By Kelly Villaruel

Creating a nature table in the home is a wonderful way to bring the outdoors inside.  It is a place where you can continue to cultivate awe and reverence for the natural world when it is time to be indoors.  Sometimes just walking past the nature table and catching a glimpse of the treasures is enough to spark curiosity and, ultimately, motivate quests to find answers. 

To start your own nature table, put a small table or other flat surface in a place where it will be visible and visited many times a day.  It should be within reach of the smallest child in your house so the treasures can be touched. Make the table beautiful and inviting by covering it with a piece of fabric or a scarf that reflects the colors of the season if possible.  You can place flat things under the cloth like books or small boxes to add dimension and to highlight special finds. Now the fun begins.

As you and your children go out adventuring, collect treasures that catch your eye and draw your interest. Bring those treasures back and place them on the table. Sticks, bones, dead bugs, moss, shells, flowers...anything goes. Handmade natural crafts are a lovely addition to the nature table and it can be changed with the seasons, as the natural world changes. If you have one, place a magnifying glass on the table to invite deeper examinations of the treasures. If you have field guides, keep them near the nature table to encourage investigations.

If you have older children, let them take charge of the nature table. This is the perfect opportunity for them to be in the lead and take ownership. Notice how they take pride in the process of creating beauty in the home for the whole family to enjoy together. This is deep nature connection as they are cultivating their relationships with the natural world, their family, and themselves.

By Dominique

I don’t know about you, but I’ve never met a flower that I didn’t like. And although there are a handful of flowers that are *very* poisonous if ingested (Oleander! Angel’s Trumpet! Poison Hemlock!), for the most part, flowers are credited with brightening dispositions and enticing pollinating animals and elements since the beginning of time. Here’s a way to make your own simple flower press to preserve and share the ephemeral beauty that is The Flower.

Gather:

• Two pieces of paper
• Two rubber bands
• Scissors
• A piece of cardboard about twice the size of a sheet of paper.

CONSTRUCTING THE PRESS

• First, cut (or crease and tear) each piece of paper into four equal rectangles, giving your eight sheets of small rectangular paper
• Second, cut 5 pieces of cardboard into rectangles the same size as the paper.
• Third, layer your press. One piece of cardboard, two sheets of paper, one piece of cardboard, two sheets of paper...and so on, until your press is constructed. 
• Stretch the rubber bands across the short end of the press to secure the cardboard and paper.
• Adorn the front of your press as desired

USING THE PRESS 

Now that you’ve made your press, it’s time to wander into your backyard or along a street outside your apartment and collect some FLOWERS. Here are a few things to consider.

• Get to know the poisonous plants of your area and avoid putting them in your press. Although this project isn’t intended to give you something to eat, be aware of touching a potentially strong flower and then touching your face/lips. 
• ASK the flowers if they’re ready to be picked! Be direct and humble about your floral pluckings. The pollinators, the soil, and millions of other eyeballs and life forms depend on flowers.
• Place each flower or petal between the two sheets of paper. Reassemble the press and re-secure the rubberbands. Wait.

BECOME A FRIEND OF FLOWERS

One of the simplest ways to befriend the flowers is to get to know their names. Once you have gathered a few flowers for your press, take a closer look and try to answer some of these questions about who you have in your midst.

Flower Anatomy

• What color is your flower?
• How many petals does your flower have? (Sometimes, tricky sepals or bracts can look & act like petals but are actually modified leaf-life structures that protect or flaunt the more delicate petals. Check out Bougainvilleas and Lillies for good examples)
• How many pistils & stamens does your flower have?

Three Common Types of Flowers

While there are many families of flowers,  keying your flower into one of these three categories will get you much closer to learning who your flower is!

• Regular flowers boast radially symmetrical petals, like that classic four or five petaled flower that you, me, and the kids draw.
• Irregular flowers show funky shaped petals that aren’t all the same, like violets, pea family flowers, and mint family flowers.
• Composite flowers are a hallmark of the Aster family. Many beautiful petals surround a disc of teeny tiny flowers. Sunflowers!

And if you’re ready to up your flower press to the next level, find inspiration from a dear friend of mine who made a flower press nearly three decades ago as a young girl and created these paper thin petalscapes of beauty.

Got a mystery flower, a never before seen petal, or an extraordinary pollinator story? Send it my way --> dominique@wyp.org and we can revel together.

This is a great project for our younger friends. It takes many steps and can be turned into a several day project if desired. During our toddler to young childhood years, there is such a big need for sensory play. This is how we learn about the world around us… what does this feel like? Is it soft? Safe? Sharp? If I touch it does it scratch my finger tips? Only through tactile experiences do our bodies gain the needed knowledge for sense of touch. There are also many tips for incorporating the other senses with this project.

Materials you will need:
Your base... a paper plate, piece of cardboard, construction paper
You will want something tough enough to hold glued on items without falling apart
Something to draw a bird outline, a marker, pencil, crayon
Scissors
Having sharp scissors will help make the cutting part safer
Glue or paint
A brush, stick, fingers
Something to add a small blob of glue/paint where needed
A paper bag, jar, plastic zip lock...
Container for gathering materials. Some of these materials may slip through cracks in baskets
Open ended materials with different textures to glue onto our Feely Bird
This will be the funnest part!

Directions:

Adventure 1) Help your little one draw the outline of a bird onto their base, if they so desire. This can be any shape and as big or as small as you like. The more space available, the more textures you may have room for.

