Northern Hemisphere Hemisphere1 DEDICATION

spring guide

northern spring Guide northern Hemisphere hemisphere1 DEDICATION

To my Mother, who from the moment of my birth, selflessly did everything she could to nourish, support and love me, and who continues to do the same each and every day. To my Grandmothers, both fierce and gentle women, who mothered their children like lionesses, each in their own unique ways. To each and every mother down my ancestral lines who courageously brought their children into this world. There is no doubt in my mind each and every one loved their children to the depths of their being and that that love played a part in who I am and am becoming.

This document can be shared only in its entirety with the permission of Meagan Wilson of Whole Family Rhythms. It is for the sole use of the original downloader. Please see Acknowledgement for a list of credits to the original works within. contents

The Daily Rhythm 4

Notes and Guidelines 5

Ingredients and Supplies Master List- March 13

March Monthly Guide-Weeks 1, 2, 3, 4 14

Caregiver’s Meditations-March 54

Caregiver’s Handwork Project- March 56

Ingredients and Supplies Master List- April 57

April Monthly Guide-Weeks 1, 2, 3, 4 58

Caregiver’s Meditations-April 95

Caregiver’s Handwork Project- April 97

Ingredients and Supplies Master List- May 99

May Monthly Guide-Weeks 1, 2, 3, 4 100

Caregiver’s Meditations-May 137

Caregiver’s Handwork Project- May 139

Seasonal Book Recommendations 140

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 3 the daily rhythm

6 early Caregiver’s meditation morning caregiver sets an intention for the day and does something for herself

7 7-9.30 blessing and warm breakfast, get dressed, clean kitchen, pack morning tea, put a load of laundry on and get older children to school

free play for younger children 8 notes

9 9.30-10.30 OUTDOOR PLAY free play and/or helping hands in the garden or backyard, at the park, beach or on a hike 10 caregiver can work on handwork project at this time morning tea 10.45-11.30 monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday 11 (home) In the Watercolour Beeswax kitchen painting Colouring Crafting Modelling

lunch preparation 12 11.30 12 blessing and lunch

1 12.30 STORY and FINGERPLAY 1 rest 2 notes

2:30-3 pick older children up from school (bring afternoon tea) OR afternoon 3 tea at home notes 4

4 free play for younger children, homework help for older children 5 notes

6 blessing and DINNER 7 6:45 bath, teeth, pajamas 7 bedtime stories and reading

7:30 blessing or lullaby BEDTIME notes and guidelines

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 5 the importance of rhythm

Daily, weekly and seasonal rhythms are the anchors that provide security and happiness to your child. With a strong daily rhythm a child knows what to expect and what is expected of him. With rhythm, simple daily activities (chores, self-care, mealtimes) become habits instead of arguments. In the early years especially, daily rhythm should revolve around food, sleep and unstructured play both indoors and outdoors. The most important and basic rhythm a caregiver can provide ensures regular sleeptimes and mealtimes. These rhythms are upheld with repetitive rituals such as mealtime blessings or a lullaby before bed. Children between the ages of 3 and 7 need a minimum of 10 hours of sleep each night, preferably closer to 12 if they have stopped daytime napping. If children have regular external rhythms, internal rhythms will develop- the child’s metabolism will be more predictable, hunger will occur at the same time each day and sleepiness will creep in at the usual bedtime. I have structured the Daily Rhythm to contain a balance of both ‘breathing in’ and ‘breathing out’ times. These are times for contraction and expansion, respectively. Expansive activities include free unstructured play, outside play or hiking. Inward activities include mealtimes, sleeptimes, story times and the daily activity (drawing, painting, crafting etc.). Seasonal rhythms, festivals and celebrations teach children about the ever-changing landscape in which we live. Within the beauty of the revolving seasons a child develops an appreciation for the old and new- the circle of life. Rhythms are not meant to be followed militantly but they do require perseverance, dedication and sometimes even sacrifice from the caregiver in order be maintained and observed with consistency and respect. Every family is totally and completely unique so begin with a rhythm that meets your needs as a whole.

THE DAILY RHYTHM- EDITABLE EXCEL SPREADSHEET In your email bundle you will find The Daily Rhythm in PDF form as well as a drafted excel spreadsheet. I encourage you to adjust The Daily Rhythm in order to create a personalised and custom rhythm that works for you and your family.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 6 THE SIGNIFICANCE OF FINGERPLAY

From a psychological and intellectual perspective fingerplay assists in motor “The interaction with your and language development, increases child, the engaging faculties self-esteem, body awareness, rhythmic of imitation and the musical proficiency, muscular coordination and elements all used in [fingerplay memory development. Fingerplay may also have] delighted children for be used as a tool for transition (from one activity to another) or as a redirection (from centuries and have great value unfavourable behaviour). Nursery rhymes and for their development as well.” fingerplay stimulate a loving and intimate connection between the caregiver and child. Rahima Baldwin

Weekly story

Stories are always best told when memorized and when they come authentically from the heart as opposed to using our intellect to read and interpret them. Don’t worry about memorising verbatim, just read the stories a few times outloud each night before bed a week in advance and they will be there for you to recollect by the beginning of the next week. Do not feel you always need to use props and puppets- especially for the longer and more complicated stories. If you choose to simply tell a story orally (which can sometimes be more effective than using props) assign a special chair in the house for storytelling and have the children sit or lie on cushions around you to listen. Before a story you may want to say a centering verse such as “Quiet your tongue, be crossed every thumb and fix on me deep your eyes. Then out of my mind a story will come that is ancient and lovely and wise”. Alternatively, you could sing a simple song or light a candle to elicit a quiet and focused mood.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 7 Weekly hike

From 9:30am-10:30am outside time is a part of The Daily Rhythm. Choose a day once a week either on the weekday or on the weekend where you plan a hike. You can alternate between two or three parks or you can plan a proper excursion to a different adventure spot every week. The possibilities are endless but you are looking for a few common denominators when choosing a location: somewhere away from cars, busy streets and loud noises; somewhere where there are birds to hear, trees to shade you and rocks to climb; above all else somewhere you can escape to that is free from electronics and filled with time and space and a place which draws you into the present moment. Don’t rush or focus on an end goal or destination- let your child (and yourself!) explore, discover and have freedom of direction and movement.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 8 BAKING and COOKING notes

fI use whole or white spelt flour in many baking recipes as I find it is more digestible f than wholewheat. You can substitute with wholewheat or white flour at anytime and get very similar results. For gluten-free options you’ll have to do your own experimenting and tweaking as I know rice/corn and other gluten-free flours require very different dry to wet ingredient ratios fCoconut oil is listed in many of the recipes. It is healthier to fry, saute or brown f your food in coconut oil as it has a high burning point (as opposed to olive oil which should ideally only be used as a condiment). Vegetable oil is highly refined, processed and unhealthy- coconut oil is a great substitute fMelted organic butter can be used as an alternative to coconut oil in baked goods- f we do this often fRapadura sugar is a less refined type of cane sugar. It is similar to brown sugar or f coconut sugar which are both fine substitutes fWe use raw honey and maple syrup as natural sweeteners in our baking and these f can also be used interchangeably but each has a slightly unique flavour fAlthough it is not specified, we use organic ingredients whenever possible. We f especially prioritize organic dairy and organic, free range eggs

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 9 WATERCOLOUR PAINTING/DRAWING/ CRAFTING/modelling

Feel free to modify the instructions regarding any of the creative activities to suit your children’s ages and the supplies you have on hand. If your children are too young for the weekly craft consider doing the craft yourself while your children play. They will gain just as much from the experience of watching and observing you- calm and focused on meaningful work and may be able to help here and there if they show a desire to.

Recipe for Saltdough

f1 cup white flour Combine all ingredients in a pot over low f heat and stir continually until a ball forms f1/2 cup salt f and it gets very difficult to stir anymore. f1 cup water Knead and let it cool slightly. Store in a f f1 tablespoon oil covered container for up to 3 months. f f2 teaspoons cream of tartar f

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 10 CAREGIVER’S MEDITATIONS

The caregiver’s meditations are meant to be gentle reminders to take care of yourself. Being a parent (or caregiver) is no doubt a selfless task so it is even more important to carve small amounts of time and space to fill your reserves up again. The timing of these pockets is unique to each individual- early morning, just before bed, during nap times or on the weekend. It may help you to cut the week’s theme out and staple it to your planner or blu-tac it to a mirror or the fridge as a visual reminder.

CAREGIVER’S HANDWORK

The caregiver’s handwork is a very simple handcraft and is meant to be done slowly and intentionally over time. The best time to do this is when your children are having unstructured indoor play, especially if they find it difficult to fall into play easily and come to you often for entertainment. You can sit on the floor close to them quietly sewing or knitting. Don’t interrupt their play- your presence will be enough for them to feel more secure in their surroundings. They’re welcome to look at what you’re doing but you’ll likely want to create a gentle boundary that this is your craft and not theirs.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 11 WHOLE FAMILY RHYTHMS Recommended online Retailers:

For Stockmar watercolour paints, paper and crayon; stockman modelling beeswax; wool felt, thread and crafting needs and candle making: Nova Natural www.novanatural.com Bella Luna Toys www.bellalunatoys.com A Child’s Dream www.achildsdream.com

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 12 Weeks One, Two, Three and Four March Ingredients and Supplies Master List

For In the kitchen For Crafting

Week one: Week three: Week one: ¨¨ avocado ¨¨ puffed barley ¨¨ sprouts ¨¨ maple syrup ¨¨ honey ¨¨ paper towel ¨¨ cocoa powder ¨¨ almond butter ¨¨ glass jars ¨¨ vanilla ¨¨ coconut oil ¨¨ pantyhose ¨¨ salt ¨¨ salt ¨¨ rubberbands Week two: ¨¨ vanilla Week two: ¨¨ quail eggs Week four: ¨¨ scraps of coloured yarn and wool roving ¨¨ carrot ¨¨ yeast Week three: ¨¨ olive oil ¨¨ salt ¨¨ white construction paper ¨¨ lemon juice ¨¨ 2 eggs ¨¨ yellow fingerpaint or children’s paint ¨¨ salt ¨¨ honey ¨¨ assortment of pencil crayon or crayon colours ¨¨ pepper ¨¨ butter Week four: ¨¨ white spelt flour ¨¨ beeswax crayons ¨¨ milk ¨¨ a dozen white eggs ¨¨ raisins ¨¨ food colouring OR egg dye OR make your own natural dyes ¨¨ white vinegar For finger games/storytelling ¨¨ a sharp needle and thread Story one: Story three: ¨¨ a large fallen branch ¨¨ n/a but you could have ¨¨ (optional) small a small boy doll and needlefelted bee for knit or felt pony for your fingerplay For Beeswax Modelling children to play with Story four: ¨¨ green, yellow, red and orange modelling beeswax at other times- they’ll likely reenact the story ¨¨ 7 assorted bunnies plus they’ve heard a mother rabbit ¨¨ a pig (or other fat animal) Story two: For Watercolour Painting ¨¨ a bird ¨¨ small boy doll and Drawing ¨¨ easter eggs ¨¨ bird finger puppet ¨¨ red, yellow, orange, blue, watercolours ¨¨ green muslin or silk scarves ¨¨ wooden branch or block or if using Stockmar paints: shades of red, yellow and ¨¨ sticks and stones to create blue will create the orange and green you need a landscape ¨¨ a rainbow assortment of block or stick beeswax crayons

For the Caregiver’s Handwork Notes: ¨¨ A wooden doll base 4 cm tall ¨¨ 1 piece of felt cut into a rectangular piece approx 4cm X 3cm ¨¨ small piece contrasting coloured felt ¨¨ felt scraps, for flourishes on petals and buttons ¨¨ hair coloured ‘curly wool’ or yarn ¨¨ glue gun ¨¨ scizzors ¨¨ needle and thread ¨¨ small beads ¨¨ paint for cheeks and eyes (or just a black permanent marker to create the eyes) March Monthly Guide week one mud, creation

