1. Approach life with awe and wonder. Stop to look at the tiny ant. Watch the worms wiggle when digging in the garden; thank them for the help they give. Stretch out under a tree and look at the sky through its branches. Go for a regular walk through the same area and note the changes around you with the root, bulb, and seed children. Dance in the rain. Walk barefoot in puddles and the grass. Sit outside at night with no lights and watch the stars come out. Awaken once each year before sunrise and watch the sun come up. Watch the sun set each day and notes its path through the sky over the year.
2. Seek out, support and eat S.O.L.E. food: Sustainable, Organic, Local and/or Ethical. Farmers markets. C.S.A.'s and our backyards are places where we can find a direct connection to the food we eat, the people who grow it, the animals who give to us and be mindful of and grateful for where our money goes and as well as from whence our food comes.
3. Tell stories about Mother Earth and her children. Sibylle von Olfers, author of The Story of the Root Children and all of Elsa Beskow's books make inspiring starting points. Nancy Mellon and Susan Perrow offer good books on how to tell stories to your children.
4. Grow your food, even if it's in containers. Try lettuce and strawberries and nasturtiums. Nasturtium flowers and leaves are edible. Grow some of the food you buy. This year I am striving to grow the beans we'll use through the winter until next summer. Grow plants for tea like Sweet Melissa (lemon balm), pineapple mint, fennel and cat mint. Grow herbs that you love for cooking or healing. Encourage children to sniff and taste in the garden by growing fragrant and delicious herbs and foods that little hands and noses can easily reach, rub up against and pick, like lemon verbena, dill, basil, roses and cherry tomatoes. My eCourse Gardening with Children is a course on gardening, with an emphasis on how to make it inviting for children while you grow fresh food for your family. An article I wrote with tips for gardening with children is here.
5. Create a comfortable and lovely space to eat outdoors.
6. Sing about Mother Earth:
Click to hear one verse
The Earth is our mother, we must take care of her
The Earth is our mother, we must take care of her.
Hey yana, ho yana, hey yan yan,
Hey yana, ho yana, hey yan yan.
Her sacred ground we walk upon, with every step we take
Her sacred ground we walk upon, with every step we take.
Hey yana, ho yana, hey yan yan.
Her sacred ground we walk upon, with every step we take
Her sacred ground we walk upon, with every step we take.
Hey yana, ho yana, hey yan yan,
Hey yana, ho yana, hey yan yan.
The Sky is our father, we must take care of him
The Sky is our father, we must take care of him
Hey yana, ho yana, hey yan yan.
The Sky is our father, we must take care of him
The Sky is our father, we must take care of him
Hey yana, ho yana, hey yan yan,
Hey yana, ho yana, hey yan yan.
The Rivers are our sisters, we must take care of them
The Rivers are our sisters, we must take care of them.
Hey yana, ho yana, hey yan yan.
The Rivers are our sisters, we must take care of them
The Rivers are our sisters, we must take care of them.
Hey yana, ho yana, hey yan yan,
Hey yana, ho yana, hey yan yan.
The Trees are our brothers, we must take care of them
The Trees are our brothers, we must take care of them.
Hey yana, ho yana, hey yan yan.
The Trees are our brothers, we must take care of them
The Trees are our brothers, we must take care of them.
Hey yana, ho yana, hey yan yan,
Hey yana, ho yana, hey yan yan.
7. Thank her after meals. After eating just before we snuff the beeswax (thank you bees) candle out, we say, "Thank you, thank you, Mother Earth, thank you, thank you, for our food." Then snuff out the candle.
8. Make finger puppets and use gesture verses that celebrate Mother Earth's creatures.
9. Create cozy places in the yard where children can play. Plant bushes and trees that create spaces where children can hide, play, have tea and feel protected. Use edible landscaping.
10. Take good care of her, for if Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy" applies to the earth more than ever today.
Hey yana, ho yana, hey yan yan.
7. Thank her after meals. After eating just before we snuff the beeswax (thank you bees) candle out, we say, "Thank you, thank you, Mother Earth, thank you, thank you, for our food." Then snuff out the candle.
8. Make finger puppets and use gesture verses that celebrate Mother Earth's creatures.
9. Create cozy places in the yard where children can play. Plant bushes and trees that create spaces where children can hide, play, have tea and feel protected. Use edible landscaping.
10. Take good care of her, for if Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy" applies to the earth more than ever today.
Blessings all!
