“Creativity,” says Ken Robinson, “is as important in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status.”

Creativity involves putting your imagination to work.

Being Creative In  Nature – Trees and Leaves

The class collect foliage and fallen leaves to create paintings and collages.

Creativity flourishes in a natural environment.

During the nature class, we will ask the children to choose a tree.

By allowing them to choose their own tree, they feel an instant connection. They can feel the texture of the tree, listen to it’s leaves rustle in the wind and if they wrap their arms around the tree, they can even feel it’s energy.

They can explore what birds, insects and other creatures are present in and around the tree.

We were fortunate to have a very friendly squirrel visit every day of class, delighting all with his chatter and acrobatics.

These simple activities are great for all ages, in groups or working individually. It never ceases to amaze me how much I learn from the children when out in nature.

CREATIVITY is so important not just in a child’s life but as adults, we need to be feeding our creativity too. I am a huge fan of Ken Robinson and would recommend you read his fascinating books ” Out Of Our Minds” learning to be creative (New Edition) and “The Element“. Both books address the importance of creativity and offer an approach to understanding creativity in education and in business.

In an interview with Vancouver Sun, Ken was asked:

What three tips he would give teachers striving to adapt personalized learning? Robinson said they first need to realize they have more freedom in the classroom than they think. A curriculum sets a framework, but how they teach is up to them.

Secondly, they must be certain they are doing a job they love and should treat their art form seriously. “Take time to study techniques of teaching, look at other teachers, be prepared to have people come and look at you, and do what people in other fields do: be open to criticism and be open to learning and growing,” he stated.

His third tip was be prepared to learn from students. “Kids are often full of ideas that they’re willing to offer if you create the right culture in the room or the school to provide them. The history of education is peppered with wonderful, groundbreaking inspirational teachers who did all of those things. If they can do it, you can do it.” -  jsteffenhagen@vancouversun.com (You can read the complete article here).

Sir Ken Robinson: Bring on the learning revolution! Watch the video.

“The Element” Ken Robinson Watch the video.

Like Ken and many others, I believe we are all creatives, we are all born with ability to be great creatives if we are given the right encouragement, environment and opportunities.

Let’s Get Creative!!!!

In Monday’s class we were making Empowerment Pebbles and Inukshuk – native activities from a wonderful book called Rediscovery by  Thom Henley. Here is a link to my post on empowerment pebbles.

Each child made 7 pebbles, one for each day of the week, Salmon for sharing, Deer for peacefulness, Wolf for Unique/Special person, Spider for Patience, Bear for Strength, Raven for curiosity, Hummingbird for Joy.

Large pebbles had been placed around one of the trees so that the children had a reference for each animal. Once the child had drawn a design on each pebble, we told them the special gift that each of these animals bring to them and asked them to think about how they could use this gift in their own lives.

Note: Use animals that are native to your region and familiar to your child.

Later we sat in a circle and used the larger stones for storytelling, where upon each child added the animal, insect or bird to the story as we travelled around the circle sharing their very own piece to the story. The beauty of the journey of Empowerment play is that it brings the animals alive for the children in a way they’ll long remember.

Each child received a felt pouch to keep their empowerment pebbles safe.

How to use the empowerment pebbles: At the beginning of the week, get your child to close their eyes and randomly draw one pebble from the pouch. This will be their special power, or focus, for the day. By keeping that day’s pebble as a touch stone in their pockets, they will be reminded of their discipline throughout the day. At the end of the week all pebbles will have been drawn and are then returned to the pouch. Once a month your child could have a special day to reflect on being joyful, patient, generous etc.

After snack time, the children made small and large Inukshuk

Inukshuk, the singular of inuksuit, means “in the likeness of a human” in the Inuit language. They are monuments made of unworked stones that are used by the Inuit for communication and survival. The traditional meaning of the inukshuk is “Someone was here” or “You are on the right
path.” – Inukshuk Gallery Ontario

We  finished up creating a large pebbled circle.  One of the children announced this was planet earth and we all belonged.

Childrens’ imaginations and spirits soar when in nature…

What a beautiful way to end the class. Nature needs children as much as children need nature – they are the future guardians of Mother Earth.