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 14 Weekly Finger Game

My lady Spring is dressed in green (gesture with hands to form a skirt) That night he dreamt about his Mud Pony and it said to him “My Friend, you But one night, he forgot to cover the pony. That night he had a dream and in . She wears a primrose crown. (gesture placing a crown on your head) are poor but I am a part of Mother Earth and she always provides.” it the pony came to him and said, “My Friend, you are not poor anymore and do not need me. I will return to the earth for she is a part of me.” And when (gesture small bird flying with hands) The next morning, the boy awoke and found that his mud pony had turned into And little baby birds and twigs he woke and went to his pony he found that the rain had washed him away a beautiful real wild pony! Are clinging to her gown (fly your hand to a sleeve) and he said goodbye forever. He groomed it and brushed it and it blew air from its nostrils and gently The sun shines if she laughs at all (gesture with one hand towards the sun in a half circle) nuzzled at the boys shoulder. The boy led his pony down to the water for a drink. Afterwards the pony said to him, “My Friend, hop on my back and I will But if she weeps the raindrops fall. (gesture with the other hand rain take your to your people. One day you will be a great Chief.” falling with fingers) The boy was thrilled and jumped onto the pony and they galloped away. TRADITIONAL FOLKSONG, AUTHOR UNKNOWN. When they reached the camp the Pony said, “Leave me here and go and wake up your parents. I do not need food or water for I am a part of the earth and she always provides. What I do need is a blanket to keep me warm and dry so that I do not melt.” Weekly story The following day the Pony said: “My Son, take me and show me to your people so that the Chief will hear about me. He will offer you other horses in exchange for me. Take them.” The Mud Pony The boy was hesitant but did as the pony asked and sure enough when the Once there was a camp, and in it lived a boy. The boy loved ponies but Chief saw the pony he said, “I will give you five of my best horses for it.” his parents could not afford them. And so, he often sat on the riverbank The boy agreed and so it was. watching his friends bringing theirs ponies to drink the cool water. The next day the Chief went hunting mounted on his new Mud Pony but as the One day the boy made up his mind: he would find a way to have his sun burned down on them the mud pony began to dry up and soon crumbled own pony! He built a fence with wood and then he went to the river back into the earth. The Chief was so angry he marched back to camp and and started to pull mud from the riverbed. Out of the mud he made ordered the boy to return his horses in exchange for the crumbled pieces of the two ponies. Mud Pony. Again the boy did as he was told and from that day forward the The boy was finally happy! Every morning he went to his mud ponies Mud Pony grew stronger and stronger and became one of the best horses in andled them down to the water to drink. He gave them lots of fresh the camp. After many years, just as the pony had said, he became a great grass and corn and they grew strong and fat. He took care of them just Chief. as if they were real ponies. He took care of his Mud Pony everyday and kept it warm and dry with a One day the boy went to care for his mud ponies as he always did, and blanket. he found that one of them had dried up and become dust. He was so very sad but was determined to take even better care of his other horse.

autumn Guide NORthern Hemisphere 15 That night he dreamt about his Mud Pony and it said to him “My Friend, you But one night, he forgot to cover the pony. That night he had a dream and in are poor but I am a part of Mother Earth and she always provides.” it the pony came to him and said, “My Friend, you are not poor anymore and do not need me. I will return to the earth for she is a part of me.” And when The next morning, the boy awoke and found that his mud pony had turned into he woke and went to his pony he found that the rain had washed him away a beautiful real wild pony! and he said goodbye forever. He groomed it and brushed it and it blew air from its nostrils and gently nuzzled at the boys shoulder. The boy led his pony down to the water for a drink. Afterwards the pony said to him, “My Friend, hop on my back and I will take your to your people. One day you will be a great Chief.” The boy was thrilled and jumped onto the pony and they galloped away. When they reached the camp the Pony said, “Leave me here and go and wake up your parents. I do not need food or water for I am a part of the earth and she always provides. What I do need is a blanket to keep me warm and dry so that I do not melt.” The following day the Pony said: “My Son, take me and show me to your people so that the Chief will hear about me. He will offer you other horses in exchange for me. Take them.” The boy was hesitant but did as the pony asked and sure enough when the Once there was a camp, and in it lived a boy. The boy loved ponies but Chief saw the pony he said, “I will give you five of my best horses for it.” his parents could not afford them. And so, he often sat on the riverbank The boy agreed and so it was. watching his friends bringing theirs ponies to drink the cool water. The next day the Chief went hunting mounted on his new Mud Pony but as the One day the boy made up his mind: he would find a way to have his sun burned down on them the mud pony began to dry up and soon crumbled own pony! He built a fence with wood and then he went to the river back into the earth. The Chief was so angry he marched back to camp and and started to pull mud from the riverbed. Out of the mud he made ordered the boy to return his horses in exchange for the crumbled pieces of the two ponies. Mud Pony. Again the boy did as he was told and from that day forward the The boy was finally happy! Every morning he went to his mud ponies Mud Pony grew stronger and stronger and became one of the best horses in andled them down to the water to drink. He gave them lots of fresh the camp. After many years, just as the pony had said, he became a great grass and corn and they grew strong and fat. He took care of them just Chief. as if they were real ponies. He took care of his Mud Pony everyday and kept it warm and dry with a One day the boy went to care for his mud ponies as he always did, and blanket. he found that one of them had dried up and become dust. He was so very sad but was determined to take even better care of his other horse.

autumn Guide NORthern Hemisphere 16 That night he dreamt about his Mud Pony and it said to him “My Friend, you But one night, he forgot to cover the pony. That night he had a dream and in are poor but I am a part of Mother Earth and she always provides.” it the pony came to him and said, “My Friend, you are not poor anymore and do not need me. I will return to the earth for she is a part of me.” And when The next morning, the boy awoke and found that his mud pony had turned into he woke and went to his pony he found that the rain had washed him away a beautiful real wild pony! and he said goodbye forever. He groomed it and brushed it and it blew air from its nostrils and gently nuzzled at the boys shoulder. The boy led his pony down to the water for a drink. Afterwards the pony said to him, “My Friend, hop on my back and I will take your to your people. One day you will be a great Chief.” The boy was thrilled and jumped onto the pony and they galloped away. This story is best told on its own without props. You could tell it on your lap with a small boy doll and a pony but keep When they reached the camp the Pony said, “Leave me here and go and wake it as simple as that. It’s always best to read the story multiple up your parents. I do not need food or water for I am a part of the earth and times before you recount it so that you do not have to read it she always provides. What I do need is a blanket to keep me warm and dry so and the words come authentically from your heart. that I do not melt.” The following day the Pony said: “My Son, take me and show me to your people so that the Chief will hear about me. He will offer you other horses in exchange for me. Take them.” The boy was hesitant but did as the pony asked and sure enough when the Once there was a camp, and in it lived a boy. The boy loved ponies but Chief saw the pony he said, “I will give you five of my best horses for it.” his parents could not afford them. And so, he often sat on the riverbank The boy agreed and so it was. watching his friends bringing theirs ponies to drink the cool water. The next day the Chief went hunting mounted on his new Mud Pony but as the One day the boy made up his mind: he would find a way to have his sun burned down on them the mud pony began to dry up and soon crumbled own pony! He built a fence with wood and then he went to the river back into the earth. The Chief was so angry he marched back to camp and and started to pull mud from the riverbed. Out of the mud he made ordered the boy to return his horses in exchange for the crumbled pieces of the two ponies. Mud Pony. Again the boy did as he was told and from that day forward the The boy was finally happy! Every morning he went to his mud ponies Mud Pony grew stronger and stronger and became one of the best horses in andled them down to the water to drink. He gave them lots of fresh the camp. After many years, just as the pony had said, he became a great grass and corn and they grew strong and fat. He took care of them just Chief. as if they were real ponies. He took care of his Mud Pony everyday and kept it warm and dry with a One day the boy went to care for his mud ponies as he always did, and blanket. he found that one of them had dried up and become dust. He was so very sad but was determined to take even better care of his other horse.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 17 Weekly hike

Making mudpies is a very nourishing experience for little hands, regardless of how messy and stressful it can get for mamas. Set up a cleaning station in your backyard or at the local park or bushland with a bucket of warm water soapy (you could bring a thermos of warm water and an extra pair of clothes too) and a towel. Then allow the children to fill a bucket or two with cold water and to add dirt and mud to it to create mud pies, cakes and castles. Let them play for as long as they like in the mud but tell them when they decide to clean off there will be no more mudpies for the rest of the day. When everyone is finished wash hands and faces, strip layers off and everyone will be warm from the inside out.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 18 Monday in the kitchen

Chocolate avocado pudding Ingredients Let’s Begin f4 ripe avocados Place all ingredients in a food processor f and combine until smooth f4 tablespoons cocoa powder f Serve with berries or sliced bananas or f6 tablespoons maple syrup f chocolate chips fdash of salt f f1 teaspoon of vanilla f

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 19 Tuesday

Watercolour Painting

Orange and blue Gather Your Supplies Let’s Begin fWatercolour Paper, Set up a little table to do watercolour painting f edges rounded with your children. Make sure there is a brush, paint and water for everyone including yourself. fBlue and Orange Use the colours blue and orange and if you have f Watercolour Paint watercolour paper, wet the paper with a damp fPaintbrushes sponge before beginning. A piece of wood or a f fWater cutting board under each child’s paper helps it to f keep from breaking and bleeding through. Begin Painting Board to place f with the verse: Now I take my brush so gently in f under your paper (optional) my hand with loving care, watch the colours go so softly on the paper together they flow.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 20 Wednesday colouring

Spring shades Gather Your Supplies Let’s Begin fwhite paper Prepare the colouring paper in advance- cutting f the paper so the corners are rounded and smooth. fscissors f Allow each child a few pieces of paper and place fbeeswax crayons the crayons in the middle of the table in a bowl to f share. It’s best to let whatever comes out of their hands and hearts flow without interference instead of asking questions about what they’re drawing or giving detailed suggestions of what they could draw. Begin with the verse: Bright colours show me the way. I wonder what I’ll draw to day!

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 21 Thursday crafting

planting sprouts

You can buy vegetable sprouts at the the local gardening shop or from many online stores.

Gather Your Supplies Let’s Begin fvariety of sprouting seeds Add one tablespoon of seeds into the glass jar f (alfalfa, cress and mustard Pull the pantyhose across the opening of the jar are all nice) like a lid and secure with a rubberband. fpictured here: chickpeas Fill the jar halfway with water and leave it over night f and mung beans. In the morning pour the water out (through the fpaper towel f pantyhose), fill again and leave the jar on its side fglass jar(s) with the backside slightly elevated (allowing the f water to constantly drain) fpantyhose(s) f Leave in a warm area frubber band(s) f Rinse (and drain) the seeds again after 12 hours Continue to rinse the sprouts twice a day By day 3-5 (depending on the variety of seed you are sprouting) your sprouts should be full grown and ready to eat Transfer to the fridge and enjoy on top of sandwiches, in soups or salads spring Guide northern Hemisphere 22 friday beeswax modelling

Green Beeswax is vibrant, fragrant and takes the warmth from your body when you work on it. Modelling should be a free expression of what is living in the child at that moment. It is not so much about the end product but the process. If the beeswax is quite hard and cold you can place it in a shallow glass dish and warm the dish in some hot water. As with everything the children depend on you to model so they can imitate. This is a nice time to say a few verses (finger rhymes or tell the weekly story without actions) too. Try to be the last one to finish modelling to avoid frustrating your children- they will want to produce something as beautiful as you have and are often disappointed when they can’t.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 23 March Monthly Guide week two birds, nesting

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 24 Weekly Finger Game

Two little fairy wrens learning how to fly, (one finger from each hand fluttering) One named Blue, one named Sky. (show each finger) Fly away Blue, fly away Sky, (hide each finger one by one behind your back)

Come back Blue, come back Sky! (bring the fingers back to the front again)

ADAPTED FROM A TRADITIONAL FINGERPLAY

Weekly story

What a bird taught A little bird sat on a twig of a tree, A swinging and singing as glad as could be; And shaking his tail and smoothing his dress, And having such fun as you never could guess.

And when he had finished his gay little song, He flew down on the street and went hopping along; This way and that way with both little feet, While his sharp little eyes looked for something to eat.

A little boy said to him, “Little bird, stop And tell me the reason you go with a hop. Why don’t you walk as boys do, or men, One foot at a time, like a duck or a hen?”

