Children have a natural curiosity for science and nature and if we encourage that growing passion we will develop children who have a love and appreciation for our environment and the natural world and who will work to save it.

I wanted to use photographs of real locations in this video story, to show children that nature truly is magical. You don’t have to be a Butterfly Girl or a Dragonfly Boy to be enchanted by the Natural World.

Watch the “Little Humbugs story-time” Video: Nika and the Painted Turtle

Nika and the Painted Turtle from Marghanita Hughes on Vimeo.

Nika and the Painted Turtle from Marghanita Hughes on Vimeo.

I hope my story-time videos will inspire your children to head outdoors and search for pebbles and painted turtles. To climb trees and search for that perfect stick which will later become a sword or fishing rod or whatever their delightful imaginations dream up.

If you would like to read the full (32page) chapter book visit: www.butterflygirlworld.com

The turtle symbol means to honor the creativity within you.

In Native American teaching, Turtle is the oldest symbol for planet Earth. The turtle symbol is reminding you to honor the creative source within you, to be grounded to the Earth, and to observe your situation with motherly compassion.

Go on, head outdoors and search for pebbles or stones and get creative with your kids this weekend!

In an up and coming post I will show you how to make Nika’s adorable felt Turtle.

Before making the necklaces, we took a closer look at the Silver Birch Tree. The children were fascinated by the look and feel of it’s amazing bark. In young trees the bark is reddish-brown, but this changes to white as they mature. The white bark is most prominent on silver birch, where it is interspersed with conspicuous black patches.

We discussed the importance of trees and why they are vital for our existence.

Birches support a large community of insects and other invertebrates, with 334 species known to feed on them-now that’s pretty impressive!

To make a Little Humbug Tree Disc Necklace you will need to hunt for a fallen branch. Autumn is a wonderful time to go hunting.

Saw your branch into thin slices. (Sizes and what you will need to make a disc necklace are available on the fact sheet below).

Samuel drilled a hole in every disk.

Time to get creative.

Check this out- Anna managed to make her necklace match her outfit- how cool is that!

For Butterfly Girls and Dragonfly Boys. These make a perfect gift for your friends.

If you would like the fact sheet on how to make a tree disc necklace, just leave a comment and I’ll email the Little Humbugs worksheet to you.

Native Americans used the bark of the birch to make: canoes, rattles, torches, moose calls
and many types of containers. Lightweight and flexible, the bark could be cut and bent to make
containers of any desired shape. Trays, dishes, storage boxes, buckets and cooking pots were made
of birch bark. The edges of the container were sewn together with plant fibers. If the edges were
sealed with pine pitch or spruce resin, the container could be used to carry water or hung over a
fire to cook a soup or stew. Birch bark cutouts or stencils often were used to decorate containers,
and also provided patterns for Native American beadwork. The white outer bark layer made a
good substitute for the paper that it resembles, and drawings could be made on it with a piece of
charcoal. Birch bark burns easily. It was shredded and used for tinder to start campfires, folded and
stuck in the cleft of a long pole to illuminate the water depths for night spear fishing, and rolled
into cylinders used as long-burning torches to light a path through the woods.

Halloween Fun for your Little Humbugs

Mini Hats and Broomsticks

Make a witches hat using recycled black paper or card. Add sequin or glitter for some sparkle.

Mini Broomsticks

Head outdoors and collect a small stick and a handful of pine needles. Use twine or embroidery thread to bind them together.

Make a mini pumpkin using a clementine orange. Decorate with a non smudge pen. Alternatively you could paint a pebble orange and decorate with black paint.

Wishing you lot’s of fun outdoors this Halloween.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN from all the Butterfly Girls and Dragonfly Boys!!

Nature play nurtures a child’s body, mind and spirit.

When children and nature mix, something magical happens….Watch the video.

What a joy it was to share time with these children in nature…………Thank you! This event helped raise funds for children suffering from Cancer. The funds will go towards the Camp Goodtimes organized by the Canadian Cancer Society.