Spending time with these children has filled me with so much hope for the future.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Thom Henley for writing “Rediscovery“. It has been an inspiration and continued resource for my work. The Little Humbugs live very similar to how the Native American Indians used to live and I am thrilled to be able to incorporate a little of the Native American Indians traditional teachings in my work.

“Children need to be together in nature, so they can learn to respect, accept and understand each other better. Native American Indians have something important to teach about respect for the earth and all our relations that live here.” Erma Bearstops, Lakota Elder.

“As a parent, environmentalist, and a scientist I cannot conceive of a more important program than Rediscovery.” David Suzuki

SOUP, BUGS AND JOURNALS
Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand. – Einstein

Imagination stirs in nature…

Finnegan led the free play with his wild and wonderful imagination, creating home made soup. The giant tractor tire became the pan.  The other children helped him gather yummy ingredients such as cones, grasses and wildflowers. Sticks for stirring and little stones became salt thrown in with great delight to his magnificent soup…delicious!

Crafts last week included nature journals…

Tree rubbings and bug paintings were added to the journals…

Dare to delve into the vastness of your imagination and stimulate the imagination of others.

Wishing you all lot’s of fun, joy and laughter in nature this week. Love and Peace, Marghanita x

Getting ready for my nature art classes is always very exciting.

Of course the real magic begins when the children arrive. When children and nature mix, something magical happens.

To celebrate the International Year of the Forest, I decided to hold my nature classes in a forest setting this year.

Finally got to hang up the Little Humbugs Forest sign today.

This week I’ve been busy painting signs

and pebbles

and making willow and dandelion wreaths for the classes.

Children have a natural love for all living things.

Teaching young children about compassion is one of the most important things we can do for them and the future of humanity – Dalai Lama.

Taking time to listen, to smell, to look up, to touch and to taste are all part of the magic and wonder when you play outdoors in nature. Children remind us of what’s been forgotten, somehow lost along the way. This is one of the joys of working with children, my inner-child is ever present. I am continually learning from my own children and the children I teach.

Sit Amongst The Trees And Listen With Your Heart. (Thank you Bernie -Natural Moments, for the inspiration for this sign).

This year the theme is all about the circle of life.

The simple, fun activities are based on the spirit of sharing and caring, and connecting with our natural environment. Hopefully the children will leave feeling a sense of belonging, having discovered they too play a part in this magical web of life.

Each child will contribute a piece of their nature art to a large “Circle Of Life” tapestry that we will be constructed out of cardboard and elements from nature.

I hope to share the magical journey with you in a new book ” Nature based Arts and Crafts from the Enchanted Gardens” later this year. Featuring 30 magical activities based on the spirit of sharing and caring, and connecting with our natural environment.

In the meantime I will post the childrens’ favourite activities each week throughout July.

Here are just a few of my nature friends who have fabulous blogs offering wonderful ideas for playing in nature this summer: Jeanene @ Earth Boys, Jenny @ Let the Children Play,  Kari @ Active Kids Club, Debi @  Go Explore Nature, Bethe @ Grass Stain Guru

Why not start a nature club, my beautiful friend Michele Whitaker started one up last year:  OCPlayParks

Wishing you all lot’s of fun and magical moments in nature this summer. Love and Peace, Marghanita x

Summer is finally here! Time to get on your bike.

We all love biking. My husband and I toured Europe on bikes when we first met. Once the children arrived  we literally strapped them to our bikes the minute they could sit up. Now that our children are teenagers we get to go on more adventurous trails.  Although last night, our bike ride was through the orchards -not really challenging, more a slow enjoyable way to connect with nature after our evening meal.

We are spoilt here in the Okanagan, surrounded by vineyards and orchards. There is always somewhere beautiful to bike.

On route we saw robins, quails, a hawk and several marmots running through the orchard not to mention an abundance of stunningly beautiful wildflowers.

Here are just a few reasons why we bike as a family:

• Keeps us fit and healthy
• Family bonding
• Environmentally friendly
• Kids can bring along friends
• Great way to get to see your neighborhood
• Connects us with nature
• Good fun

You don’t have to live in the country to get on your bike. When we lived in the city, we always found somewhere to ride. A favourite was biking to the Royal Botanic Gardens every weekend.