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 25 p 61? p

Then the little bird went with a hop, hop, hop; And he laughed as if he never would stop. p 66 p And he said, “Little boy, there are some birds that talk, p 62? p And some birds that hop, and some birds that walk.

p 63 p

“Use your eyes, little boy, watch closely and see 69 p Which little birds hop, both feet first, like me; Which little birds walk, like the duck and the hen, And when you know that, you’ll know more than most men.

questo qui qui questo sarebbe lo stile stile lo sarebbe Every bird that can scratch in the dustadatto più can walk; Every bird that can wade in the water can walk; Every bird that has claws to catch prey with can walk; One foot at a time, that’s the way that they walk.

But most birds that can sing you a song, Are so small that their legs are not very strong To scratch with, or wade with, or catch things; that’s why They hop with both feet. Little boy, good-bye.”

FROM L.J.BATES, WIDE AWAKE

You can make this rhyme as simple or as elaborate as you like. If you’re going to use props you’ll need a boy, a bird finger puppet and a branch or wooden block to create a tree. You could just use your finger or a bird puppet alone to tell it beautifully and effectively.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 26 Weekly hike

Keep an eye out for birds on your walk this week. Which birds can you identify, what are they doing, how are they walking or flying? How do they sound? As with everything lead by example, make your own authentic observations and listen to what your children have to say. Think of this more as an observation and exploration together as opposed to a lesson.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 27 Monday in the kitchen

Quail egg and carrot salad Ingredients Let’s Begin f2-3 quail eggs for each child Boil a pot of water. Once boiling turn the f (you could use regular chicken’s heat down and add the quail eggs. eggs too) Boil for no more than 2 1/2 - 3 minutes until f1/2 grated carrot for each child they are soft-boiled f folive oil, lemon juice, salt and Remove from the water, let them cool and f pepper dressing then gently peel. While the eggs are cooling grate the carrots and add the simple dressing. Place the grated carrots in a bowl like an orange nest and place the eggs on top.

Children love to grate carrots. Older children can help to peel the eggs.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 28 Tuesday

Watercolour Painting

Yellow and blue Gather Your Supplies Let’s Begin fWatercolour Paper, Set up a little table to do watercolour painting f edges rounded with your children. Make sure there is a brush, paint and water for everyone including yourself. fYellow and Blue Use the colours blue and yellow and if you have f Watercolour Paint watercolour paper, wet the paper with a damp fPaintbrushes sponge before beginning. A piece of wood or a f fWater cutting board under each child’s paper helps it to f keep from breaking and bleeding through. Begin Painting Board to place f with the verse: Now I take my brush so gently in f under your paper (optional) my hand with loving care, watch the colours go so softly on the paper together they flow.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 29 Wednesday colouring

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 30 Thursday crafting

offerings for the birds

Gather Your Supplies Let’s Begin fscraps of coloured yarn Drape coloured wool yarn and roving from a tree for f and wool roving the birds to collect and incorporate in their nests Make sure it’s all natural, biodegradable material Keep your eye out for colourful nests in the trees

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 31 friday beeswax modelling

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 32 March Monthly Guide week three bumblebees, outer light

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 33 Weekly Finger Game

Here is a great round beehive (Hold two hands together.) The bees are hiding inside! (Shake head no.) Now here they come each on it’s way... (Count out each ﬁnger, buzz, and ﬂy.) One, two, three, four, five! , AUTHOR UNKNOWN

Weekly story

The queen bee Three brothers were out looking for adventure when they came to an ant-hill. The two elder wanted to destroy it, to see the little ants creeping about in fear and carrying their eggs away, but the youngest named Simpleton said, “Leave the creatures in peace, I will not allow you to disturb them.” Then they went onwards and came to a lake, on which a great number of ducks were swimming. The two brothers wanted to catch a couple and roast them, but Simpleton would not permit it, and said, “Leave the creatures in peace, we

which there was so much honey that it ran out of the trunk of the tree where it

in order to take away the honey, but Simpleton again stopped them and said, “Leave the creatures in peace, I will not allow you to burn them.” Soon the three brothers arrived at a castle where stone horses were standing in the stables, and no human being was to be seen. They went through all the halls until, at the end, they came to a door and through a little pane, they could see into the room. There they saw a little grey man, who was sitting at a table. They called to him and he got up, opened the door and came out. The little grey man came to the brothers and told them if they performed three

he had not accomplished this task he would be turned to stone. He went and searched the whole day, but when it came to an end, he had only found one hundred, and he was changed into stone.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 34 The next day, the second brother undertook the same adventure, however, he did not find more than two hundred pearls, and was changed to stone. At last the turn came to Simpleton but he found it so hard to find the pearls that he sat down on a stone and began to cry. And while he was sitting, the King of the ants whose life he had once saved, came with five thousand ants, and before long the little creatures had collected all the pearls and laid them in a heap for Simpleton. The second task, however, was to fetch out of the lake the key to the princess’ bedroom. When Simpleton came to the lake, the ducks which he had saved, swam up to him, dived down, and brought the key out of the water. But the third task was the most difficult; from amongst the three sleeping princesses the youngest and dearest was to be found. All three daughters looked alike except that the youngest had a tablespoon of honey each night before bed. And so the Queen of the bees, whom Simpleton had protected from the fire, came and tasted the lips of all three sisters, and at last she remained sitting on the mouth of the girl who had eaten honey. Simpleton accomplished all three tasks by sunset and everything that had once been turned to stone at the castle now came back to life. Simpleton married the youngest and sweetest princess and soon afterwards became King.

-adapted by Whole Family Rhythms from Grimm’s Household Tales

This story is best told on its own without props. It’s always best to read the story multiple times before you recount it so that you do not have to read it and the words come authentically from your heart.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 35 Weekly hike

On your walk this week collect a few Spring things for your nature table- flowers, blooms and sprouts. Spend time together when you get home arranging the little treasures on your nature table.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 36 Monday in the kitchen

Barley, almond and honey bars Ingredients Let’s Begin f2 1/2 cups puffed barley Melt the honey, almond butter, coconut oil f and vanilla together and combine well f1/2 cup honey f Add the salt and continue stirring f1/2 cup almond butter f Put the puffed barley in a large bowl and f3 tablespoons virgin coconut oil f add the melted ingredients to it and combine fpinch sea salt thoroughly with a large spoon (add dried f fdash of vanilla fruit if you wish as well) f foptional dried fruit Line a large, deep rectangular cake pan with f baking paper Pour the sticky barley mixture into the pan and flatten out with a spoon Place in the fridge to cool Cut into squares and serve

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 37 Tuesday

Watercolour Painting

Orange and red Gather Your Supplies Let’s Begin fWatercolour Paper, Set up a little table to do watercolour painting f edges rounded with your children. Make sure there is a brush, paint and water for everyone including yourself. fRed and Orange Use the colours orange and red and if you have f Watercolour Paint watercolour paper, wet the paper with a damp fPaintbrushes sponge before beginning. A piece of wood or a f fWater cutting board under each child’s paper helps it to f keep from breaking and bleeding through. Begin Painting Board to place f with the verse: Now I take my brush so gently in f under your paper (optional) my hand with loving care, watch the colours go so softly on the paper together they flow.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 38 Wednesday colouring

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 39 Thursday crafting

Thumbprint bumblebees Gather Your Supplies Let’s Begin fwhite construction paper The caregiver can begin by tracing a few f hexagons onto the yellow paper to make a fyellow fingerpaint (or other honeycomb shape f type of children’s paint) Have your child dip his/her thumb (or fingers) into fbrown, grey, black crayons the yellow paint and then press the finger back f or pencil crayons into the paper to make a thumbprint Repeat this for as many bees as you want to create on the page Allow the paint to dry slightly (perhaps have some morning tea) and then add stripes, wings, eyes and as many details as you like to the creation

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 40 friday beeswax modelling

Yellow Beeswax is vibrant, fragrant and takes the warmth from your body when you work on it. Modelling should be a free expression of what is living in the child at that moment. It is not so much about the end product but the process. If the beeswax is quite hard and cold you can place it in a shallow glass dish and warm the dish in some hot water. As with everything the children depend on you to model so they can imitate. This is a nice time to say a few verses (finger rhymes or tell the weekly story without actions) too. Try to be the last one to finish modelling to avoid frustrating your children- they will want to produce something as beautiful as you have and are often disappointed when they can’t.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 41 March Monthly Guide week four EASTER AND INWARD PEACE

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 42 Weekly Finger Game

Here is a rabbit (two fingers up) And here are his ears (wiggle your two fingers) And here his hole in the ground (other hand makes a hole with thumb and index finger) When a noise he hears, he pricks up his ears (two fingers go up again) And jumps into his hole in the ground (two fingers go through the hole in the other hand)

TRADITIONAL FINGERPLAY.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 43 Weekly story

The seven little easter bunnies

Once upon a time there was a Mother bunny who had seven little bunny children. One clear Spring day she said to her children, “I wonder who the Easter bunny will be this year?” “Me! Me! Me!”, they all cried at the same time, but the Mother said, “Hush now. The one who can bring their Easter egg safely to the children’s garden and who can hide it well in the grass, will be the Easter bunny this year.” The first bunny took the pink egg. He hopped over the bridge, ran through a field and came straight to the children’s garden. There was a tall strong wall all around the garden. The bunny jumped up, but he jumped too high and when he landed on the other side the pink egg had broken. When the Mother saw the broken egg she said, “You will have to wait a little longer until you can be the Easter bunny.”

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 44 The next bunny took the blue egg. He hopped over the bridge and into the field. High up in a tree a little rosella sat in her nest. When she saw the bunny with the egg she called out, ‘Give me the egg, give me the egg!”. Before the bunny knew what was happening to him the rosella had flown down and taken the egg in her beak and had carried it up to the nest. When the Mother heard about this she said, “You will have to wait a little longer too”. The third bunny took the purple egg and hopped over the bridge and through the field. There he met a bunny friend who said, “Let’s wrestle and play a little while”. As they wrestled and played, they rolled along the ground until they rolled right over the purple egg and broke it! The Mother bunny was not pleased about this and she gave the next egg to the fourth bunny. This was a chocolate egg. The bunny carried the egg over the bridge and across the field. Who was waddling in the farmyard next door but a big fat pig. “Please let me taste just a little bit of the chocolate egg,” he asked. Well, the pig licked a bit and the bunny licked a bit, and the pig licked a bit more and the bunny licked a bit more... until they realised, they had eaten all of the egg! When the bunny came home with a ring of chocolate all over his little whiskers the Mother said, “You will have to wait a little longer too until you can be the real Easter bunny.” The next bunny took the orange egg. On the middle of the bridge he looked down into the water watching the little fishes swimming merrily to and fro. Rolllll... Plop! The egg fell out of the bunny’s paws and into the water and floated down the river. He surely could not be the Easter bunny either. The second last bunny had fallen asleep in the Easter basket, so he had missed his turn. The last and oldest bunny took the deep, green egg. He hopped over the bridge and he did not look down into the river. He hopped through the fields and when the fat pig came and begged for the egg, he said, “I have no time, I have something very important to do” And hopped on. He met another bunny friend who wanted to play, but this bunny said, “I have no time, I have something very important to do”. When the rosella called from the nest, “Give me the egg!” the bunny held onto his deep green egg tightly and so he finally arrived at the garden. He jumped over the wall, not too high and not too low, just right. He landed softly in the grass on the other side and carefully hid the egg.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 45 When he returned home his Mother was very pleased and said, “This year youwill be the Easter Bunny.” The children were very happy too. They came running into the garden and when they found the deep green egg hidden in the grass they exclaimed, “Hurray! It’s Easter time again!”

