Providing your child with the opportunity to grow food fosters a sense of responsibility and connection with nature.
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At this time of year, many families are nearing the end of their school year. You may be noticing a shift, more movement, more energy, and perhaps a little less ease in your usual rhythm. This is a natural part of the season. As spring unfolds, children often feel a sense of anticipation and outward energy that can show up in their behaviour.

Rather than working against this shift, we can meet it.
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Bringing learning outside and offering practical, hands-on work, such as gardening, digging, carrying, and building, can help ground this energy in a meaningful way. Growing food is a simple and effective place to begin. It allows children to move their bodies, engage their senses, and take part in real work that has purpose.
There are many ways to approach gardening, and you can choose what works best for your space and season.
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Here are some easy ideas to get you started:

Celebrate the halfway point between Spring and Summer with a May Festival.
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We encourage families to recognize the passage of time and the seasonal rhythms through festival celebrations.  Festivals provide an opportunity for your community to unite and share wonder, reverence and gratitude.  May Festival celebrates the awakening of the earth, the lengthening of days, and the rebirth of nature around us.  We celebrate this time of growth with joyous song and dance, playful games and a community picnic.

Traditionally May Festivals are celebrated on May 1st, but we have always found that using the early weeks of May to prepare and then holding the festival later in the month works too.  And if you're homeschooling, you can be as flexible as you like.