ecobites.com

Making your life greener - one bite at a time.

One of the most important things in life is learning about the seasons, the rhythms of nature that surround us, why the environment changes, what happens when it does, and how it affects us as human beings.

We need to teach our children how to listen to Mother Nature breathing, because whether we like it or not, we're part of the ecosystem. And we need to tread lightly and respect our environment, because every time Mother Nature breathes out, we breathe in.

The more our children understand about our connection to the earth and its natural rhythms, the better equipped they will be for the future.

Ecokid's bodies are 70% water, so the moon affects their moods, just like it pulls the ocean tides.

As the seasons change, temperature and humidity go up or down and the sun shines on our bodies for more or less of the day. All of these things affect us in different ways.

If we can help our Ecokids to understand why the leaves are falling, why the creatures are hibernating and why the flowers are blooming, then they will become more interested in their surroundings, and more conscious of the environment as a whole.

By teaching Ecokids about seasonal changes and all the mysterious things that happen within them, we are providing them with insight and the tools to become more grounded and considerate people with respect for others and our earth.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the seasonal tables, displays, notice boards or whatever way you choose to display the new season is spring. Whilst in Australia the season tables are celebrating autumn.

During winter in the Northern Hemisphere, the sun’s light has to travel further through the atmosphere than it does during summer. The atmosphere absorbs some of the heat energy carried by the light. That means that by the time the light reaches the ground, there is less heat energy available to keep things warm.

While people in the Northern Hemisphere have winter, those in the Southern Hemisphere have summer.

Spring

Signs of Spring from Houghton Mifflin 
                
Bibliography  
       
KinderGARDEN  
       
Spring Learning Activities 
       
Spring Activities, crafts and projects     

   
Spring Activities  
       
Child Fun Family Website

For all the season's 

Recommended books ... try your local library

A Child's Seasonal Treasury by Betty M. Jones "All around the world, seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, and months, make the year's cycle..."

A Child's Seasonal Treasury is beautifully bound, with practical suggestions, recipes and ideas for helping children escape the commercialism of many of holidays today, and return to simpler (yet no less FUN) times. As children grow, can still find something new here to enjoy, and to reflect on. Truly great for any home. We use the seasonal verses, rhymes, fingerplays, and other movement activities for our Gumnuts and Caterpillars playgroup.

Seven Times the Sun by Shea Darian

Guiding Your Child Through the Rhythms of the Day.This book is a resource of rituals for parents to help guide their children through the rhythms of the day. This is a book inspired by the works of Rudolph Steiner (called Anthrosophy) and the Waldorf Education method that he created. This book is recommended for parents of Waldorf students. Those homeschooling with a Waldorf-inspired flavour will definitely be interested...
 

Beyond the Rainbow Bridge by Barbara J. Patterson (Author), Pamela Bradley (Author), Jean Riordan (Illustrator)

Nurturing our children from birth to seven
Based upon a successful Waldorf (Steiner) School Parent Enrichment class led by a master early childhood teacher who offers us her deep understanding of children along with seasoned practical wisdom. Learn: healthy rhythms in home and school; what kind of play stimulates imagination; how to protect the child's developing 12 senses; physical growth; creative discipline; and more.

Festivals Family and Food by Diana Carey (Author), Judy Large (Author)

Seasons and Holidays, with songs, stories, crafts and recipes that relate to the season/holiday. It is very easy to come up with nice additions to your family celebrations with this book. The holidays tend to be European Christian holidays

The Nature Corner by M. V. Leeuwen (Author), J. Moeskops (Author)

Celebrating the Year's Cycle with a Seasonal Table.Tons of ideas for Nature tables in each season of the year, wonderful full-colour pictures, and patterns and directions to make your own creations. The book is divided into 11 Nature table scenes for all times in the year. The Table of Contents is set up as follows:
Introduction
Basic Techniques
Early Spring
Spring
Easter
Ascension and Whitsun
St. John's Tide
Summer
Autumn
Halloween and Martinmas
Advent
Christmas
Winter

Earthways by Carol Petrash (Author), Donald Cook (Illustrator)

