Sprouts: April 17th

After last week’s rain and snow, we were so ready for sunshine—and this week gave us the perfect blue-sky day to explore, play, and learn together.

Before adventuring into the world we watered our fast-growing morning glory seedlings—they’re sprouting up so quickly!

Our adventure took us over the Blackfriars Bridge—a first for one very excited Earthkeeper! We made our way to the open grassy area at Harris Park.

There, we played a new game using "Learning with Animals" cards from the Connecting With Our First Family kit, designed by Indigenous artist Nyle Miigizi Johnston. Each child drew a card to discover their animal guide—like Heron or Turtle—and imagined what kind of food or home their animal would need. Then, with bowls for nests, they had two minutes to gather as much "food" (aka walnuts) as they could.

We paused for snack in the sun, followed by a reading of Me and My Sit Spot, a beautiful story about stillness and connection. Then it was time to find our own sit spots—a core nature-connection practice where each child quietly observes, listens, and just is with the world around them. Garth got some cuddles before we wandered off, each of us finding a quiet place to sit with our thoughts, the breeze, and the trillions of spring flowers popping up everywhere.

Following the honourable harvest guidelines, we decided it was okay to pick a few of those spring blossoms. It may have seemed spontaneous—but it was actually part of the plan! Back at Heron Tree Estates, we used thrifted storybooks to create our very own flower presses (inspired by a tutorial from @woodlark). The kids loved choosing their flowers and assembling the presses. Beatrix Potter books are my personal favorite to use—so sweet and timeless.

At our nature museum/discovery table, we added treasures, examined artifacts, and noticed details. One curious spider was spotted near Finny the Fairy’s typewriter—maybe next week’s letter will come from her!

After some hammock time - swinging wildly, or reading quietly depending on the Earthkeeper -, we brought out Skink on the Brink and got creative with plasticine skink sculptures!

To finish the day, we played a game that tested our listening skills: one child was a bird guarding an egg, eyes closed, while others tried to sneak up and snatch it. Real bird calls, distant trains, and barking dogs made it a challenge—but our birds were impressively tuned in. No stolen eggs today. Hopefully we can say the same for the Robin’s we see taking nest-building materials from the yard!

Thanks for a great day Earthkeeper’s!