CHILDREN NEED OUR HELP…

An average child will spend:

• 4-7  MINUTES a day in unstructured play

• 7  HOURS each day in front of electronic media

No surprise then that:

• Childhood Obesity is at an all time high

• 4.5 Million children aged 5-17 yrs have been diagnosed with ADHD

• Several childhood cancers have been linked to what we eat

All of these dire conditions have one thing in common: Experts have linked their negative impacts with loss of play in nature. Playing in nature is highly conducive to enhancing every facet of healthy child development. We can all play a part in changing these horrific statistics.

Here’s a few friends online who are doing some great things with kids and nature: @OCPlayparks, @activekidsclub,  @salisburydowns, @balmeras – Grassstainguru, @Goexplorenature

Today’s children deserve the right to experience the benefits of nature just as we did.

This weekend support  take a child outside week . Why not build a fairy house.

Here are a few of my favorite resources to help connect kids with nature: Children & nature network; Nature Rocks ; Green Hour

Join me on my “Build a Butterfly Girl House” Tour 2011. I will be traveling from BC down the westcoast to California so if you would like to help connect children with nature, please get in touch: info@littlehumbugs.com

I would like to take this opportunity to say a special thank you to Don and my husband for all their help in making this event such a success. I would also like to thank Jasmine, Emily and Kristina for their help on the day.

Children need nature and nature needs children.

This afternoon I was getting ready for a craft fair tomorrow at one of the local wineries (Quails Gate). I decided to display my Butterfly Girl dolls in a fairy house.

Foraging for wood, foliage, berries and flowers is one my favorite things to do.

At this time of year there is so much treasure to be found.

I love Autumn. Looking  forward to sharing these delightful Autumn treasures with the children tomorrow.

Sam helped cut down the branches.

Time for a quick handstand then back to work.

……….oh how I love my work,  I get to be a kid again!

Sam is finished.

I test lucy out on the fairy house. She loves it!!!. Now it’s time to dismantle, pack in the car all ready for tomorrow.

This post and the following 2 posts are dedicated to my beautiful friend Don who allowed me to hold this magical event in his grounds, a nature haven for wildlife.

The Butterfly Girls of Summer Charity Event 2010 (Biggest Fairy House – Kelowna 2010)

These days, a typical child spends only 4 to 7 minutes outside each day. Compare that to the 7½ hours daily the average kid uses electronic media, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. I want to help reverse these statistics.

So I decided to hold a nature event…….based around my book characters The Little Humbugs. The Humbugs live their lives not dissimilar to how we all used to live, just like indigenous people who respect and live in harmony with Mother Earth.

Preparation for the event…

First I cleared an area for my tree stump stools around an existing stump that was just the perfect size for a Little Humbugs table.

The Little Humbugs seating area. An area in the shade for crafts and picnicking.

We evolved in nature – if we become disconnected from the natural world we lose something magical, something so precious.

Then I started on the construction of a tepee structure for the Butterfly Girl (fairy) house

For the last couple of weeks I have been foraging, collecting pine beetle infested logs, stripping them, cutting back any large branches and finally on Friday I got to raise the logs with the help from Don (the owner of the grounds) and my eldest son into a tepee like structure.

Next, I started to add the frame work. (Older children can be involved in this process).

A spiritual experience.

There was something very magical about building such a structure, I enjoyed the solitude, it gave me time to let go, to feel the connection with the earth, the wonderful surface, patterns and textures of the rustic wood, the dry, dusty soil. My days of working on the land, getting dirty, smelling the forest, feeling the warm summer breeze kiss me and make the long, dry native grasses toss and dance were special. Finally seeing the structures come together as damselflies and dragonflies entertained me with their magnificent acrobatic displays, it reinforced my mission to start a nature facility (school) for kids sometime in the not too distant future. To share the joy and wonder Mother Nature gifts us every day and to feel connected to our incredibly beautiful yet fragile planet.

Keeping it environmentally friendly, I used pine beetle damaged branches

and biodegradable twine.

A welcoming heart (made from willow, handmade felt beads, a pine cone threaded on twine) for the entrance.