Adapted from a story told by Ebba Bodome. Author unknown

You can make this story as simple or elaborate as you like. If you are going to reenact it with puppets you’ll need 7 assorted bunnies plus a mother rabbit, a pig (or other fat animal), a bird, some easter eggs; green muslin or silk scarves and natural props like sticks and stones to create a landscape. You can shorten the story by decreasing the number of bunnies in it and change details such as the type of bird or the colour of the egg to work around whatever props you have. If you are going to tell the story orally then simply light a candle to set the mood and try to have the words by heart so that the story is soulful and comes from a place of authenticity.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 46 Weekly hike

Explain to the children before you go on your walk that you are going to take a ‘listening walk’ today. A listening walk is one where you try to make as little sounds as possible yourself and instead listen to the sounds around you. Try to observe some of the sounds of Spring- birds flying overhead and a breeze rustling through the trees. Tell the children that when you’re finished the listening walk (the length of which depends on how old your children are and how long they can focus in on one sense- this could be anywhere from 2 minutes to 20) they can tell you all about the things they heard.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 47 Monday in the kitchen

Easter Bread

Ingredients Let’s Begin f1/2 cup warm water Mix the yeast, water, salt, beaten egg, honey and f butter and let sit for 2 minutes f3/4 packet granulated yeast f (one heaping tsp) Add the flour and mix with your hands until you have a wet dough. f1 tsp of flaked salt f Add the sultanas f1 lightly beaten egg f Knead for about 5 minutes as best you can making the f1/8 cup honey f dough smoother, however it should be quite sticky and f1/8 cup of butter, measure moist so it won’t become very elastic f and then melt Place in a bowl and cover with a wet, warm dish towel f1 3/4 cups white spelt flour and let rise for 2-3 hours. f f1 egg + 1 tbs milk, whisked After rising pound it down with your hands, shape into f f1/2 cup raisins a big ball and put a thin layer of flour on top (to lessen f the stickiness) and separate into three smaller balls. Roll the balls in long cylinders and attach at one end. Braid and then attach the ends together to make a Younger children can beat the nest or wreath shape. egg. Older children can help by Place braided loaf on a greased or lined baking sheet measuring out the ingredients, and let it sit for another 30 minutes, while preheating younger children can help by the oven to 200°C (390°F). pouring the ingredients into a When it’s ready to put in the oven brush it over bowl. All the children will love with the milky egg and sprinkle your desired seed kneading their own individual preference on top. Place hardboiled, dyed easter eggs piece of dough and placing the on top for decoration- there are not to be eaten- just eggs on top of the nest. They for aesthetics. can also help set the table and prepare the fruit. Bake for 20-25 minutes in the oven. spring Guide northern Hemisphere 48 Tuesday

Watercolour Painting

Green and blue Gather Your Supplies Let’s Begin fWatercolour Paper Set up a little table to do watercolour painting with f your children. Make sure there is a brush, paint and fGreen and Blue water for everyone including yourself. Use only the f Watercolour Paint colours green and blue and if you have watercolour fPaintbrushes paper, wet the paper with a damp sponge before f fWater beginning. A piece of wood or a cutting board f under each child’s paper helps it to keep from Painting Board to f breaking and bleeding through. Begin with the f place under your paper verse: Now I take my brush so gently in my hand (optional) with loving care, watch the colour flow so softly on the paper green and blue.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 49 Wednesday colouring

Green, blue, purple Gather Your Supplies Let’s Begin fwhite paper Prepare the colouring paper in advance- cutting f the paper so the corners are rounded and smooth. fscissors f Allow each child a few pieces of paper and place fbeeswax crayons the crayons in the middle of the table in a bowl to f share. Allow whatever comes out of their hands and hearts to flow without interference instead of asking questions about what they’re drawing or giving detailed suggestions of what they could draw. Begin with the verse: Bright colours show me the way. I wonder what I’ll draw to day!

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 50 Thursday crafting

Blown and dyed easter eggs and easter tree

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 51 Gather Your Supplies Let’s Begin fbeeswax crayons Have the children draw on the eggs carefully with f beeswax crayons, you can also create your own design fa dozen white eggs f Blow each egg: carefully and gently put a small pin prick ffood colouring OR on either pointed end of the egg, seal your lips around f egg dye OR make one of the holes and blow the contents of the egg into your own natural dyes a bowl through the other hole (you may want to plan on fwhite vinegar baking a cake or having scrambled eggs that day!) f fa sharp needle You will be left with a hollow shell f and thread Prepare the dyes in separate bowls and add one fa large fallen branch tablespoon of vinegar (this helps the colour hold) f Dip the eggs into the bowls The longer you soak the eggs the deeper they will be in colour Let the eggs dry on a paper towel Thread the needle with coloured thread Re-insert the needle into each egg and thread to make a loop for hanging Place a large branch in a tall and sturdy vase or container Decorate the easter tree

All children can help with dipping the eggs as long as you have carefully covered their clothes and the workspace to prevent stains. Older children can learn to blow the eggs once they have control of the firmness of their grip. All the children will enjoy decorating the Easter Tree.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 52 friday beeswax modelling

Blue Beeswax is vibrant, fragrant and takes the warmth from your body when you work with it. Modelling should be a free expression of what is living in the child at that moment. It is not so much about the end product but the process. If the beeswax is quite hard and cold you can place it in a shallow glass dish and warm the dish in some hot water. As with everything the children depend on you to model so they can imitate. This is a nice time to say a few verses (nursery rhymes or tell the weekly story without actions) too. Try to be the last one to finish modelling to avoid frustrating your children- they will want to produce something as beautiful as you have and are often disappointed when they can’t.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 53 March Caregiver meditations

Week One: rising from the earth A very yogic way of connecting to the earth and grounding yourself in moments of stress is to stand still and straight, feeling your spine elongate from the base of your tailbone up to your neck. Feel your toes spread and root your heels deep into the earth while at the same time feeling your energy lifting you upwards. Keep your arms by your side and ever so slightly activate your hands and reach your fingers to the ground. Tadasana. Mountain pose. Breathe in, breathe out. Repeat for a few moments. The simplest of standing meditations, but very effective. Find a time to practice this a few times this week- in the heat of the moment or more intentionally at the same time each day.

Week Two: nesting

Dedicate this week to some Spring cleaning of sorts. It doesn’t have to be big- perhaps just a bit of de-cluttering. Once a day at around the same time choose a room and pick up the bits and pieces that don’t belong wherever they’ve ended up: cords, chargers, lipstick, toys, rocks, pencils, letters and envelopes... anything that’s gone astray. Once they’re all in a pile take another 5 minutes to redistribute them back to their homes or throw them in the bin if they’re of non- importance. By the end of the week you and your home will feel and look lighter.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 54 Week Three: warmth and light Although Australia has a warm and sunny climate Australians are some of the most vitamin D deficient people in the world. Vitamin D (which we assimilate into our bodies from the sun) is essential for good bone health and has been correlated to improving a host of illnesses, including colon cancer, inflammation, multiple sclerosis, seasonal disorders and depression. Get out into the sun as much as you can anytime before 11am or after 2pm. Go to the beach, sit in the backyard, do some gardening or simply go for a walk. Make sure to leave long sleeves, hats and sunscreen off for at least 20 minutes to really absorb the sun’s rays.

Week Four: shedding your skin Dedicate this week to organising your closet- go through your clothes and put them into three piles- winter/autumn storage, spring/summer and charity or hand-me-downs. Put the clothes you don’t think you’ll wear until Autumn or Winter into tubs and store them somewhere- under a bed, in the garage or in the back of your closet. Be realistic about what you wear and give things that you’ve grown tired of away to friends or to goodwill. You’ll be amazed about how revived your wardrobe seems after this mini make-over, without having even bought a thing.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 55 Caregiver’s handwork Spring Flower Doll*

This design is very open to interpretation as you can make your doll as detailed as you like depending on supplies, time and energy. The colours scheme can be any combination of bright florals.

Supplies Let’s Begin fA wooden doll base 4 cm tall Cut out the dress to fit your doll’s body f (cylinder shaped with round head) and attach buttons of felt and beads right in the middle of the rectangular f1 piece of felt cut into a rectangular shape f piece approx 4cm X 3cm (depending on the circumference of Sew along the seam and then gather the base), it should snugly wrap all stitch along the neck the way around the doll’s body Insert her body into the dress (now a fcontrasting coloured felt to cut a tube) and then pull the thread tightly f four leafed petal with and knot to create her neckline ffelt scraps, for flourishes on petals Secure the dress with a glue- the seam f and buttons should be at the dolls back, out of view f‘curly wool’ for hair (this is cut Cut out a large flower petal shaped hat f straight from the sheep and can be and add details- beads, contrasting found at most craft supply shops), colours, embroidery thread etc. you could use yarn instead if this is use a glue gun to attach some curly wool not available to you to her head to create hair fglue gun f Then glue or sew her petal hat on top fsmall beads f Finish by adding eyes and pink cheeks fpaint for cheeks and eyes (or just a f black permanent marker to create the eyes)

*the original pattern and photo by Natalie Trusler from natalietrusler.com

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 56 Weeks One, Two, Three and Four April Ingredients and Supplies Master List

For finger games/storytelling For Crafting Story one: Story three: Week one: ¨¨ a caterpillar ¨¨ turtle ¨¨ tissue paper ¨¨ cocoon ¨¨ Racoon ¨¨ pipe cleaners ¨¨ butterfly ¨¨ Hedgehog ¨¨ long sticks Story two: ¨¨ Chickadee (or another ¨¨ coloured yarn bird friend) ¨¨ a female and male doll Week two: ¨¨ butterfly ¨¨ a bean ¨¨ homemade saltdough ¨¨ earth coloured silk ¨¨ a black rock or something ¨¨ assortment of seeds and nuts ¨¨ muslin cloth to represent coal scarves ¨¨ rolling pin ¨¨ something to represent a ¨¨ tree blocks Week three: piece of yellow straw ¨¨ rocks ¨¨ Rust Red or Green coloured beeswax ¨¨ blocks and other props to Story four: n/a create house ¨¨ walnuts shells- halved and hollowed ¨¨ town Week four: ¨¨ brook ¨¨ flowers- jasmine and ivy ¨¨ a needle and thread

For In the kitchen For the Caregiver’s Handwork

Week one: Week three: ¨¨ felt crown template provided ¨¨ honey ¨¨ active dry yeast ¨¨ coloured felt for headband ¨¨ red juice of your choice ¨¨ cane or rapadura sugar ¨¨ contrasting coloured felt for petals ¨¨ gelatin ¨¨ white spelt flour ¨¨ matching thread or embroidery floss ¨¨ plastic straws ¨¨ salt ¨¨ optional beads or sequins ¨¨ rubber band ¨¨ milk ¨¨ ribbon or elastic for the back of the crown Week two: ¨¨ butter ¨¨ currants or raisins ¨¨ sprouts Notes: ¨¨ salad ¨¨ cinnamon ¨¨ carrots ¨¨ coconut oil ¨¨ seeds Week four: ¨¨ nuts ¨¨ watermelon ¨¨ salad dressing ¨¨ pineapple ¨¨ cantaloupe

For Watercolour Painting and Drawing ¨¨ red, yellow, orange, blue, and green watercolours or if using Stockmar paints: shades of red, yellow and blue will create the orange and green you need ¨¨ a rainbow assortment of block or stick beeswax crayons

For Beeswax Modelling ¨¨ green, yellow, red and orange modelling beeswax april Monthly Guide week one caterpillars, emergence

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 58 Weekly Finger Game

Caterpillar on a soft green leaf goes (wriggle finger) wriggle wriggle wriggle Caterpillar on a soft green leaf goes (munching motion with hand) munch munch munch Caterpillar on a soft green leaf goes (hands into prayer and to side of cheek) fast asleep And while he sleeps he has a dream of places he has never seen Then he slowly wakes up and opens his eyes, Unfolds his wings- he’s a butterfly! (big stretch with arms and then flying motion)

ADAPTED FROM ORAL TRANSMISSION FROM A PARENT-AND-CHILD CLASS LED BY EBBA BODAME. AUTHOR UNKNOWN.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 59 Weekly story

The caterpillar A tired caterpillar went to sleep one day In a snug little cradle of silken grey. And he said, as he softly curled up in his nest, “Oh, crawling was pleasant, but rest is best.”

He slept through the winter long and cold, All tightly up in his blanket rolled, And at last he awoke on a warm spring day To find that winter had gone away.

He woke to find he had golden wings, And no longer need crawl over sticks and things. “Oh, the earth is nice,” said the glad butterfly, “But the sky is best, when we learn to fly.”

