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 awreness of such an important cause please contact me: info@littlehumbugs.com or why not become a Little Humbugs Ambassador.

A storm the night before had brought lots of rain making the mud thick and gooey.

Chloe and her Butterfly Girl friends Amber and Olivia love when the earth is of a squelchy consistency, just perfect for making mud pies. Sometimes the girls will jump in the squelchy mud, making them laugh so much that their sides ache, then dance in the warm summer rain to wash it all off.

Go on……..have a SPLASH in the MUD!

Just like the Little Humbugs, my kids love getting dirty!!!!

Mud Glorious Mud!

Backyard fun-David Jnr and Samuel 2008

According to this report, playing in dirt can make you smarter: Smarter Kids

Watch the DIRT Movie trailer:

I seem to be meeting a lot more friends in nature these days. Meet my latest Poppy friends….

Pepe

Peeps

And Pippin.

Pepe, Peeps and friends dancing among the Lavender.

Nature is an endless source of  inspiration for me.

What nature buddies have you come across lately?

The Honesty plant, Lunaria Annua, is prized for an abundance of virtues. The scented white or purple flowers attract pollinators to the garden. The seed pods called silicles are highly ornamental.

Fairy Decorations

The Butterfly Girls love to make wind chimes and decorate their windows with the seeded pods.

Jasmine the Butterfly Girl collects a few extra seeds to store in the Little Humbugs’ seed library.

The Dragonfly Boys like to make cool eco warrior necklaces.

What you will need:

• honesty plant seed pod
• felt beads
• darning needle
• twine

Note: It is best to thread the seed when it is fresh. It is more likely to tear if the seed is dry.

My nature boy made me one too…

Nature Play

Lunaria is one of the best play plants for children. Let their imagination run wild…..seeds can become  Humbug jewelry, coins, trinkets to trade, fairy magic potions, decorations, tea party wafers,window ornaments, mobiles, fairy wind chimes………….

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.

Go on, grab some jars and head outdoors.

Chloe was checking the raspberries when she spotted a snail.

She gently picked it up and placed it away from the raspberries and vegetable patch.

It seemed very HAPPY in it’s new location.

Meanwhile, Samuel got to work making his vegetable identification sticks.

Using a sharp knife, (age appropriate) Samuel carefully sliced away some bark. Using a permanent pen , he wrote the name of the vegetable on the smooth section of the stick.

Use sticks to mark your garden vegetables and flowers. Write the name of the plant using a permanent marker and stake it into the ground near the new seedling. Sticks work great in the garden, as they are more durable and resistant than your average plastic markers, and better yet, they are free and environmentally friendly.

Chloe checked on the Spinach while Samuel made holes in the soil.

Sam was ready to transplant the potted Spinach and carrots.

Pretty good gardening team, Sam and Chloe make…don’t you think!

Happy Gardening!

Here’s a chance to WIN a Chloe the Gardener Gift Set: Okanagan Child Magzine

With the Wimbledon tournament about to begin (I’m a big fan of Wimbledon and love to play tennis), I thought I would share a few fun photos.

Jasmine and Samuel found a new use for their tennis racket covers.

Don’t you just love a child’s imagination!  Sam and Jasmine, Perthshire, Scotland.

Children need 60 minutes of active and vigorous play every day to grow up to a healthy weight. A quote from the “Let’s Move” campaign, an initiative begun by the First Lady Michelle Obama with the goal of eliminating childhood obesity within a generation.

Bouncing on a trampoline in your favorite costume can be just as effective as a sports class, don’t you think.

Of course, my children love to play tennis too. Now that we live in the sunny Okanagan, we get a lot more opportunity to play outdoor sports like soccer, mountain biking, tennis, volleyball……..

Sam playing for Kelowna United.

Being active and healthy is not just about how athletic kids are – but how active they are each day.  Walking or biking to school, playing in the backyard (like Sam and Jasmine on the trampoline), skateboarding, climbing a tree or even walking the dog.

Biking is my favorite sport and walking in nature is my favorite activity…

…what’s your favorite?

What are your kids doing to get 60 minutes of active play per day?

Well, I’m heading off on my bike, catch you later!

Join the Let’s Get Active campaign. Further information can be found at www.letsmove.gov

The Day of the Honey Bee

I had the pleasure of joining councilor Michele Rule, Casey Hamilton and other members of the Central Okanagan Food Council Booth at the local Farmers Market this weekend.

Spot the Queen Bee … was a big hit thanks to Bob Chisholm and his “Brainy Bees“.

We were helping to raise awareness for our amazing little pollinators on a very special day…The Day of the Honey Bee.

Finding the Queen Bee was a big hit for both kids and adults and a great way to get kids interested in learning about the bees.

Councilor Michele Rule, her mother holding onto Chloe and marghanita (photograph by Casey Hamilton)

More information about the COFC can be found on their website: Central Okanagan Food Council

The Mayor’s Environmental Expo and Awards

The environmental event featured 35 exhibitors with interactive displays and activities for adults and kids. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to handle a California king snake. (I’m usually terrified of snakes but after holding this beauty I didn’t want to put it down).

