Gritty Pretty: A Look Around on Thursdays

Thursdays are getting ready for upcoming festivals, finger puppet shows, forest school, and food truck round-up or "poetry night" at a local cafe days. That's a lot for one day!

Ez is trying on the witch's hat i'm needle-felting for Samhain.

We celebrate the eight festivals of the great wheel of the year, plus all of the customary Waldorf festivals. Preparing usually means "setting the stage" by cleaning the cottage, planning our food, and making decorations, and putting together our costumes.

Ez made the horse chestnut hull and conker dragon with grape eyes. =)

grandmother earth with friendly dragons

Ez being knighted at the Michaelmas festival- he was asked "are you brave? are you true? do you hear the singing of the stars?" And he answered "yes."

And about forest school...

Johnna of Dewberry Hill Farm told me about Mother Earth School in Portland. Wouldn't it be great to have something like that here?! So we started our own version of forest school. (Ezra's Waldorf school has started doing forest school! so AMAZING!!!)

Meanwhile back at the cottage these are the resources we use for forest school.

Northeastern Utah Plants- Print this and take on excursions.

Wasatch Flora- Put this app on your phone

neither of the above are comprehensive guides but they're still useful. Is there a comprehensive guide?!

And my friend Ariane sent some wonderful resources that we use:

Rock Canyon, trees, shrubs, wildflowers

All about birds

Bug Guide

Ariane interviewed local experts and put together guides for the Utah Lake ecosystem and her nine different environments. If you want e-mail me and I will forward that guide to you!

Johnna did this chalkboard drawing of plant parts: