Growing Together: Open Forum

Just took a great class recommended here with John Muir Laws on nature journaling. I'm also taking a year long class pressing plants to make my own herbarium. Curious if we have any folks here interested in either of the two and want to share how they are working with young people to do the same. Here's the book I'm reading and loving right now.

Also link to more webinars.

https://outdoorlearningstore.com/workshops/

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Alycia Wright
8043068116
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I am interested in both nature journaling and pressing/herbariums with students.

I work in Dayton OH with an inner-city elementary school - grades 1 through 4.  

The 2nd and 4th graders have nature journals.  We use them inside and outside.  They are

drawing plants that are being presented while we are also making tea and learning some

introductory botany.  On rainy days I have grabbed plant material to take inside.  One of the

most surprising lessons was gathering bagworms from shrubs in the front of the school and

then learning about the ecology and lifecycle of the moth.  We opened up the 'bags' and the

students drew the caterpillars.

We foraged in the school neighborhood and school grounds for wild herbs.  They collected specimens from a scavenger hunt and then placed them into a press.  I had hoped to make a herbarium but the kids made hanging art with embroidery frames and contact paper.  Next year we will try again to make an herbarium.  I want to do a book of the local plants to give to the school library.  I would love to hear more from others!

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janet Lawson
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I'd love to see an example of the art the youth made. Sounds like a fun project too!

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Alycia Wright
Culturalrootsco-op.com
Richmond Va
8043068116
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Original Message:
Sent: 06-05-2023 01:11:59 PM
From: janet Lawson
Subject: Nature journaling/Herbarium books

I am interested in both nature journaling and pressing/herbariums with students.

I work in Dayton OH with an inner-city elementary school - grades 1 through 4.  

The 2nd and 4th graders have nature journals.  We use them inside and outside.  They are

drawing plants that are being presented while we are also making tea and learning some

introductory botany.  On rainy days I have grabbed plant material to take inside.  One of the

most surprising lessons was gathering bagworms from shrubs in the front of the school and

then learning about the ecology and lifecycle of the moth.  We opened up the 'bags' and the

students drew the caterpillars.

We foraged in the school neighborhood and school grounds for wild herbs.  They collected specimens from a scavenger hunt and then placed them into a press.  I had hoped to make a herbarium but the kids made hanging art with embroidery frames and contact paper.  Next year we will try again to make an herbarium.  I want to do a book of the local plants to give to the school library.  I would love to hear more from others!

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janet Lawson
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Alycia, where are you taking the plant pressing course? It sounds so interesting.

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Patti Berryhill
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Hi Patty. I'm in Virginia and there's a farm here called Forrest Green Farm. They offer year round courses in Herbalism and Herbarium. They also do a bunch of one off workshops.  https://www.forrestgreenfarm.com/

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Alycia Wright
Culturalrootsco-op.com
Richmond Va
8043068116
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Original Message:
Sent: 06-06-2023 12:29:02 PM
From: Patti Berryhill
Subject: Nature journaling/Herbarium books

Alycia, where are you taking the plant pressing course? It sounds so interesting.

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Patti Berryhill
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Hi Alycia,

Just wanted to share a couple ideas with pressed plant materials.  The 2nd graders used wooden embroidery hoops

as frames and contact paper to capture the pressed materials.  They hung them in windows as light catchers.  

The summer campers are going to make "lanterns" with quart jars and mod pogde dried plants onto the outside.

The candle (we're using battery votives) will be placed inside with some sand to keep them stationary.  Hopefully we

will get to making an Herbarium this fall of the plants in the tea garden as the kids do their fall harvesting.

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janet Lawson
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