Foodie Garden Art Party 2012

We just spent a marvelous 24 hours with our cool tribe! It has got to be an annual event....Foodie Garden Art Party! Completely healthy and vegetarian fare, time spent out in the garden...including the overnight and art projects all day. Waves of people came and went...some were here the whole time. It is nice to spend time doing what you love with your coolest peeps.

 

Rasberry lime water..yum

 

 

face painting

 

 

garden loom

 

 

big kids art

 

tribal girl

 

garden art

 

 

sewing creativity

 

new friends

 

campfire breakfast

 

a new floor for the faerie house! Thanks Tava

 

Good Night friends

Life is Good!

Community of kids

I started 2 years ago. The horseKids. I wanted to create a community for Scout of like minded folks. I wanted the kids to see themselves as a community and work and play cooperatively. Even though they are not all radical unschoolers that is how I approach them when they are here. I wanted to show kids how horses (animals) should be treated and communicated with. To learn what having a horse was really all about and offer an opportunity to kids who otherwise would miss out. We have added a few kids here and there over the years but the original core group is still here. Yesterday just seemed magical and perfect, it has turned into everything I had hoped. 

The kids here yesterday ranged in age from 2-13, boys and girls. Everyone of them passionate about riding and their friendships with each other. I saw growth from all of them in so many ways. I was amazed when a 10 year old boy, came to me and asked what I needed him to do. After being told he was free to do whatever he wanted I found him a few minutes later helping a 13 year old girl get her horse ready. That same boy was later found playing baseball with a 3 year old girl who wanted to learn how. There is the 13 year old girl who is asking in depth questions about the horses training, feelings, emotions and how to be the best partner she can be. There is an 8 year old girl sitting up in the bird nest reading and chatting with a 3 year old.....if only I knew what they were talking about! And there is nothing cuter then the little ones excitedly using their tiny shovels, wheelbarrows and ride on tractors to work together to clean out the run in or gather hay. What about the 6 year old girl who has been thinking all week about how she is going to trot? This week she rode with reins and no lead line....and trotted on her own! The 4 year old girl who who can sit the trot for an extended amount of time...complete with a HUGE grin. The 2 year old girl who is so happy and relaxed on top her pony that I worry she will slide right off sometimes! The 3 year old boy who never forgets anything I teach him about riding, busts out his skills every week and never stops smiling. And back to the 8 year old girl and 10 year old boy. She came because this was her "dream to ride" and now she trail rides with her 13 year old friend without any help from me. And the boy....he rides off into the sunset with that same teenage girl, complete with a Ninja sword on his back!

Life is Good!

A Garden Goddess

Celebrate May Day with a garden Goddess. Perfect for watching over the garden and inviting Faeries in to play!

Find a nice stick and wrap with strips of colorful cloth.

 

Glue on hair, face, feathers, bits of whatever you like!

 

They are ALL fabulous!

Out in the garden

A child's nest, part 1

We have finished fencing in the garden (with salvaged stockade fence  and random things to create nice garden art. Ever since we moved in there was a large log, beautifully weathered smooth, lying in one corner. I didn't want to move it because it looks like such an appealing play place for Scout. It was also a difficult corner to fence, getting around the log and a tree without cutting anything down. Also, except for the gate, we did not dig any holes to erect the fence! and didn't want to start now. So.....I put together a plan that combined several ideas I had seen and thought up myself. A child's nest, a brush fence, re-purposing pallets, sunflower house and a life size faerie house!

The far corner, where the snow fence is, is where we begin. You can see the large log in front of the fence.

 Bring out the tools!

We built a platform using pallets and other lumber we have collected and saved for just such a project!

The platform is finished! We used a playscape ladder someone had thrown away, it is complete with hooks that screw into the platform and the perfect height! The posts extend above the platform to hold the nest on top. The log is on the left. A brush fence will go around the bottom and another pallet will make a lower level faerie house, accessed from inside the garden!

 We did some pruning (that needed to be done anyway) and used the cuttings to build a nest! As we prune some more we will add them to the nest. We have much respect for those little birds that do this with just their beak! And much more beautifully and efficiently too!

My little birds lying in a soft pine bough bed!

Horsekids and choices

Horsekids days move seamlessly now. They do their farm work, spend time with their horses, groundwork, riding, bonding, communicating, getting in-tune with themselves and their partners. Then it is choices....

 

Reading...

 

Art...

 

puzzles...

 

creating...

 

and cocoa!!!

 

The itty bitties are excelling!

The tiniest horsekids are excelling. They have been riding together for 2 years now. They are confident, capable, in tune and eager to do more. We have dabbled in using reins but mostly I try not to do much "coaching". I just want them to have fun and do what comes natural....because what comes natural is what is right with the little ones. 

We are using 2 horses with them now, Tonto the pony and Frodo the mini Fresian (well that's what we like to pretend he is). They begin with grooming,

 They are eager for more knowledge and they love games on horseback. I decided to start some "steering" games.

All the kids need to learn to get a picture in their head about what they want to do...before they are ready to do it. They are looking ahead down trail (keeping them from looking down on the ground) for their next intersection. They must decide which way they are going to go before they get into the intersection. This is important, you need to begin communicating with your horse before you get into the intersection. Then...as they approach.....they....

 

...point their nose which way they want to go. This game does many things. It begins to set up correct communication, with their bodies, to their horse. It keeps them focused on being a rider not a passenger. And finally it gives them control over their ride, choosing where they want to go.

Next we add "airplane arms".

  This step works on their balance and gets them pointing their belly button and nose in the direction they want to turn. This further engages all their body in communicating with their horse. And then we add the reins....

 Breaking it down in steps made it fun and the kids picked up more quickly on using the reins. We were using a rope halter with reins so they were able to practice with complete success.

They took turns riding Tonto and leading Frodo.

The big kids had a fabulous ride together just as it started to snow! Magical!

There's always time to play in the barn.

 

Life is Good!