Simple Environmental Activities for Young Children - chock-full of ideas which any homeschooling family can use, or anyone who spends time with small children for that matter.
General craft ideas organized by season throughout the book (such as Wheat Weaving, Leaf Crowns, Lanterns, Star Windows, Finger Knitting, May Baskets, Shooting Star Streamer Balls, Walnut Boats, Paper Birds) but "Bringing Nature In" and "Supplying the Missing Links" are the real heart of the book -- and what makes it such a gem. Some examples are Creating a Seasonal Garden, From Wheat to Bread, Pumpkins, Indian Corn, Beeswax, Butter, Wool, Gardening with Children, Building Playhouses Outdoors, Berries, and Basket Weaving. For each, she gives several ideas so you really get to explore the topic. Instead of just one activity, it is more like a "weekly theme" on Berries, perfect for how a classroom teacher would use this book. She even includes a sample field trip slip.

Combine it with A Child's Seasonal Treasury by Betty Jones and you'll have a kindy classroom in a bottle.

Painting With Children by Brunhild Muller

Is fundamentally academic (presents research and writings from Rudolf Steiner and Goethe; recommends poetry by Shakespeare and Wordsworth) yet warm and practical.

Brunhild Muller explains first the effect each colour has on a child. This is because children experience colour in a more vivid and emotional way than many of us. Most adults have lost what they knew about colour as children, having been taught that what there is to know about a colour is its name and nothing more. The seemingly simple task of preparing to paint is divided into five steps which are discussed in detail; tips for materials are also included. Later chapters give ideas for setting the stage for a painting experience -- such as stories, poetry, seasons, or the moods of nature. Innovative ways to introduce colour mixing are also presented.

The entire theory of how children perceive colour, and its ramifications for introducing painting, is well expressed.

The Seasons and Someone by Virginia Kroll and illustrated by Tatsuro Kiuchi
"Someone" is the name Eskimos give themselves. As the reader enters the world of the Eskimo in this book, he or she will discover how a young girl's tasks change with the seasons. The author skillfully reveals a child's part in the transitory process of nature and the illustrations capture the mood in soft oils. Ages 7-10.

All Year Round by Ann Druitt (Author), Christine Fynes-Clinton (Author), Marije Rowling (Author)

Brimming with stories, poems, songs, and eco-friendly things to make and cook, All Year Round offers itself as a friendly guide to the seasonal round of festivals. Arranged by season, each chapter includes a calendar of holidays to celebrate.

A Journey Through Time in Verse and Rhyme by Heather Thomas

This wonderful collection edited by Heather Thomas is a gem for homeschooling families using the Waldorf method. Wonderful for all ages, this anthology includes poems and verses for morning and evening, graces, prayers, and meditations for parents and teachers as well as (from the table of contents):

Action Verses
Finger Games
Skipping
Fables
Animals
Farming and Building
Numbers
Tongue Twisters
Grammar
Alphabet
Parts of Speech
Voewls
Consonants
Riddles and Tunes
Alliteration
The Elements and Nature Spirits
Flowers and Trees
Earth, Sun and Stars
Seasons
Autumn
Winter and Christmas
Spring and Easter
Summer
History
Imagination
Shakespeare
Narrative Poems

Each section is arranged roughly by age, so that the verses and poems toward the end of the book are suitable for high school use, where earlier sections like Fables (2nd grade) and Farming and Building (3rd grade) work well for elementary school. In short, this is a book you will turn to time and time again.

Bumblebee, Bumblebee, Do You Know Me? A Garden Guessing Game 
by Anne Rockwell
Insects and the Spring garden. The illustrations are very soft (the author created silkscreens and painted them with watercolour and gouache) and sweet. The wide variety of insects illustrated makes this one a keeper. Pictured are: bumblebee, butterfly, june bug, cricket, ladybug, (spider -- NOT an insect -- the 8 legs are clearly shown if you want to point them out), leafhopper, dragonfly, katydid. The flowers pictured are daffodil, tulip, iris, poppy, rose, zinnia, morning glory, lily, daisy, and sunflower.