Yesterday, Liz, Rachael, and I, in collaboration with Footprints in the Soil (FITS), an environmental non-profit, set up a children’s craft activity at the Ojai Farmers Market. We wanted to do an art project that involved native plants, so we picked different materials that came from our orange grove: lavender, sage, rosemary, mustard, onion blossoms, pomegranate blossoms (only a few), grass growing from one of our hay bales for the alpacas, rose petals, jade, dried orange slices, dried orange peels, and more. We bought plain paper plates and provided crayons, markers, lots of glue, tape, and sticky patches, plus all of our natural materials. We were barely set up before we were hit with an onslaught of kids who were more than eager to eat the kumquats we’d brought and take a few free key limes home. They also were ready and willing to start making art with our orange grove treasure trove of goodies.
We had a wonderful time with these kids. They were happy to sit on the ground in the mid-afternoon sunshine and create unique pieces of art to take home for their parents. Rachael taught them the names of everything we brought and had the kids smell and touch each one. We all then helped them with their unique creations, which turned out to be quite impressive.
Rachael led the activity, I assisted, and Liz talked to parents about our upcoming May 19th FITS writing and crafting workshop. At that event, I will lead a nature writing workshop for adults while Rachael leads a kids’s craft activity outside with Liz’s assistance. If you are interested in learning more about our workshop, look at the details in the flyer below. Also, here is the link for registration: http://bit.ly/3UqPjJf
Here are a few photos plus the flyer of the writing workshop on May 19th.
Our “natural” art ingredients from the orange grove
Rachael working with the kids with Liz assisting
Rachael leads the activity while Liz chats with a parent about the writing and crafting event.
A different angle of that same scene
Some of the creative art pieces produced by the kids
20 Minutes a Day 
Len, what good work you and your family do for Mother Earth!
Thank you, Judy. This is new for us but was a lot of fun and a bonding activity for me with Liz and Rachael. I’m looking forward to more nature art and writing since it brought me a lot of peace to be out in the sunshine with those kids helping them make art while learning more about the bounty of Mother Earth. Speaking of mothers, Happy Mother’s Day to you, my dear.
Len, this experience with your daughters reminds me of the book Tom Lake which takes place mainly