of activities. We slowly looked at, smelled, and finally tasted some chocolate and raspberries with our eyes closed, showing the difference presence can have. They had a lot to say when describing the experience-the textures & flavors they had never noticed before. We made #terrariums together, with chances to talk about propagation, plant needs, what healthy roots look like when buying a potted plant, the importance of drainage, and how the attentiveness they will need to keep their tiny ecosystems thriving, is like the awareness they should have of their thoughts, to keep their minds healthy. We talked about how if you want to be more skilled at anything, practice is a powerful tool. We ended the class with one way to practice being mindful-#meditation . It was so perfect, our Henry did a great job and loved the class, but during the last ten minutes he was struggling. He saw a wooden modeling person up high on a cabinet and really wanted to know how it worked. We said we could get it down for him to check out after class, once his hands were washed, but he was really struggling to let go of his curiosity and have #presence . All those moving joints- he could hardly stand not knowing how the movement of those parts felt in his hands! Well, while all of us were quietly sitting there, clearing our minds with our eyes closed, he said to the group, ‘Hey, I’m not thinking about that thing I wanted anymore.’ Thanks to all the parents who have entrusted us with your littles wherever we have taught. We love spending time with them and teaching the power in loving ourselves and Mother Nature to the next generation, just fills our ‘cup’ and our hearts! #artwithkids #mindfulkids #teachingkids #plymouthindiana #northernindiana #indianaartist
Books: I am Peace by #susanverde & Quiet by #tomiedepaola
This is what happens when Johnny leaves his screw gun at home-Momma is stepping up our #compost game this year! 💪🏼 On the left, we have beautiful, diverse, and rich compost, ready to be added to our new Fruit Garden. Next is soon-to-be compost, then a #goatpoop & hay mix. Further down, there is a bin of just sand that our rabbits so graciously mined for us. This will be put to use soon in our #spiralherbgarden we’re in the process of designing in the Bee Garden. And at the end we have leaves that are waiting to go back to work somewhere else after already killing off some grass along a fence for me. Later today I’ll be raking up the rest of our pine needles to add here, after already mulching our walkways in the Raised Bed Garden with some of them. #options . This is what I love. Organized options ready for so many #organic uses. From pine needles to ashes used to change the soil, from leaves suppressing growth, to four different choices of animal manure to pick from when creating our compost concoctions....This is the kind of thing I get super excited about! And of course, the kids are excited about having another place to climb😄 -Amanda Jo #womanpower #practical #permaculture #indiana #homestead #northernindiana #plymouthindiana