Wishing you all lot’s of fun on your bikes this summer. If you don’t own a bike, they are pretty reasonably priced to hire for the day. Go on, have a go!!! You’ll love it!

Here are a few family biking website you may enjoy:

Biking With Kids

Pedal Powered Family

A Parents Guide To Youth Cycling

If you have a biking story to share, please post on the “Let’s Go Outside” Revolution Facebook Fan page.

A new addition to the Little Humbugs All Natural Body Care Collection.

Living in the Okanagan, we are surrounded by the most beautiful orchards and vineyards. Taking inspiration from the local vineyards, I have decided to add an Orchard and Vineyard Collection to the Little Humbugs.

The Butterfly Girl above will be fronting the new products and I need your help to give her a name.

NAME THE BUTTERFLY GIRL

I’m looking for something earthy and romantic, mystical and whimsical.

The winner will receive a signed 8×11 print of the above illustration. Each comment will receive a postcard of the above illustration.

Please leave your name suggestion as a comment below.

KEEPING IT LOCAL

The Little Humbug All Natural Lotions and Potions products are formulated and manufactured in Kelowna BC in a certified organic facility utilizing only all natural ingredients. We only choose ingredients harvested from sustainable resources and will source alternative ingredients, if the ingredients are deemed to be creating a negative impact upon the environment. All of our products are ‘clean’ and use zero preservatives, artificial colours or synthetics or animal by-products. All of our products are biodegradable.  No animal testing.

Being the protectors of Nature, the Little Humbugs take their job very seriously!  The Little Humbugs have discovered that Humans are using harmful chemicals in their lotions and can’t understand why. They decided it was time to share their gifts from Mother Nature with the humans. Butterfly Girls fly far and wide searching for Mother Natures finest plants and flowers, carefully placing them in their pod bags ready for delivery to the Lotions and Potions workshop. As soon as the fresh ingredients arrive, they are expertly ground, pulped and mixed into a variety of bottles and pots. The girls sprinkle in their secret Humbug ingredients stirring occasionally until the potions are ready for labeling. Celebrating all that Mother Nature lovingly provides the Little Humbugs label each bottle ready for their Little Human friends to enjoy!

Thank you for helping. Wishing you all a beautiful week.

Love and Peace………………….Marghanita x

It’s the second week of our Spring Break. Even though the kids are on holiday, like so many mums, I still have to juggle work – illustrations to be completed, orders to be dispatched, a laundry pile to be tackled, emails to be sent and phone calls to be made.

As I sat in front of my computer replying to emails, Sam appeared, his face beaming with excitement. “Check out this squirrel mum, it came right up to me while I was on the deck”.

The joy in his face propelled me off my seat and we ran outdoors. Sure enough the cutest little squirrel sat up without a care in the world.

Being in the moment

We sat in our garden mesmerized by this incredible creature showing off his amazing acrobatic skills jumping  from tree to tree with such ease. We watched and listened as the bushy tailed squirrel devoured a large spiky pine cone.

Not before stopping to give us a smile! What an absolute JOY!

I don’t think there is anything more magical for a parent than sharing your child’s awe and wonder at the world. This magical moment of connection fueled our imaginations, sparked our creativity, filled my heart and made my spirit dance.

What is more Important?

Had I stayed at my computer and sent the emails and tackled the chores, I would have missed this magical moment with my son. You can never get these moments back-but you can always tackle the chores later! I have missed many moments because I have not been fully present in the moment. I’ve been too busy, too pre-occupied, but Sam, my youngest,  is now 13 and I know these moments will become less frequent. That’s why I’m grabbing everyone I can.

A Reminder………

The paragraph below (from “The Treehouse” by Naomi Wolf) is my reminder:

There is a hierarchy of what’s important in things to notice. “Sometimes you tune out on lesser details – like where is my wallet or where are the car keys for the more important details that relate to your creative work – for the flamingos in the backyard. I think the discovery of a flamingo in the backyard is of higher order of excitement than “Where’s my car keys?”