-from A Child’s Own Book of Verse II by Ada Skinner

You can make this story as simple or as elaborate as you like. If you’re going to use props you’ll need a caterpillar of some sorts, a cocoon made of wool roving, cotton buds or a silk scarf and a butterfly.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 60 Weekly hike

Caterpillars are all around if you look carefully. If you have a little garden with lettuce you are sure to find a little green caterpillar hiding under the leaves. On your hike this week notice who is creeping and crawling and who is flying and soaring through the air. There is more and more movement on the earth everyday as the weather warms.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 61 Monday in the kitchen

Caterpillar jellies Ingredients Let’s Begin f6 tbsp honey Place straws tightly in a small container (like a jar or f tall glass) so that the jelly stays in the straws - you f2/3 cup clear red may want to put a rubber band around them to f or purple juice keep them snug and straight (pomegranite, cranberry or raspberry work well) Or you could just add more straws to fill the container. f8 tbsp unflavored gelatin Pour all ingredients into the saucepan and heat f until everything is dissolved f8-12 plastic straws, f rubber band Pour the mixture into the straws and let it completely set, 4-6 hours at room temperature or 1 hour in the refrigerator. When set remove the worms from the straws by rolling with a rolling pin over them OR putting them over warm water

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 62 Tuesday

Watercolour Painting

Green and yellow Gather Your Supplies Let’s Begin fWatercolour Paper, Set up a little table to do watercolour painting f edges rounded with your children. Make sure there is a brush, paint and water for everyone including yourself. fGreen and Yellow Use the colours green and yellow and if you have f Watercolour Paint watercolour paper, wet the paper with a damp fPaintbrushes sponge before beginning. A piece of wood or a f fWater cutting board under each child’s paper helps it to f keep from breaking and bleeding through. Begin Painting Board to place f with the verse: Now I take my brush so gently in f under your paper (optional) my hand with loving care, watch the colours go so softly on the paper together they flow.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 63 Wednesday colouring

Spring shades

Gather Your Supplies Let’s Begin fwhite paper Prepare the colouring paper in advance- cutting f the paper so the corners are rounded and smooth. fscissors f Allow each child a few pieces of paper and place fbeeswax crayons the crayons in the middle of the table in a bowl to f share. It’s best to let whatever comes out of their hands and hearts flow without interference instead of asking questions about what they’re drawing or giving detailed suggestions of what they could draw. Begin with the verse: Bright colours show me the way. I wonder what I’ll draw to day!

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 64 Thursday crafting

Paper butterflies Gather Your Supplies Let’s Begin fcoloured tissue paper Cut the tissue paper into little squares about the f size of an adult’s hand fcoloured pipe cleaners f Place the pipe cleaner on top of a square, then fthin branches or long fold the pipe cleaner in half so the two tops meet f sticks collected from and twist to create two antennae your hike or yard Fan out the tissue paper so it looks like wings fcoloured string or yarn f Attach a string to your butterfly and then attach the other side of the string to a twig or stick

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 65 friday beeswax modelling

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 66 april Monthly Guide week two seeds, sparks of life

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 67 Weekly Finger Game

A little seed for me to sow (cup hands together like you’re holding something precious)

A little earth to make it grow (pour from right hand into cupped le hand)

A little hole, a little pat , (poke with right hand into cupped le hand, then pat with right hand)

a little wish and that is that (hands together in prayer, then brush hands o)

A little sun, a little shower, (sun gesture, rain gesture)

(fan out your hands and stretch ﬁngers to create a blossom)

. spring Guide northern Hemisphere 68 Weekly story

It isn't raining rain to me, It's raining daffodils; In every dimpled drop I see Wild flowers on the hills. The clouds of gray engulf the day, And overwhelm the town; It isn't raining rain to me, It's raining roses down

It isn't raining rain to me, But fields of clover bloom, Where any buccaneering bee May find a bed and room. A health unto the happy, A fig for him who frets— It isn't raining rain to me, It's raining violets.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 69 Weekly hike

On your walk this week see if you can find some sprouting seedlings. Notice how small and delicate they are. Wonder with your children. How big will they grow? What colours may eventually pop out? How did the seeds find their way there in the first place? Ask questions and make comments in an authentic way and as with everything the more honesty and reverence you bring into the conversation the more engaged your children will be.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 70 Monday in the kitchen

Sprouted salad Ingredients Let’s Begin fhomegrown sprouts or store Have your children help to grate the carrots f bought ones Dry roast the seeds and nuts in a pan until f2 carrots, grated fragrant and slightly golden f ftoasted seeds ad nuts Spread first two ingredients out in shallow f dishes and then sprinkle the seeds and nuts Dressing: on top folive oil f Drizzle the dressing over the salad and serve fjuice from a lemon f f1 tsp of mayonnaise and/or f dijon mustard fsalt and pepper to taste f

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 71 Tuesday

Watercolour Painting

Green and blue Gather Your Supplies Let’s Begin fWatercolour Paper, Set up a little table to do watercolour painting f edges rounded with your children. Make sure there is a brush, paint and water for everyone including yourself. fGreen and Blue Use the colours green and blue and if you have f Watercolour Paint watercolour paper, wet the paper with a damp fPaintbrushes sponge before beginning. A piece of wood or a f fWater cutting board under each child’s paper helps it to f keep from breaking and bleeding through. Begin Painting Board to place f with the verse: Now I take my brush so gently in f under your paper (optional) my hand with loving care, watch the colours go so softly on the paper together they flow.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 72 Wednesday colouring

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 73 Thursday crafting

seed and saltdough mandalas

Gather Your Supplies Let’s Begin fhomemade saltdough Roll out the saltdough and trim the edges to f (see recipe on pg. 6) make a nice rounded circle fassorted seeds and nuts Lead by example, creating a pattern with the f sorted into little bowls- eg. seeds and nuts on top of the saltdough sunflower, pepitas, sesame, You can leave the finished work out to dry or dry cashews, pumpkin them out in an oven at a low temperature and frolling pin display them around your house if you like f

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 74 friday beeswax modelling

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 75 april Monthly Guide week three turtles, coming out of your shell

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 76 Weekly Finger Game

This is a turtle (make a fist with one hand- thumb tucked in) He lives in a shell He likes his home very well

He pokes his head out when he (stick out your thumb) wants something to eat

And puts it back in when he (fold the thumb back in) goes to sleep

TRADITIONAL FINGERPLAY

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 77 Weekly story

The sleepy turtle Once there was a little turtle who watched the leaves fall to the ground and felt the cold winds coming. So, he decided to dig a little hole for himself under the dirt so he could sleep and stay warm all winter long. Just as he was settling in and getting cosy he heard a ‘Knock, knock’ and he poked his head out of the ground to see who it was. It was Racoon. “Turtle come out and play! Do you want to wander down to the creek with me today?” he asked. “No thank you Racoon. I’m far too tired. Maybe when the Spring comes”. “Suit yourself,” said Racoon and off he went. Turtle rolled over and tucked his head in but then he heard another ‘Knock knock’. He popped his head out of the ground to see who it was this time and there was Hedgehog. “Turtle come out and play! We can dig in the dirt together!” said he. But Turtle again replied, “No thank you Hedgehog. I’m far too tired. Maybe when the Spring comes”. “Suit yourself,” said Hedgehog and off he waddled. Turtle dug a bit deeper, popped his head back into his shell and was just falling asleep when, ‘Knock knock’ another animal came a knocking. He popped his head out of the ground and there was his feathered friend the Chickadee. “Turtle come out and play! We can search for grubs together!” he begged. But the turtle again replied, “No thank you Chickadee. I’m far too tired. Maybe when the Spring comes”. “Suit yourself,” said Chickadee and off he flew. Turtle covered himself with the Earth once more and finally fell fast asleep. He slept and slept for a very long, long time and dreamt of summer days fishing in the rivers, and swimming with his water friends. And just as he was waking up from his long winter’s nap he heard a “Knock, knock”. He pushed the earth off of his head and there was butterfly, floating above him. Butterfly didn’t say anything, just sweetly tickled his head with her wings and then flew away with the warm breeze. Turtle looked around and saw little sprouts, new flowers and blades of grass growing and he felt the warm Sun on his face and knew that Spring had finally come. He slowly crawled out from the dark brown earth and made his way to the river to swim and fish and play with all of his friends.

STORY BY MEAGAN WILSON, WHOLE FAMILY RHYTHMS

You can keep this story simple or include a few props. If you are going to act it out you’ll need a turtle, Racoon, Hedgehog, Chickadee ((or another bird friend) and a butterfly. You’ll also want an earth coloured silk or muslin cloth and a few tree blocks and rocks for landscape. This could also be a lap story- covering your lap with the coloured cloths for landscape and using just your hands to represent each animal.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 78 Weekly hike

On your walk this week collect a few spring things for your nature table- flowers, nature treasures, nests or feathers. Spend time together when you get home arranging the little treasures on your nature table

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 79 Monday in the kitchen

Turtle shaped buns Ingredients f2 1/4 tsp or 1 package active dry yeast f1/2 cup milk f f f3/4 cup warm water f1 tablespoon melted butter f f f2 tablespoons cane or rapadura sugar f1 cup currants f f f3 cups white spelt flour foptional sprinkle of cinnamon f f f1 tsp salt fcoconut oil f f

Let’s Begin Mix the yeast, sugar and warm water together in a small bowl and let it proof (it will become bubbly and frothy after a few minutes) In the meantime mix the flour, salt and optional spices together Melt your butter Add the butter, milk, water/sugar/yeast to the flour mixture and combine Once this is fairly well combined start to knead your dough Add the currants to the dough and knead some more Drizzle with a bit of melted coconut oil and leave in a covered bowl to rise for 40- 60 minutes Pound down the risen dough and then shape into round rolls with heads and legs sticking out and place turtles onto baking sheet Preheat the oven to 210°C (410°F) Cover with a damp tea towel and let the turtles rise for 20 minutes Slash the shells with a knife to make a shell texture and then place in the oven Place two small currants on the face to create eyes, but try to get them in deeply- if they are sticking out too much they will swell and burn Turn the heat down ever so slightly (to 205°C / 400°F) and bake for about 20 minutes until golden on top

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 80 Tuesday

Watercolour Painting

light green and yellow

Gather Your Supplies Let’s Begin fWatercolour Paper, Set up a little table to do watercolour painting f edges rounded with your children. Make sure there is a brush, paint and water for everyone including yourself. fLight Green and Yellow Wet the paper with a damp sponge before f Watercolour Paint beginning and then wipe off excess water. A fPaintbrushes piece of wood or a cutting board under each f fWater child’s paper helps it to keep from breaking and f bleeding through. Begin with the verse: Now I Painting Board to place f take my brush so gently in my hand with loving f under your paper (optional) care, watch the colour go so softly on the paper let it flow.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 81 Wednesday colouring

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 82 Thursday crafting

Walnut turtles Gather Your Supplies Let’s Begin fRust Red or Green coloured Caregiver halve the walnut shells in advance f beeswax modelling clay Preheat oven to 180°C (355°F) (salt dough would work too) Place whole shelled walnuts in a shallow oven fWalnuts (shells- halved proof pan in a single layer. f and hollowed) Roast walnuts for 30 - 35 minutes Let them cool then carefully slip the blade of a sharp and thin knife into the stem end of the walnut. Push the blade down through the nut Try to strike a balance between strength without using brute force as they tend to slip Lightly roasting the nuts makes them a bit easier to break in half Be prepared that not every shell will cut cleanly in half- do a large batch and keep some in a safe space for future crafting (ie. beeswax boats etc.) Day of Crafting Take about half an egg sized piece of modelling clay and begin to warm it between your hands Once soft and malleable create the shape of a turtle body reminding the children that they don’t need to make a shell shape- just a soft body with four legs and a little head Place the walnut shells onto the bodies while they are still soft and gently push them a into the wax so they grip onto one other

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 83 friday beeswax modelling

Orange Beeswax is vibrant, fragrant and takes the warmth from your body when you work on it. Modelling should be a free expression of what is living in the child at that moment. It is not so much about the end product but the process. If the beeswax is quite hard and cold you can place it in a shallow glass dish and warm the dish in some hot water. As with everything the children depend on you to model so they can imitate. This is a nice time to say a few verses (finger rhymes or tell the weekly story without actions) too. Try to be the last one to finish modelling to avoid frustrating your children- they will want to produce something as beautiful as you have and are often disappointed when they can’t.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 84 april Monthly Guide week four flowers, blooming

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 85 Weekly Finger Game

I’m a little daisy, tall and slim (Stand on tiptoes)

Here are my petals (Place hands on side of head & wiggle fingers)

Here is my stem (Hold arms down at sides of legs)

When the sun comes up (Make sun with arms)

And the rain comes down (Flutter hands to floor like rain- end in crouching position)

I grow, grow, grow- up from the ground! (slowly raise them up bringing your hand over head)

TRADITIONAL FINGERPLAY. AUTHOR UNKNOWN. Weekly story

The daisy Out in the country, close by the road, there was a little garden with flowers and a fence about it. Quite near it, by a ditch, in some beautiful green grass, grew a little Daisy. The sun shone brightly on the Daisy and it grew from hour to hour. One day it stood in full bloom, a little yellow sun in the centre, with white petals like rays spreading all around it. It never minded that no one noticed it down in the grass. It was very merry, and looked up at the warm sun, and listened to the Lark that sang up in the sky. “I can see and hear that lark’s song,” it thought. “The sun shines on me, and the wind kisses me. How much I have had given to me!” Within the garden grew many proud flowers. The less scent they had the more they strutted. The peonies blew themselves out to be greater than the rose, but it is not size which makes one great. The tulips had the gayest colours and they knew it very well. They never noticed the little Daisy outside, but she looked at them, and thought: “How beautiful they look! Yes, the Lark flies across and visits them.”

