Kids Tent

TEACHING AT GREAT LAKES HERB FAIRE 2020
2020 Kids Tent

​It may be that the kids at the Faire have more fun even than the rest of us. The Great Lakes Herb Faire provides an inspiring learning environment for our next generation of herbalists. Many of the kids have been coming since the beginning and we are blessed to watch them grow. Others come for the first time and find the atmosphere welcoming with a weekend full of activities of herbal lore and knowledge.
​Register early as the kids tent fills up fast. Very fast. 
Herbal Recess
​Kristine Brown
​Let’s play some games! Learn about herbs while playing herbally adapted games such as Weed, Weed, Herb (Duck, Duck , Goose), Hot Garlic Bulb (Hot Potato), Genus Species (Marco Polo), and What herbs are you picking Mr. Wild Crafter? (What’s the Time Mr. Wolf?). We’ll discuss the herbs they’ve learned about over the weekend and then apply them to the games. 
Herbs of the Equinox - Creating Herbal Flower Sticks
​Patti Travioli
​In the first part of this class, attendees will discover and learn about a few of the plants that are presenting themselves to us at this time of year, some basic botany about each one, as well as herbal folklore.  During the second half, some of the plants discussed will be available to be used in the creation of their own Herbal Flower sticks to take home. 
​Creating a Nature Journal
​Patti Travioli​
​In this class, learn some history of papermaking, the basics of folding papers, sewing and binding them together, to make a basic nature journal.  Once completed, attendees will be given a prompt to get their journaling juices flowing.  
Astonishing Joyful Eco-Dyeing Projects
​Gaylyn Kaufman & Corinne Denomme​
​Celebrating an exuberant connection to flowers and leaves by exploring natural imprints on fabric and paper. We will Bundle Dye and Steam fabric & use a multicultural, historic Leaf Pounding technique on paper. These activities connect us deeper to our relations to the plant world. At a designated time during the Faire, we will open our bundles together, appreciating the colors and prints. It truly is an unwrapping of a joyful present!
Syrups and Sodas
​Lea Pfeifer
​Cici and John, together with their mom, will present a soda extravaganza! Learn how to use ingredients like vanilla, lemon, lime and more varied herbs to make sodas that are refreshing, sometimes medicinal and always a treat.
Beekeeping for Kids
​Anne Solari
​Teaching kids the basics about pollinators, bees, what to do if not beekeeping, and beekeeping. The purpose is not necessarily to make them beekeepers, but to teach them not to fear bees and be helpful to our planet and their parents, if they choose to be beekeepers.
Flower Power
​Angela McElroy
​What do you get when you take a flower and a horse and put them together? FLOWER POWER. Flowers are more than a pretty face! Flowers are enriched with powerful healing and transformation for individuals. The use of flowers for the healing purposes is timeless as it addresses a wide range of physical and spiritual imbalances. Winston Churchill puts it perfectly “There's something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.” This hands on class with horse and flower will educate the youngest learner on how to heal the deepest wounds with flowers and a horse buddy.
The Mixed Up Melange at the GLHF
Brooke Sackenheim​
​Ms. HerbBottom returns with a new herbal adventure. This thyme someone has mixed up the flowers and herbs into a big savory mess. Who would do such a thing? But wait! There are clues scattered all around the Faire. Using our senses and smarts we will solve the mystery!
Fly by the Seed of Your Plants
Sarah Clement​
​Shake, catapult, and fly! Did you know that some plants send their seeds as far away from themselves as they can? Let’s launch into learning about these plants’ seed flying skills in a hands-on class where we will build seed shakers, catapults, and helicopters to demonstrate the different ways these plants reproduce. We will then test them out, measuring distance and time, demonstrating which dispersal methods work best for which plants. How far will your seeds fly?
Herbal Art! Paint with Mother Nature's Palette
Joan Jach
​This will be a fun, hands-on class for kids! We will learn about the way our ancestors made paints and pigments, then make some of our own using found and prepared ingredients. Students will paint their very own Herbal Art piece to remember their time at the Faire. I plan to have some sourced ingredients for making paints in addition to taking students on a short walk to gather (non-poisonous!) plants/berries/nuts for making pigments. My goal for this class is to introduce students to the ancient process of making art (specifically painting) using raw materials from Nature. Other art supplies like pencils, crayons, ink and pigment from rocks will also be discussed/demonstrated. Safety and ethics of wildcrafting will be explicitly discussed during this class.
Why Some Trees are Always Green - A Conifer Forest Excursion
Shana Weddington​
​This class will include a short Cherokee tale of why some trees are always green and how they represent wakefulness and vigilance-traits that we as humans need to adopt in order to help save our coniferous forests. We’ll talk about the importance of these trees and how they provide food, shelter, and medicine to the insects, birds, animals, and humans. We’ll go on an excursion to explore one or more conifers in the area and see what we can observe. Observations will be shared with the group if desired.
30 in 30: a half-hour, all-ages show-and-tell Scavenger Hunt
Jack VanDyke & Finn Leadley
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Participants will find and gather items of varying rarity from the forest, finishing with a short show-and-tell session to display what was discovered. Younger participants will be encouraged to identify and collect more common items, while older participants will be encouraged to identify different plant species included on the scavenger hunt list. Participants will search in small groups accompanied by at least one adult volunteer, and the hunt will last for 30 minutes, followed by show-and-tell in the big field by the mess hall.
Holistic Dog Care
Kyle Udall​
​As a herbalist or dog lover, you will be able to:
* identify your dogs constitution
* identify foods that support the different constitutions
* will know 3 herbs that are healthy and support digestion
* will know what herbs that can help stop diarrhea/constipation
* will know at least 3 supplements/herbs that support healthy coat and skin
* will know what herbs to avoid giving to dogs
* will understand when its time to call the vet
Herbalists attending the class will also receive healthy dog recipes and samples that they can
make and feel good about feeding to their dog.