This morning, my youngest returned for a Knee High Naturalist class, Playing with the Senses, taught by Miss Allison, through the
Little Traverse Conservancy. It was every bit a hit as last week's class on Insects. This week, the kids made nature potions by crushing their choice of leaves and needles, adding a bit of water, each creating a delightful concoction to smell. Favorites included lavender, mint, balsam fir, lemon basil and dill. After sharing their creations, they went on a short nature walk to gather items of different textures to explore the sense of touch. They created beautiful collages using their treasures (leaves, flower petals, even an acorn) by sticking their objects onto a piece of cardboard that had several pieces of double sided tape attached. The children finished with the sense of taste, as they snacked on a variety of berries and string cheese. Very simple activities that completely captured the children's imaginations. We plan to share what we discovered at our next birthday party! Thanks Miss Allison! : )
It was a very happy pair of birthdays celebrated at the University of Michigan Biological Station this past week! Our daughter turned six and the Station turned 100! A favorite present, a hand dyed rainbow streamer, handmade by birchleafdesigns and sized just right for little ones! We had so much fun celebrating with old friends! Time passed too quickly, but it was a magical four days.
I have been profoundly touched by a recent request to celebrate a very special friendship. These three friends; a lover of birds, writing and quilts; a lover of journals, books and the flute; a lover of books and hearts are facing a very difficult time. The beautiful blue fairy, with shoes strapped to her dress, has her wings and is about to fly. In real life, she has late stage ovarian cancer. Give those you love a special hug, breathe deep and enjoy the beauty around you! Wishing you peace.
One of the best things about Etsy would have to be the friends you meet! Arthur Simo is a talented teenage artist with autism. I featured Arthur's work in one of my first treasuries and when he woke in the morning to check his site, all of his listings had sold. At first, he thought there was a problem with Etsy, which happily there wasn't! : ) I was fortunate because Arthur listed the piece above a little later and it is still my favorite. Arthur's Etsy sales help pay for his therapy. Arthur and his mom, Adriana, have worked very hard to increase autism awareness through Arthur's beautiful treasuries. Through their inspiration, I designed an autism fairy to reflect Arthur's artwork and donate $5 from each sale to kindtree.org, an organization Arthur is a part of. Thank you Arthur and Adriana for your inspiration! Please visit arthursimo@etsy.com. It will make your day and Arthur's, too!
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