Wonder Wednesday 95: Nature Journal Prompt Snapper
June 1-7 is International Nature Journaling Week. To be ready, this Wonder Wednesday 95 we’re making a super fun retro- inspired prompt snapper game project! But before we get to our project, what is International Nature Journaling Week and how can you get involved? Regardless of age or experience with art, nature, and
Wonder Wednesday 94: Violet Syrup
Wild violets abound in many places this time of year. Some see them as persistent weeds, while others see them as medicine, and still others simply enjoy their cheerful spring purples and greens after gray and brown winter. This is the “common violet,” Viola sororia. It is native to the mid and eastern
Wonder Wednesday 93: Dandelion Cake
Dandelions – people love them or hate them it seems. Personally, I love them in all ways, shapes, and forms. They’re cheerful, tough, fun, nutritious (for humans and animals), medicinal, and effortless to grow. A plant that’s pretty, tasty, low maintenance, and is a toy for making wishes? Sounds good to me!
Wonder Wednesday 92: 4 Step Flower Pot
It’s a double activity month! Since so many of us are staying home, I thought hey, I’ll share some of the things I’ve been doing to stay creatively engaged with nature with 2 activities this month- and flowers are a big part of that! Plus, it’s kids gardening month, so this activity fits great with that
Wonder Wednesday 91: Guided Deep Relaxation
Well, what a week. & That’s all I’ll say about that! So this month, for our Wonder Wednesday 91 activity, I figured people could use a bit of serious stress relief. So I’ve recorded a guided deep relaxation for y’all. Sure it’s something to do, among all the great zillions of things coming at
Wonder in the Weird: Nature Journaling Week, Free Online Classes & More!
To help spark our senses of wonder in all this weirdness, I’ve made more online classes free for the next month – on top of all the ones that are already free! I figured there’s no better way to relax than by creatively connecting with nature – for both big and little hands! So why not get creative
Citizen Art Initiatives
Art has a bad reputation for being exclusive. Ever been to a gallery and encountered a snooty gallery receptionist? Then you know first hand that the reputation is well deserved. But art is a fundamental part of being Homo sapien. So initiatives that keep art grounded are projects I really get behind. “Citizen Art”
Wonder Wednesday 90: Early Childhood Nature Journling
It’s Montessori Education Week! So to celebrate, this Wonder Wednesday activity is adapted from my book Wonder & Wander: An Early Childhood Nature Connection Guide. And of course what more favorite topic to focus on than nature journaling! I first began nature journaling with children in my own Montessori classroom, so I
Magic, Imagination, & Place: The Work of Erik Johansson
“For me, creating an image is like creating a place. A place that feels familiar, but with a twist that causes the viewer to stop short.” ~ Erik Johansson Place connection is something I feature fairly often as it applies to nature journaling and connection. It’s something we as humans long for, but can seem
Wonder Wednesday 89: Bird Counting for Climate
Depending on where you live, talking about the climate crisis can encompass a spectrum of emotions from confidence to hesitance to trepidation. But in my experience, people generally like animals. I say, let’s encourage people to get involved with environmental science through the lens of animals, birds to be exact. Birds are great. They fly, they have
With the Grace of Greta
Grace. That’s a word and state of being not often come across outside of ballet or religious context in the states (unfortunately). Yet, this chosen state of being keeps presenting itself to me here in secular Sweden. If you subscribe to my email or follow me on Instagram, you know I’m in Sweden for a month. Many people (here
Wonder Wednesday 88: Take a Winter Solstice Walk
Happy Winter Solstice! This year it is December 21, 2019. On this longest night of the year – rich with history, culture, and story – join me on a Solstice Walk! As the “holiday season” ramps up, taking (or perhaps making) a time out can be so beneficial. Remember fun times can be stress
Wonder Wednesday 87: Candied Citrus Peel
This month we’re celebrating all things citrus! A glorious fruit worthy of celebration for sure. Our human bodies don’t naturally produce vitamin C, so from keeping our immune system boosted, to preventing scurvy, to downright just smelling and tasting delicious, the sensorially bright citrus fruit fills these voids in our healthy lifestyles. Fresh
Citrus Season: Traditions, Stories, and Treats!
I am so excited because we are finally on the eve of citrus season! Citrus has a long history of symbolism and tradition, as well as nutrition and medicine. This cheerful bright fruit inspired humans and lit up the winter months for centuries. (A gorgeous illustration that’s lit up our lives for decades from
Wonder Wednesday 86: Draw a Corpse Flower
What better time to celebrate the corpse flower than in a Halloween week Wonder Wednesday? I love how everyone embraces the creepy at Halloween! But what is a corpse flower you ask? Well, it’s the best of Mother Nature’s Halloween flowers! A first treat is it looks beautiful, but on closer inspection the trick
Nature, Happiness, and Savoring: the Work of Laurie Santos
Happiness. It’s constantly touted to us as something we all want to have all the time – and often as something that if we don’t have it, something is wrong with us. Well, life is a balance of dualities right? And we can’t have one side without the other. Without sadness, anger, frustration, and so
Wonder Wednesday 85: Make an Action Inspiration Jar – with PDF!
Happy autumnal equinox week! This month’s exploration of the sublime aspects of nature and the recent hurricanes can lead us far from action and instead to wanting to run and hide under the covers from all things nature – and that is nothing to be ashamed of. It’s a real thing called ecophobia and if
Beyond Hurricane Dorian: Sublime Connections
“We are experiencing sublime conditions of horror, you know?” ~Erica Moiah James, an assistant professor in the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Miami, founding director and chief curator of the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas. (citation) In light of the past week, this quote, and last month’s blog series
Wonder Wednesday 84: Sublime Snacking – A fun recipe for when nature gets scary
What did you think about Schopenhauer’s Sublime? Did it get you considering the nature encounters you’ve had that may have been frightening at the time? Did those encounters exude beauty despite the danger? Do fear inducing nature encounters seem more beautiful when observed through secondary experience – like on a film – or is it the primary experience that
Schopenhauer’s Nature: Fear, Beauty, and the Sublime
Idyllic, picturesque, awe inspiring, sublime. The words running through my head as I gaze upon a pristine natural spring in the forest. Right up until I hear my sister-out-law say, “Y’all!!! I almost just stepped on a pygmy rattlesnake!!!!!” We snap out of, “yay! a weekend getaway at a beautiful spring cabin,” mode and into hyper responsible