Watch the short video

And visiting from the B.C. Wildlife Park in Kamloops, Danielle Rogers and other members of staff showed off a Barn Owl and a Turkey Vulture, a species which can be found in the Central Okanagan in the spring, summer and fall. (We will be dedicating a  Little Humbugs video episode to the wonderful Birds of Prey from BC Wildlife Park next month).

Compost Fun

Kids got to play in compost. Another wonderful example of engaging kids by allowing them  hands on experience….thanks to Dean Dack and his classic compost.

Congratulations to Glenmore Elementary for winning the Mayors Environmental Award for the Greenest school. What a fantastic example for other schools to follow suit.

The Little Humbugs were thrilled to be awarded 3rd Place in the most Innovative Business Initiative Award.

Christine Collins (a green advocate) who nominated me for the award.

It was an honor to be part of the Mayor’s Environmental Awards this weekend. It was  a fantastic event and the speakers were inspirational. It is incredibly exciting to see so many dedicated to helping the environment.

The future looks GREEN!!

Central Okanagan Food Council

Brainy Bees

BC Wildlife Centre

I am thrilled to be working with Italian mother and writer-Claudia Porta on her exciting new book about play and yoga for kids. Let’s Play Yoga.

Claudia is a mom, a writer and a yogi. She practices yoga with her three kids and they also write a lot of books together. On her blog La Casa Nella Prateria (The Little House on The Prairie), Claudia shares her family’s adventures since the day they left the city of Turin (Italy) to live in the French countryside. Together they explore nature and enjoy every single day of their new life.

Claudia with her youngest, Chiara.

I  love practicing yoga with my own daughter and many of the simple poses are named after animals and nature, so they appeal visually to children and learning them stimulates their imagination. Sam and Jasmine have been posing for me which has made this project an enormous amount of fun to illustrate.

…Two kids, Leonardo and Gloria, are playing together. They imagine they can fly around the world and visit foreign countries. They pretend they can transform into different animals and creatures and live wonderful adventures.

Through their journey, they do several yoga poses and even learn the secret of wisdom.

On the above page, I have illustrated Gloria in the Butterfly position - La Farfalla

This is a favorite pose among kids. In this pose the kids are asked to sit cross legged and they are then asked to place their hands on the knees. The kids then move their knees in the same way a butterfly would flap it’s wings.

Claudia’s daughter, Gloria enjoying her yoga outdoors in the fresh air.

In the book, simple yoga poses teach children about nature, their environment and inspires their imaginations. They learn by playing, singing, moving and imitating.

I can’t wait to share the finished book with you all later this year.

You can ctach up with Claudia on her wonderful blog: www.lacasanellaprateria.com

Honey bees are dying at alarming rates in every country where they are raised.

If you love honey, fruit and pretty flowers, then you can thank a bee.

A few ways you can help:

• Plant your garden with bee friendly plants
• Buy local honey
• Learn more about this fascinating insect
• Encourage local authorities to use bee friendly plants in public spaces
• Find space for a beehive in your garden

Get Kids Involved. Sam and Jasmine  love this photo, they think the bee looks like a cartoon character….pretty cool looking dude don’t you think?

“Day of the Honey Bee” How it all started, one man on a mission………………..

Clinton Shane Ekdahl Wrote:
“Day of the Honey Bee” was a project that I began May 29, 2009 because I saw a problem with general public awareness regarding honey bee losses across the globe. Honey bees are dying at alarming rates in every country where they are raised. Canada lost 35 % in 2008, while some countries report losses over 50 %. Initial reports for 2009 are just as bad. Honey Bees are valuable creatures which are responsible for so much of our world agriculture (up to 70% of our food crops depend on them), world economy (constitutes an estimated 32 billion annually in Canada) and our global environment, (the honey bee is a ‘Keystone Species’.)

I believe that more people should be made aware of the risks that face the honey bee and the risks that are potentially causing their disappearances from hives all over the world. There are many theories explaining these staggering losses including cell phones, genetically modified crops, global warming, viruses, parasites, compromised immune systems, monoculture food sources, neonicotineoid-based pesticides and chemtrails from airplanes. That is why to date I have now written over 4560 letters in Canada and abroad requesting support for greater awareness. This awareness comes in the form of a day dedicated to the honey bee.

The Little Humbugs are proud to be supporting the “Day of the Honey Bee” in the Okanagan.

On the 29th May, I will be at the farmers market handing out free coloring in booklets and talking about my favorite insects. Look forward to meeting you.

How will you be celebrating “Day of the Honey Bee” ? Please share.

If you would like a free copy of “Day of the Honey Bee”   email: info@littlehumbugs.com

Great video about Bees by David Suzuki  To Bee or Not To Bee (Nature of Things)