Harvest Hustle!

From planting cloves of garlic to harvesting herbs for tea, we had a busy and joyful day! I hope that your able to share your homemade tea with family at home as you reflect on your day spent with the Homesteaders.

Talk about your chores today and how you worked with your chore buddy. Is it okay to tell your partner that they need to change something or that you want to do things a different way? How could you tell them without hurting feelings so that your partnership works even better? In the future, working as an effective team will be very important.

Frog and Cardinal... do you remember Coyote's advice in approaching tough tasks? (Do the things you like the least first and quickly, then everything else feels like a bonus - poop first, then cuddle time!)

What was the animal you were caring for saying to you today? Yes, they all give you signs and show behaviours that are their way of communicating. Talk about this with someone at home. You'll get better at reading animal emotions and needs with practice.

Wandering to Outpost let us see some beautiful colour of fall. What did you notice about how the season is changing on our walk? Were you someone who was playing pretend, exploring the river or finding shelters in the woods? I think I see frog turning into a tree frog!

Great find from Damsel Fly of a grasshopper camouflaging on the bark of the tree! These critters can be hard to see since they blend in so well.

The Bunny Barn is quite a CASTLE. Thanks Antman for guiding us in recreating this old treasure (chicken coop). Give your family a tour of the new digs by telling a story about its features. (triangle storage spaces, ramp with loft bedroom etc).

We enjoyed the beauty of fall by making print art with leaves. Tell someone at home about how you made a leaf into something brand new in your painting. Think about one of the leaves that you chose for this painting project and try to describe it in as much detail as possible. (Think of the size, shape, colour, texture, name)

Around the garden we had a chance to harvest some herbs to make tea. As you share this with family at home, try to think of what herbs and leaves you used. (mint, chocolate mint, pineapple sage, lemon balm, Oregano). Think about how which flavors you liked and if there are any you might leaf out next time.

We harvested bean pods that some of you planted last year. (Thanks Ant Man) Keep these in a safe place and try growing them at home once spring comes around. Walk someone at home through the steps of planting garlic. How deep does it have to be planted? What direction should the garlic clove be pointing?

Hawk took us on a meditation journey into letting go of things that no longer serve us. She guided us to say thanks to these things, even if they were uncomfortable or challenging as they teach us something. Feel free to chat with your family about what you wanted to let go of. You may want to try this kind of mediation on your own at home. Thank you for your wisdom Hawk!

You got to the end! Bonus points to anyone who is able to find the pun I added somewhere in the blog and let me know what it for our next day at Homesteaders!