Fall 2011
8 week session
Wednesdays 10/12- 12/7- 2:00pm-3:15pm (K-2nd grade)
Wednesdays 10/12- 12/7- 3:30pm-5:00pm (ages 5-11) (CLASS FULL)
Thursdays 10/13- 12/8- 4:00pm-5:30pm (ages 5-11)
*NO CLASSES the week of 11/21
*Click on image to see the Fall Schedule*
Autumn is my favorite time of year!
There are so many wonderful changes happening in the Santa Monica Mountains. We may not get the dramatic changes they get on the east coast, but Southern California in the Fall is full of splendor. It is harvest time and the animals are all very busy gathering their stores for winter. The plants are seeding and preparing themselves to be nourished by the coming rains. The first green plants are shooting up (Turkey Mullein) and soon the hills will be transformed from brown to green.
Fall brings the acorn harvest and just as the native people of our area waited with great anticipation, so do I. One of the most meaningful classes that I teach is on acorn gathering. Each fall we learn about gathering acorns, how they are processed into flour, the cultural rites associated with acorn gathering and we enjoy homemade bread and other delights made from the bounty we collect. This is the best way I know for truly connecting with our natural world on a very intimate level. To know the cycles of the trees, when to pick, what to pick, what it tastes like, how to use what we collect at home, builds a relationship that is very deep and long lasting.
The relationships our children make now with the natural world will have long reaching effects on their feelings of belonging and interconnection as they grow. Our fast paced, media driven world has its advantages, but also its detrimental effects. Childhood obesity rates have sky-rocketed, issues with our children's attention and focus have increased to the point of great alarm, and anti-social and isolating behaviors are increasing as more and more children spend more and more time watching television, playing video games and using the computer. Many of these issues can be remedied by our children spending more time in nature; spending quality time in nature can improve self-esteem, develop motor skills, build cognitive thinking skills and so much more.
Join us this Fall and give your child a great gift, the gift of nature.
Ages 5-11
Classes limited to 8-10 children
Cost: $165.00 (includes materials fee)