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 86 And just as it thought that—”tweet, tweet”—down flew the Lark, but not to the roses, and peonies, and tulips; oh, no; down in the grass to the lowly Daisy, which started so with joy that it did not know what to think. The little bird hopped about and sang: “Oh, what a sweet flower, with a gold heart and a silver dress!” For the yellow point in the Daisy looked like gold, and the little leaves around it shone silvery white. Such a happy little Daisy! The Lark kissed it, and sang to it, and then flew away again. The next morning, when the Daisy stretched her little arms up to the air and the light, she heard the Lark singing, but it was a sad song. The poor Lark had good reason to be sad: he had been caught, and he sat in a cage by an open window. He sang of free and happy roaming, the young corn in the green fields, and the journey he would like to make high up in the air; but there he sat, shut up in a cage. The little Daisy wanted very much to help him. She quite forgot everything else. She could think only of the poor Lark that was shut up, and how she was not able to do anything for him. Just then two little boys came out to the garden. One of them had a knife in his hand. They went straight up to the little Daisy, who could not, at all, make out what they wanted.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 87 “Here, we may cut a fine piece of turf for the Lark,” said one of the boys, and he started cutting off a square patch of ground all around the Daisy, so that the flower remained standing on its piece of turf. “Tear off the Daisy,” cried one of the boys. “No; let it stay,” said the other. “It looks so nice.” So it was left, and was put into the cage with the Lark. The poor bird was beating its wings against the wires of its cage. “There is no water here,” he cried. The little Daisy could not speak, but she lifted her head as high as she could and remembered the dew she had gathered early in the morning. Then the Lark thrust his beak into the cool turf, and it refreshed him, and he drank the dew that lay at the roots of the flower. His eyes fell upon the little Daisy and he nodded to it, and began to sing a happy song again. “They have given you to me,” he said, “with the little patch of earth on which you grew. Every little blade of grass shall be a great tree for me, and every one of your white leaves a fragrant flower.” So the little Daisy lifted her face higher and higher, and was very happy for she was a great friend to the Lark.

-adapted by Whole Family Rhythms from an original story by Hans Christian Anderson

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 88 Weekly hike

Collect some wildflowers on your hike this week and display them around your home. Also put some aside to make your flower crown. Notice the unique texture, colours and smells each flower has.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 89 Monday in the kitchen

Fruit flowers Ingredients Let’s Begin fwatermelon, pineapple and/ Slice the watermelon, pineapple and cantaloupe f or cantaloupe into large flat pieces fflower shaped cookie cutters Using the cookie cutters cut out flower shapes f from these large pieces You could thread a few pieces onto a wooden skewer or arrange them nicely on a plate

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 90 Tuesday

Watercolour Painting

Red and yellow Gather Your Supplies Let’s Begin fWatercolour Paper, Set up a little table to do watercolour painting f edges rounded with your children. Make sure there is a brush, paint and water for everyone including yourself. fYellow and Red Use the colours yellow and red and if you have f Watercolour Paint watercolour paper, wet the paper with a damp fPaintbrushes sponge before beginning. A piece of wood or a f fWater cutting board under each child’s paper helps it to f keep from breaking and bleeding through. Begin Painting Board to place f with the verse: Now I take my brush so gently in f under your paper (optional) my hand with loving care, watch the colours go so softly on the paper together they flow.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 91 Wednesday colouring

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 92 Thursday crafting

Flower crowns

Gather Your Supplies Let’s Begin fvinelike flower or plants- jasmine Tie the vines together with little strips of f and ivy work very well twine or yarn and shape into a circle the size of your child’s head. Attach other flowers fa few other blossoms with twine if you like. f to attach ftwine or yarn cut into 1cm strips f fscissors f

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 93 friday beeswax modelling

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 94 April Caregiver meditations

Week One: emergence and rebirth Spend this week really meditating on and writing down a few personal goals you want to accomplish over the next few weeks. Not so much ‘to do’s’ involving everyone else in your family, but something that creates some more space and energy around you. It could be as simple as planning to get a haircut or a massage or it could be a bit more ambitious such as planning to get to a yoga class a couple times a week or training for and racing in a local fun run.

Week Two: coming out of your shell

Laughter has a very soothing and releasing effect on our emotions. It can relieve stress, increase pain tolerance and support our immune system. Finding the humour in the everyday can sometimes feel difficult, but if you look around you can transform moments of frustration into moments of lightness and humour. Your child changing into a costume just before you’re about to get into the car could set you off but take a look at what they’re wearing and have a giggle and then compromise and let her keep just the wings on!

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 95 Week Three: planning and working Choose a project for your family to work on together and plan and execute it step by step, task by task. Perhaps you’ve always wanted to plant a little veggie garden -even as simple as a few herbs. Perhaps you’d like to dig out a sandpit or hang a tire swing under a tree in the garden. Write a list together of the supplies you’ll need, go on an adventure to collect and find it all and then start building. Take your time with the project- it could take a few weekends to complete but everyone will be proud of their hard work at the end of it.

Week Four: blooming Each morning this week try the following flower meditation. Sit somewhere warm and quiet and visualise a flower bud, unopened and right at your heart centre. After a few minutes of slowly breathing and picturing this bud imagine that each petal is opening, one by one. See and feel that flower blossoming inside your heart. After a few more minutes imagine that the flower has become your heart and your heart has become the flower. This flower is your spiritual heart. You can receive joy from the beauty and fragrance of the flower. You are open and awake in this world and you will share your light, your beauty and your love with everyone.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 96 Caregiver’s handwork Felt Flower Crown

Supplies Let’s Begin fcrown pattern (enlarged Cut the crown pattern out and then cut your f to full A4 size) petals out in varying colours fcoloured felt for Cut out two long pieces of felt for the headband f headband (as long as a piece of A4 paper) fcontrasting coloured felt Blanket stitch the long head pieces together f for petals horizontally on one end leaving both ends open fmatching thread or Insert the petals along the head piece and f embroidery floss spread them out evenly foptional beads Blanket stitch between them and then sew each f or sequins into place fribbon Insert a ribbon into each side opening and attach f

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 97 Flower Fairy Crown Pattern

headband x2

x2 Weeks One, Two, Three and Four may Ingredients and Supplies Master List

For finger games/storytelling For In the kitchen Story one: n/a Week one: Story two: ¨¨ grape juice ¨¨ web ¨¨ gelatin ¨¨ yarn ¨¨ honey ¨¨ sticks Week two: ¨¨ 2 spiders ¨¨ honey Story three: ¨¨ yeast ¨¨ two coloured scarves to represent the sun and wind ¨¨ salt ¨¨ male doll with jacket ¨¨ coconut oil ¨¨ whole Story four: ¨¨ white spelt flour ¨¨ simple fairies ¨¨ boy Week three: ¨¨ a girl ¨¨ herbs or tea leaves ¨¨ Mother Earth ¨¨ berries ¨¨ cloths ¨¨ honey ¨¨ rocks Week four: ¨¨ blocks ¨¨ egg whites ¨¨ sticks for landscape ¨¨ salt ¨¨ caster sugar

For Crafting For the Caregiver’s Handwork

Week one: ¨¨ Planters of some description~ pots, old tea tins, or what we have used: bean cans ¨¨ yarn ¨¨ Dish of some description for drainage~ ¨¨ cardboard we used an rectangular plate ¨¨ twigs ¨¨ Labels of some description~ icy pole sticks, stickers ¨¨ glue gun ¨¨ fine, high quality soil Week two: ¨¨ seeds for various herbs~ we used basil, thyme and mint ¨ ¨ icy pole sticks ¨¨ spray bottle of water ¨¨ mini saw or file ¨¨ yarn or string ¨¨ glue For Watercolour Painting Week three: and Drawing ¨¨ glass jars ¨¨ red, yellow, orange, blue, watercolours ¨¨ tissue paper or if using Stockmar paints: shades of red, yellow and blue will create the orange and green you need ¨¨ hodge podge or white glue ¨¨ a rainbow assortment of block or stick beeswax crayons Week four: ¨¨ wool roving ¨¨ pantyhose or stocking Notes: ¨¨ silk cloth or muslin cloth in square shape ¨¨ needle and thread ¨¨ coloured yarn

For Beeswax Modelling ¨¨ green, yellow, red and orange modelling beeswax may Monthly Guide week one blooming trees, inner and outer beauty

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 100 Weekly Finger Game

Lavender’s blue, dilly dilly, lavender’s green, When I am king, dilly, dilly, you shall be queen. Who told you so, dilly, dilly, who told you so? ‘Twas my own heart, dilly, dilly, that told me so. Call up your men, dilly, dilly, set them to work Some to the plow, dilly, dilly, some to the fork, Some to make hay, dilly, dilly, some to cut corn, While you and I, dilly, dilly, keep ourselves warm. Lavender’s green, dilly, dilly, Lavender’s blue, If you love me, dilly, dilly, I will love you. Let the birds sing, dilly, dilly, And the lambs play; We shall be safe, dilly, dilly, out of harm’s way. I love to dance, dilly, dilly, I love to sing; When I am queen, dilly, dilly, You’ll be my king. Who told me so, dilly, dilly, Who told me so? I told myself, dilly, dilly, I told me so.

TRADITIONAL CHILDREN'S SONG.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 101 Weekly story

The jacaranda There was once a time long ago when there were very few Jacaranda trees on the land. The Angel of the trees came down to earth once and she wandered here and there, in field, and forest, and garden, to find the tree she loved the most and she finally came to the proud and straight pine tree and asked, “Where should you like most of all to live?” “I should like to live only with my own kind,” said the pine tree, “where my bright green colours would shine against the white sky. I should not like to share my space with summer trees or blossoms but to be alone with my prickly needles.” The Angel smiled but did not care much for the proud pine’s reply. Instead she turned to the red and weepy gumtree and asked, “Where should you like most to stay?” “I should like to live deep in the forest ,” said the gum, “for I am messy, and large and often lose my sap and bark.” The Angel of the trees turned sadly away from that weepy gum, and hurried on until she came to a fragrant tree thick with violet coloured flowers, and she said to the Jacaranda: “Where should you like most of all to live?” “I should like to live close to the children of this world for their life and laughter brings me great happiness and I should like to share a bit of magic with them each year,” said the Jacaranda. “I would love to make everyone glad because of my bright colours and my climbing trunk.” “You are the tree I love the most,” said the Angel of the trees, as she laid her hand upon the Jacaranda. “You shall blossom beautifully in the Spring and early summer and everyone shall praise your majestic beauty.” And from then on the Angel of trees gave each new mother a tiny Jacaranda tree with instructions to plant it in their front yards. And that is why today so many beautiful Jacarandas line the streets and share their beauty with us in the Spring.