“But Dad,” I pointed out, “what if you aren’t doing creative work? And what if there aren’t any flamingos in your backyard?”

“Oh Naomi,” he said, and sighed. “If you are living your creative life as you should be, you are always doing creative work. And, ” he said, “there are always flamingos.”

Wishing you many magical moments with your children……..love Marghanita x

We move to our new house this week and while clearing out his room, Samuel found a blank canvas. “Oh mum, can I do a splat painting for my new bedroom?”

“Of course you can Samuel” I said and gladly handed him my basket of paints.

He headed out to the back garden and lay his blank canvas on the snow.

Samuel was in his element.

He was completely and utterly free, wild and spirited as he danced with his paintbrush.

“This will remind me of all the fun times in this garden mum,” he announced as he held up his canvas.

We hugged, we cried and we laughed then walked to the deck at the bottom of the garden and looked down at the snow covered woods below. We were both silent and let Mother Nature’s beauty fill our hearts.

For me, this little piece of his creativity will be a constant reminder of the joy Samuel and his beautiful brother and sister have gifted my husband and I over the last five years spent together in this magical garden.

Canvas painting outdoors is a wonderful activity for Birthday Parties. All kids love to splash paint about. And instead of a party bag, they have a beautiful piece of art to take home.

Go on……………have an ART ATTACK in your garden this weekend!

Note: Please remember to use non toxic paint – you never know what little creature might want to munch on the colourful snow.

We are supposedly moving to our new home in less than a week and I haven’t started packing yet.

I’ve been kind of busy…

… appreciating the miracles of life and honouring the creativity within me.

Mother Nature’s secrets and treasures are everywhere – you just have to open your eyes!

Revisiting The Enchanted Garden- Butterfly Girl Tepee House (new post coming soon)

A New Chapter
2010 started rather miserably but ended magnificently. Something magical happened. A remarkable person walked into my life. His passion and enthusiasm for life and every living thing was inspirational. Over the following months he patiently shared his knowledge and wisdom which had a profound impact on my life. He made my spirit dance again, leading me on a new spiritual path. I now look at life in a different light, with my eyes wide open and I try not to worry about the future.

A New Year
Who knows what 2011 will deliver. There will certainly be many hardships to overcome but I feel optimistic.  I believe it is the creatives that are the real world-changers. I also believe that everyone is an artist in their own unique way, and that personal creativity is one of the secrets of happiness. Hardships are easier to overcome when you are in a happy mindset.

A New Home

I am excited about the year ahead – A new home brings new challenges and new adventures, not to mention two horses and a Lama to look after.

More importantly, I want to give of myself and share my creativity, my passion, my purpose in life. I feel privileged to be able to use my gift, my creativity to help others in reconnecting with what is essential for a harmonious life – a connection with nature- Mother Earth. We are all connected and we all play a vital role in this beautiful journey we call the circle of life.

So my wish for everyone for 2011 is that you find time to discover the secrets and the treasure and honor the creativity within you each and every day.

Wishing you love and peace always!

Marghanita x

Love Makes the World a Beautiful Place!

My wish for you all comes from a beautiful moment I shared with my eighteen year old son a few weeks ago. I had just completed the illustration above of the deer in the snow with Nika.

It had just begun to snow outside too so I offered to give my son a ride to his part time job (he usually cycles). We had been driving for just a few minutes when we spotted a deer in the field. I slowed down and stopped so we could appreciate his presence and beauty. The deer stared right back at us.

As we began to drive off, my son turned his beautiful face to me and said, “look mum, the deer is running with us”. His eyes were so full of excitement and joy, it brought tears to my eyes. We both watched as the deer ran with us and for those few short moments, the deer, my son and I were connected.  My son was in the moment with me, a moment of pure joy, a magical moment, I will never forget. His expression of connection and joy was a gift from his inner beauty and Mother Nature.

My wish for you all this holiday season is that you are gifted at least one “Magical Moment” with a loved one. A gift that can be cherished and give you everlasting joy.

Peace and Love Always ……………Marghanita x

The night sky sparkled, bejeweled with a million exquisite stars. Nika and the deer were captivated by the magical beauty of the crisp winter’s night.