A whopping 8ft structure stood in front of me.

Now it was time to invite the children to hunt for foliage, decorate and let them weave their magic into my tepee structure, making it their very own…Butterfly Girl (Fairy) House.

Find out how the children bring  their enthusiasm and energy to breathe life into the Little Humbugs charity event and fill my heart with joy and laughter in my next blog post…………

The more I work with children in nature the stronger my passion grows to spread the word about the importance of nature in a child’s life. This event is raising funds to help kids with cancer. We hope to raise enough funds to allow several cancer patients the opportunity to have a fun day in nature.

If you would like to get involved helping to raise awareness of such an important cause please contact me: info@littlehumbugs.com or why not become a Little Humbugs Ambassador.

Hunting for the right location to build the fairy house.

A team effort.

The girls hang pine cones and seed decorations for the Butterfly Girl fairies.

Checking to see if the Butterfly Girls like their leaf bed.

The girls dance around their fairy house, doing the Butterfly Girl Congo.

More details are added….

…Sacha finds a feather and adds it to the top of the house.

And a short fence is posted all around the house along with pebbles.

Anna, the youngest student, runs up to me and announces that the Butterfly Girls are still sleeping. They must love the leaf bed we made them Marghanita.

How magical!

For all you fairy lovers, wizards and potion makers, here’s more GREEN fun from the Little Humbugs .

Beautiful Smelling Butterfly Girl Petal Potions.

Butterfly Girl fans, Brooklynn and Adrianna made the most beautiful smelling petal potions.

Collecting the petals was so much fun.

The girls crushed a selection of freshly picked petals, dandelions and dried lavender and mixed it all together with their personalized Butterfly Girl magic stick. (Here’s how to make the magic sticks).

JARS, JARS and more JARS! Recycled old Jam Jars are perfect for potion making.

Magic Spell Potions…

Dylan, a big Dragonfly Boy fan, made a Magic Blue Dragon Spell Potion.

Dylan used one single flower, 4 stones, crushed bark, dried lavender and the tiniest drop of natural food coloring. (You could always add beetroot juice or carrot juice as a natural alternative).Mixed all together with one of his little magic Humbug sticks.

You can watch the video on how to make these fun, environmentally friendly potions by subscribing to the Little Humbugs Youtube channel.

Let’s Go Outside…………..and make Potions!

Nature provides the ultimate playground for children.

One of our favorite playgrounds is the lake shore,

where the kids can explore, run wild and find treasure.

Watch the “Let’s Go Outside” video: “Stone Art”

We like to visit the beach out of season, when it’s cooler and less people around. Even on an overcast day, it’s a magical place to explore and discover nature’s treasure.

Just like human children, the Little Humbugs love to search for treasure too… shells, rocks, pebbles and sea glass.

Can you guess what they will make with their pebbles?

Watch “Let’s Go Outside” Collecting Treasure -episode 3 to find out how to make these Hot Rocks! All you need to do is go outside and collect a few stones or pebbles and grab a few wax crayons.

I came across this wonderful craft in a book I borrowed from the library-Summer Crafts by Marjorie Galen. This is a highly addictive craft, I’m not sure who had more fun, me or the kids!

I will be posting a fact sheet for this delightful craft on the Little Humbugs website very soon (parent’s section). By now, I think most people are familiar with the meaning of -Nature Deficit Disorder, a term coined by Richard Louv.  My “Let’s Go Outside” series featuring the Little Humbugs is my small way of helping to encourage  families to have fun outdoors.

What treasure have you found lately?

Please remember to always ask permission before removing anything from the wild.

Watching the Sunrise is Magical!

Watching the sunrise, has a certain magical quality about it that awakens one’s primal instincts.

High up in their blossom hideaway,  Butterfly Girls and Dragonfly Boys gaze at the beautiful sunrise, casting warm rays of light on Mother Nature waking up.

Enjoy the video below…

So set the alarm clock, grab your kids and go outside…let Mother Nature captivate you with her beauty.

You can order a Butterfly Girl Fairy from the Little Humbugs website.