-original story by Whole Family Rhythms

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 102 Weekly hike

In many parts of the world the Jacaranda is just starting to bloom. See if you can find a street that is lined with these magical trees and go for a violet coloured walk at sunset.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 103 Monday in the kitchen

Grape jelly lollies Ingredients Let’s Begin f1/2 cup grape juice (or Combine all three ingredients together in a f other violet-hued juice) saucepan on low heat until the gelatin has completely dissolved and the liquid is smooth f3 tablespoons f grassfed gelatin Pour into non-stick decorative ice cube trays f4 tbs raw honey Place in the freezer for 10-12 minutes f Remove, pop out and enjoy!

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 104 Tuesday

Watercolour Painting

Purple and blue

Gather Your Supplies Let’s Begin fWatercolour Paper, Set up a little table to do watercolour painting f edges rounded with your children. Make sure there is a brush, paint and water for everyone including yourself. fPurple and Blue Use the colours blue and purple and if you have f Watercolour Paint watercolour paper, wet the paper with a damp fPaintbrushes sponge before beginning. A piece of wood or a f fWater cutting board under each child’s paper helps it to f keep from breaking and bleeding through. Begin Painting Board to place f with the verse: Now I take my brush so gently in f under your paper (optional) my hand with loving care, watch the colours go so softly on the paper together they flow.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 105 Wednesday colouring

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 106 Thursday crafting

Pom pom flowers Gather Your Supplies Let’s Begin fyarn Cut two identical circles out of the cardboard. f fcardboard, cut into (The diameter of the circles should be a little larger f two circles with a hole than you would like your finished pom-pom flower in the middle blossom to be.) fstrong twigs Cut a smaller circle from the centre of the larger circles f (using a utility knife) fglue gun f Hold the two rings together and cut a slit through both of them to the centre. Holding the rings together and begin to wrap the yarn around the rings through the slit that was cut. Work the yarn wraps very close together until the centre hole is filled with yarn. When the yarn can’t fit through anymore place the tips of a pair of scissors between the two cardboard circles and cut the yarn all the way around keep the scissors between the 2 rings while cutting. Slide a length of yarn between the two cardboard pieces and knot tightly around the yarn coming from the centre hole. Once the yarn is secure, slide the cardboard out of the pom-pom. Glue and/or tie the bottom of the pom pom to a sturdy twig and repeat the process until you have a beautiful bouquet of flowers.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 107 friday beeswax modelling

Blue Beeswax is vibrant, fragrant and takes the warmth from your body when you work on it. Modelling should be a free expression of what is living in the child at that moment. It is not so much about the end product but the process. If the beeswax is quite hard and cold you can place it in a shallow glass dish and warm the dish in some hot water. As with everything the children depend on you to model so they can imitate. This is a nice time to say a few verses (finger rhymes or tell the weekly story without actions) too. Try to be the last one to finish modelling to avoid frustrating your children- they will want to produce something as beautiful as you have and are often disappointed when they can’t.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 108 may Monthly Guide week two spiders, spring cleaning

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 109 Weekly Finger Game

The Incy Wincy Spider climbed up (touch fingers to other the water spout hands fingers climbing up) Down came the rain, (raining gesture) and washed poor incy out Out came the sun, (sunshine gesture) and dried up all the rain And then Incy Wincy Spider climbed up (finger ot fingers climbing the spout again up again)

TRADITIONAL NURSERY RHYME Weekly story

Little spider’s first web The first thing our little Spider remembered was being crowded with a lot of other little Spiders in a tiny brown house. This tiny house had no windows, and was very warm and dark and stuffy. When the wind blew, the little Spiders would hear it rushing through the forest near by, and would feel their round brown house swinging like a cradle. It was fastened to a bush by the edge of the forest, but they could not know that, so they just wiggled and pushed and ate the food that they found in the house, and wondered what it all meant. They didn’t even guess that a mother Spider had made the brown house and put the food in it for her Spider babies to eat when they came out of their eggs. She had put the eggs in, too, but the little Spiders didn’t remember the time when they lay curled up in the eggs. They didn’t know what had been nor what was to be—they thought that to eat and wiggle and sleep was all there was to life. You see they had much to learn. One morning the little Spiders found that the food was all gone, and they pushed and scrambled harder than ever, because they were hungry and wanted more. Exactly what happened nobody knew, but suddenly it grew light, and some of them fell out of the house. All the rest scrambled after, and there they stood, winking and blinking in the bright sunshine, and feeling a little bit dizzy, because they were on a shaky web made of silvery ropes. Just then the web began to shake even more, and a beautiful great mother Spider ran out on it. She was dressed in black and yellow velvet, and her eight eyes glistened and gleamed in the sunlight. They had never dreamed of such a wonderful creature. spring Guide northern Hemisphere 110 “Well, my children,” she exclaimed, “I know you must be hungry, and I have breakfast all ready for you.” So they began eating at once, and the mother Spider told them many things about the meadow and the forest, and said they must amuse themselves while she worked to get food for them. There was no father Spider to help her, and, as she said, “Growing children must have plenty of good plain food.” You can just fancy what a good time the baby Spiders had. There were a hundred and seventy of them, so they had no chance to grow lonely, even when their mother was away. They lived in this way for quite a while, and grew bigger and stronger every day. One morning the mother Spider said to her biggest daughter, “You are quite old enough to work now, and I will teach you to spin your web.” The little Spider soon learned to draw out the silvery ropes from the pocket in her body where they were made and kept, and very soon she had one fastened at both ends to branches of the bush. Then her mother made her walk out to the middle of her rope bridge, and spin and fasten two more, so that it looked like a shining cross. After that was done, the mother showed her something like a comb, which is part of a Spider’s foot, and taught her how to measure, and put more ropes out from the middle of the cross, until it looked like the spokes of a wheel. The little Spider got very discouraged and said, “Let me finish it some other time; I am tired of working now.” The mother Spider answered, “No, I cannot have a lazy child.” The little one said, “I can’t ever do it, I know I can’t.” “Now,” said the mother, “I shall have to give you a Spider scolding. Laziness makes one very unhappy. You try to finish the web, and see if I am not right. You are not a baby now, and you must work and get your own food.” So the little Spider spun the circles of rope in the web, and made these ropes sticky, as all careful spiders do. She ate the loose ends and pieces that were left over, to save them for another time, and when it was done, it was so fine and perfect that her brothers and sisters crowded around, saying, “Oh! oh! oh! how beautiful!” and asked the mother to teach them. The little web-spinner was happier than she had ever been before, and the mother began to teach her other children. But it takes a long time to teach a hundred and seventy children!

-adapted from Among the Meadow People by Clara Dillingham Pierson

For this story you will need a simple web made of string or yarn, two spiders and some extra yarn and a few sticks or twigs as a base for spinning

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 111 Weekly hike

On your hike this week keep your eye out for spiders! There is such a large diversity of spiders everywhere, big and small near water, in trees and bushes. Count their legs, gaze at their beautiful colours. Try your best not to reflect your own fears or dislike for these eight-legged creatures. Obviously we can teach children not to touch spiders and raise awareness about which ones are safe and not, but we don’t want to scare the majestic beauty out of them either.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 112 Monday in the kitchen

Webbed bread rolls

Ingredients Let’s Begin f1 cup warm water Combine all ingredients together and knead until f smooth f4 1/2 tablespoons f raw honey, melted Cover with olive oil and let it sit, covered for an hour in a warm spot to rise f1/3 tbs dry yeast f Once risen divide the dough into balls and roll out f1 tsp sea salt f 4-5 strands from each ball into cylinders f4 1/2 tablespoons Layer the strands to create web-shaped rolls f olive oil, melted You can add a few raisins or currants to look like f2 cups white spelt flour f spiders sitting in your web. f1 cup whole spelt flour f Bake for 20-25 minutes at 200°C

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 113 Tuesday

Watercolour Painting

Yellow and blue Gather Your Supplies Let’s Begin fWatercolour Paper, Set up a little table to do watercolour painting f edges rounded with your children. Make sure there is a brush, paint and water for everyone including yourself. fYellow and Blue Use the colours yellow and blue and if you have f Watercolour Paint watercolour paper, wet the paper with a damp fPaintbrushes sponge before beginning. A piece of wood or a f fWater cutting board under each child’s paper helps it to f keep from breaking and bleeding through. Begin Painting Board to place f with the verse: Now I take my brush so gently in f under your paper (optional) my hand with loving care, watch the colours go so softly on the paper together they flow.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 114 Wednesday colouring

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 115 Thursday crafting

Spider webs Gather Your Supplies Let’s Begin f4 icy pole sticks Glue the corners of four icy pole sticks together to f create a frame fmini saw or file f Have you child wrap and knot yarn across the frame to fyarn or string f create their own web. fglue f You can make spiders with beeswax and thin little sticks or pipe cleaners for legs to sit on top of the webs

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 116 friday beeswax modelling

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 117 may Monthly Guide week three sunshine, spreading light

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 118 Weekly Finger Game

Oh, Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun, Please shine down on me.

Oh Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun, Hiding behind a tree

These little children are asking you To please come out so we can play with you.

Oh Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun,

Please shine down on, (Use gestures to please shine down on, represent sun, rain, hiding and asking Please shine down on me. or pleading)

TRADITIONAL CHILDREN'S SONG.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 119 Weekly story

The sun and the wind One day the sun and the wind had a quarrel. The wind said, “I am stronger than you.” “No,” said the sun, “I am stronger than you.” While they were disputing they saw a traveler coming along the road. He wore a heavy coat. “See that man!” cried the wind. “Let us see which of us can take off his coat. The one who can do that is the stronger.” “Agreed,” said the sun. “You may begin.” The wind blew and blew and blew. But the traveler only drew his coat closer about him. The wind now blew more fiercely than before. The trees rocked, and the dust flew, but the traveler only buttoned up his coat. “What a gale this is!” cried he, and turned up his coat collar to his ears. “I give up,” said the wind. Then the sun had his turn. He shone and shone and shone. “How the weather has changed,” said the traveler, and he unbuttoned his coat. Still the sun shone, and presently the traveler wiped the moisture from his face. “This thick coat is too much for me; I will have to take it off and carry it on my arm,” said he, and he took it off. “You have won,” said the wind. “I see now that gentleness succeeds where rudeness fails.”

-from a Child’s Book of Stories by Penrhyn W. Coussens

For this story you’ll need two coloured scarves to represent the sun and wind and a male doll with a jacket. It’s always best to read the story multiple times before you recount it so that you do not have to read it and the words come authentically from your heart.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 120 Weekly hike

When you’re outdoors this week sing a few songs to greet the sun. You could sing the finger verse “Oh Mr. Sun” or “You are my Sunshine” or any other sunny song you know. Children love greeting Father Sun with songs. Have them close their eyes for a moment and feel the sun kissing their cheeks and warming their faces.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 121 Monday in the kitchen

Sun tea Ingredients Let’s Begin flarge clear glass jar Fill the jar or jug with water and the fresh f or jug with lid herbs and cover ffresh chopped herbs, tea leaves Let it steep in the sun for at least 6 hours f or tea bags of your choice Remove the herbs and add frozen or fresh (we love using mint and/or berries and honey to taste lemonbalm) ffiltered water f fsunlight f foptional berries and honey f

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 122 Tuesday

Watercolour Painting

Red and yellow Gather Your Supplies Let’s Begin fWatercolour Paper, Set up a little table to do watercolour painting f edges rounded with your children. Make sure there is a brush, paint and water for everyone including yourself. fRed and Yellow Use the colours red and yellow and if you have f Watercolour Paint watercolour paper, wet the paper with a damp fPaintbrushes sponge before beginning. A piece of wood or a f fWater cutting board under each child’s paper helps it to f keep from breaking and bleeding through. Begin Painting Board to place f with the verse: Now I take my brush so gently in f under your paper (optional) my hand with loving care, watch the colours go so softly on the paper together they flow.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 123 Wednesday colouring

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 124 Thursday crafting

Summer candle holders

Gather Your Supplies Let’s Begin fsmall glass jars (recycled Roughly shred and rip the tissue paper into little strips f from tomato sauce and Place the modge podge or watered down glue into a paste, pickles, jams etc.) shallow bowl fsunny coloured Spread glue onto the jar with the paint brush (or your f tissue paper fingers!) and then add the tissue paper until the jar is fmodge podge completely covered f or watered down Add another layer or modge podge or glue until the white glue jar is covered and damp fpaint brush f Allow it to dry ftea light f Place tealight in it and light We use this as a lovely blessing candle for evening dinners outside

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 125 friday beeswax modelling

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 126 may Monthly Guide week four fairies, spreading light

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 127 Weekly Finger Game

Two little fairies sitting on a hill, (hold up index fingers) One named Pam, and one named Bill. (bend one at a time) Fly away Pam, fly away Bill. (flutter each finger behind back) Come back Pam, come back Bill. (bring fingers back)

ADAPTED FROM A TRADITIONAL FINGERPLAY Weekly story

Fairies Do you believe in fairies? Oh, I hope you do, because if you believe in fairies they will believe in you, and if you do not—why, you miss the very best part of your life. Once upon a time, there was a little boy who did not believe in fairies. I think his eyes were not put in just the right way, or perhaps it was his mother’s eyes that were wrong—anyway, neither one of them had ever seen a fairy and it was a very sad thing. Now, if you grew up to be as large as a grown-up mother without ever seeing a fairy, the chances are that you never will see a fairy at all; but if you are just a little boy—why, there is always hope then. It seemed queer though, that the little boy I am telling you about did not believe in fairies, for his little playmate Pansy did. She told the little boy there must be fairies, because the woods were full of them, and besides she had seen the sunbeam fairies dancing on the walls in dresses of red and green and violet and other beautiful colours. And she had seen the raindrop fairies too, in queer little raincoats of silver gray, and the snowflake fairies, so very soft and dainty, who come with little star-shaped blankets to cover the sleeping plants. All of these his little playmate Pansy had seen, and many more besides which she told the little boy about, but he only laughed and shook his head as he said: “There aren’t any fairies, Pansy,—Mother says there are not.” And then, of course, the little girl was too polite to say anything more.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 128 But old Mother Nature,—she is the very dearest fairy of all,—when she heard the little boy laugh and say, “There aren’t any fairies,” she shook her head too, very slowly, and said, “Tut, tut, to think of the child saying such a thing! If ever I get the chance I will show him a thing or two.” And she did get the chance the very next day, for the little boy took a notion he would take a walk through the woods, and although he walked down the most beautiful of little twisting paths, not a fairy did he see. Now that is just the way with a little boy who does not believe in fairies—he could not see one, even if he tried. And yet, all the time the fairies, and brownies too, were peeping at him from the cups of tiny flowers and moss-covered banks and rustic trees and toadstools and silvery little waterfalls. But they had their tiny fingers on their lips, so, and kept whispering one to another, “Shhhh, here comes a little boy who does not believe in fairies,” and then little peals of rippling laughter floated through the woods. But the little boy never knew, and walked straight ahead with his hands in his pockets until, by and by, he grew tired and sat down on a clover bank to rest. Now there was someone else walking through the woods that day, following close behind the little boy.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 129 No, it was not Pansy, though I knew you would think so. It was a little old woman, all dressed in brown from her head to her feet. Brown was her dress, so soft and rich; brown were the sandals on her feet; and brown the quaint little hood that covered her head. The sunlight had mixed with the brown of her hair, and her eyes—they were the most beautiful brown of all, and made you think of the wealth of the forest woods, with murmuring brooks and singing winds, and lights and shadows mingled there, and the stars overhead so full of hope and trust. Oh, yes! the stars believe in the fairies, I am sure. Very softly did the little old woman’s brown sandaled feet touch the pathway as she followed behind the little boy. Sometimes he would get far ahead of her, because she stopped to look at things. The breeze fairies threw kisses at her as she passed, the sunbeams kissed her hair, and the daisies pressed her feet, they loved her so. Sometimes she stopped and peeped in the nests where the baby birdlings slept, stroked them gently on their heads, and passed along with a crooning song. Sometimes she stooped on the grassy banks of the brook and, trailing her soft fingers through the water, played with the speckled perch gliding by. Merry brown squirrels peeped at her from the hollow trees and showed where their winter nuts were stored, and the timid white rabbits hopped close to her side and told of their babies tucked away in the grass. So the little old woman, all dressed in brown, passed on her way with a smile for everyone, and by and by she came to the very spot where the little boy had stopped to rest. And the little boy lay fast asleep and dreamed of all the magic in the forest.

-adapted from Overheard in Fairyland by Madge A. Bingham

For this story you will need a few simple little fairies made of roving on string and a boy, a girl and Mother Earth. You could also use silk or muslin scarves, wooden blocks, rocks and other natural items to create the forest and landscape.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 130 Weekly hike

When you’re outdoors this week sing a few songs to greet the sun. You could sing the finger verse “Oh Mr. Sun” or “You are my sunshine” or any other sunny song you know. Children love greeting Father Sun with songs. Have them close their eyes for a moment and feel the sun kissing their cheeks and warming their faces.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 131 Monday in the kitchen

Fairy clouds (meringues) Ingredients Let’s Begin f4 large egg whites, room Beat egg whites in a glass bowl using a bench top mixer until f temperature very stiff with high peaks (approximately 2 minutes) f¼ teaspoon salt Continue beating while slowly adding the sugar f f1 cup fine sugar (we Beat until thick and sugar has dissolved (approximately f grind our raw cane sugar 8-10 minutes) to create a caster like Preheat oven to 100°C (210°F) with fan or 120°C (250°F) for a consistency) conventional oven Spoon the meringue onto a lined tray (makes about 20 small meringues) Smooth and shape the meringues to a kind of puffy cloud shape Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of water on the tray (not the meringues) Place the tray in lowest position of the oven cook for 1 hour or until dry and firm Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the bench top * photos from Natalie at The Story of Beeing You can top with icing sugar or frozen berries and whipped cream for an extra treat spring Guide northern Hemisphere 132 Tuesday

Watercolour Painting

Red and orange

Gather Your Supplies Let’s Begin fWatercolour Paper, Set up a little table to do watercolour painting f edges rounded with your children. Make sure there is a brush, paint and water for everyone including yourself. fRed and Orange Use the colours red and orange and if you have f Watercolour Paint watercolour paper, wet the paper with a damp fPaintbrushes sponge before beginning. A piece of wood or a f fWater cutting board under each child’s paper helps it to f keep from breaking and bleeding through. Begin Painting Board to place f with the verse: Now I take my brush so gently in f under your paper (optional) my hand with loving care, watch the colours go so softly on the paper together they flow.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 133 Wednesday colouring

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 134 Thursday crafting

Silk, cloth or muslin fairies Gather Your Supplies Let’s Begin fwool roving Stuff a small amount of roving into the pantyhose f and shape it to a nice round, tight circle- this is the fold pantyhose or fairy’s head f stocking in neutral colour Sew the hose shut and trim off excess nylon fscrap silk, cloth or muslin f in a square shape Wrap the fabric of your choice over top of the head and sew it tightly around the neck area leaving fthread and needle f the fabric hanging loose around the bottom as a fcoloured yarn draping body f you can knot two of the square corners to make hands Braid or finger-knit the yarn to create a crown and sew this on the top of the fairy’s head You can optionally thread some string to the top of the fairy’s head to create a fairy puppet for stories

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 135 friday beeswax modelling

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 136 May Caregiver meditations

Week One: matching inner with outer beauty Set aside some pampering time for yourself this week. Whatever ‘grooming’ means to you- whether it’s applying make-up and blow-drying your hair or simply applying sunscreen and a simple lipstick everyday, treat yourself with care and see if you can make just a bit more time in the morning to take care of yourself. A small gesture of self- love (even tending to your outward appearance) can have a huge impact on your self esteem and inward confidence throughout the day.

Week Two: spring cleaning

Choose a few ‘big’ things that have been neglected for a while and get the whole family involved in the cleaning process this week. Things like vacuuming under the couch or beds, cleaning windows, organizing medicine cabinets or linen closets or cleaning out, removing and simplifying the children’s toys. Never underestimate the effectiveness of a little soap and water.

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 137 Week Three: being light Our fears can often create a burdensome heaviness around us. Be mindful of what you might be holding onto this week and see if you can gain any insight into where this tension comes from. Once we identify and face our negative emotions we can begin to let go of them and to fully embrace and love others without bringing our own baggage into the equation. As we replace our negativity with love, light, gratitude and forgiveness we are better able to connect to others on a deeper level.

Week Four: believing in the unseen Fairies, Gnomes, Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny are all examples of how we teach our children that seeing is not always believing. Faith, hope and love are not tangible but they do exist. Challenge yourself to contemplate and wonder about some of life’s mysteries without succumbing to the desire of googling any answers. Do you have faith and trust in the future? Do you believe in something bigger than your own body and soul that lies dormant within you? Do you choose to connect with that part of yourself? How?

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 138 Caregiver’s handwork Kitchen Herb Garden

Supplies Let’s Begin fplanters of some If your planters are going to be homemade make f description~ pots, old sure to hammer or drill some drainage holes into tea tins, or what we have the bottoms of them used: bean cans Fill them with soil, sprinkle a generous amount of fdish of some description seed down and then add another cm of soil to f for drainage~ we used a cover them rectangular plate Lightly water them (spray bottles work best as they flabels of some are gentle) every day until they begin to sprout f description~ icy pole Keep them well watered, warm and in a lot of sticks, stickers, tags sunlight while they grow and sprout ffine, high quality soil f When they are well established you can begin to fseeds or seedlings for use little cuttings to add garnish and flavour to f various herbs~ we used your meals rosemary, parsley and mint fspray bottle of water f

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 139 This seasons’s Book Recommendations

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle The Apple Pip Princess by Jane Ray Spring by Gerda Muller If You hold a Seed by Elly MacKay Pele’s New Suit by Elsa Beskow Spring Thaw by Steven Schnur The Story of the Root Children Mud by Mary Lyn Ray by Sibylle von Olfers Emily and Daisy by Elsa Beskow Make Way for Ducklings Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney by Robery McCloskey Wynstones, Spring Waddle Giggle Gargle Poodle by Pamela Allen

This seasons’s nursery rhyme Recommendations

Girls and Boys Come out to Play Mary had a LittleL amb Ladybird, Ladybird Peter Piper Eensy Weency Spider Ring a Ring a Rosy Jack and Jill This Little Piggy Jack Sprat This is the House that Jack Built

spring Guide northern Hemisphere 140 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thank you to all the parents, teachers, mentors and carers who have shared their precious resources over the years. A special thanks to my first mentor, Ebba Bodame who read through the very first draft of these Guides in 2013 and offered simple edits and suggestions.

A special thank you to the following authors, publishers and literary editors for permission to use copyright works within the entire set of the Whole Family Rhythms Guides: Stephen Spitlany for The Golden Lantern (adapted); Ebba Bodame for her The Seven Little Easter Bunnies (adapted); Stanley Douglas McEtichin for A little seed for me to sow (titled Maytime Magic) by Mabel Watts; Wynstone Press for Glimmer Lantern, Glimmer (trans. By M. Meyercourt), In Heaven Shines a Golden Star (adapted), Little Bees Work Very Hard (adapted) and Deep in the Mountains; Svargo Freitag of didjshop.com for the stories Barramundi and Wayamba the Turtle (adapted). All other authors listed in the public domain are credited below their piece within the Guide.

A note on where it is written “Author Unknown” as well as “Traditional or Modern Folktale, Story, Verse or Fingerplay”: In the manner of oral and folk tradition many verses and songs are shared orally and passed down from teacher to teacher while lyrical changes, melodies and tweaks are made along the way. As much as possible I have tried to credit the original author of the stories, songs, verses, rhymes and fingerplays in all of the Whole Family Rhythms Guides. Where it has not been possible to locate an author or copyright holder I offer my sincere apologies. If omissions have been made please email me so that we can arrange an acknowledgement immediately.