Adventure 2) Cut out the Feely Bird outline you have created on your base. Cardboard tends to be more difficult to cut with scissors depending how thick it is. Also, the more detail your outline has the more time/focus/coordination it may take. A simple outline on construction paper may be best for our younger friends. Allowing our children to do it themselves will help work needed muscles in their hands and fingers. As well as bilateral coordination and focus. Having good sharp scissors will make this process smoother and safer.

Adventure 3) Take your gathering bag/jar and have a scavenger hunt for materials that feel different and can be glued/painted onto your Feely Bird cut out. This may look like a short hunt around the house, a quick wander outside the door, or a trip to the beach/trail/open field nearby. Ask your child to show you the different things they see that they could add to their Feely Bird. Remind them you are looking for materials that have different textures (spiky, soft, hard, smooth...). You could also mix it up and ask them to find materials that are different colors or smell differently. Gather your materials into your container. Some examples of what my friends have painted/glued onto their Feely Bird are: dirt, sand, oak leaves, rose petals, sticks, feathers, seeds…

Adventure 4) Take all of your gathered textures, Feely Bird cut out, glue/paint, and your tool for adding dabs of glue/paint, and set up a space where you can let the sensory magic happen. There will be glue/paint that doesn't make it onto the Feely Bird. Some of our textured materials may float around as well.

Now that you have everything together you can start adding some blobs of paint/glue and add the textured materials on your Feely Bird to give it life. I say blobs because some of these materials may need more adhesive to hold it into place. When you're done adding all of your wanted textures let it sit for a while to dry. Placing it in a sunny area may help but be aware that it may be blown away if placed outside.

Adventure 5) Once your Feely Bird is completely dry you can pin it on the wall/set it on a table somewhere reachable to all so you can come back to it to feel all the textures and remember the great adventure you had when searching for all the beautiful materials you gathered.

Just like what’s available to us...all of our Feely Birds are different. I would love to see your creations or hear about your adventures. Send me comments, pictures, or question to j.intheoaks@wyp.org

Many creatures weave as a necessity for life. Birds weave nests. Spiders weave webs. Humans weave material to make fabric for shelters, nets or baskets to hold items, and clothing to protect our flesh. It’s a very useful skill. Now that spring has sprung, grasses and weedy plants have grown tall, made flowers to attract pollinators, and are producing seeds for next year's growth. Many of these plants can be harvested for simple weaving projects!

What you’ll need

• Two sticks any length or a “Y” shaped branch or anything you can tie strings across
• String
• Something to cut the string (scissors, knife)
• Weeds! Look around your house, in your backyard, at the local park, open space, between the sidewalk and the street, or anywhere the soil has been disturbed. Look for the longest and tallest plants. It will make for better weaving.

What is a weed?

• Weeds can be any unwanted plants in a garden. Typically, weeds are removed to allow room for other plants to grow. For this weaving project, you can use long grasses like oat straw that grow abundantly in our open spaces.

Steps

1) Tie multiple strands to connect your sticks. Simple knots will work. Tying your strings tight can make it easier to weave in and out of. How many strings you choose is up to you. I used 20 strings in my video. More strings may create a tighter weave.

2) Find a comfortable place to begin your weaving. Hanging your piece works well or placing it on flat ground.

3) Start threading or zig-zagging long pieces of grass or other plant material alternating in front and behind each time you come to a vertical string.

4) Once you’ve come to the end of one side, start a new row weaving back towards where you started. If you don’t have enough material to make it to the other side, you can end there and start your next row with a new strand of grass.

5) Each time you start a new row, your zig-zag should go on the opposite sides of the vertical strings as your previous row.

6) Continue weaving until you are satisfied with how big your piece is. You can weave in different materials to create different patterns, or add fun items you found outside like feathers, flowers or animal hair.

7) Once you are done weaving, trim off any ends or leave them hanging if you like how it looks.

8) Hang your new weaving outside by a garden or patio, or inside on a wall. You can use it as a shade for your window, or a placemat for your kitchen.

This project was inspired by The Best of Making Things: A Hand Book of Creative Discovery by Ann Sayre Wiseman

*Comments, Questions, Feedback, send them to JulianD@wyp.org*

Many creatures weave as a necessity for life. Birds weave nests. Spiders weave webs. Humans weave material to make fabric for shelters, nets or baskets to hold items, and clothing to protect our flesh. It’s a very useful skill. Now that spring has sprung, grasses and weedy plants have grown tall, made flowers to attract pollinators, and are producing seeds for next year's growth. Many of these plants can be harvested for simple weaving projects!

What you’ll need

• String/Twine

• Scissors

• Y shaped stick (found in nature!)

• Leaves, bark, plant material, feathers (found in nature!)

Steps

1) Head out to the Carpinteria Bluffs, your yard or a nearby park where you can find some materials from nature. Bring along pre cut string or twine.

2) Find a Y shaped stick in nature, this stick will be your weaving loom, and find long leaves, like the eucalyptus leaves from the Carpinteria Bluffs, dried plant stems, long grasses, feathers or anything else you find that you would like to weave into your project.

3) Create your loom! Using your string or twine, tie a knot around one side of the Y near the base and then wrap back and forth from one side of the Y to the other. You want the strings to be tight enough for the weaving materials to stay in place while not too tight that it could break your stick. Observe how this is done in the video.

4) Weave your materials from nature in and out of the string, going over, under, over, under.

5) Enjoy the beauty that you have created!

Now that you have completed your weaving project, here are a few questions to think about.

• Are you wearing anything that is woven? Maybe woven by a machine? 
• Do you think the native peoples of this land, the Chumash, wove? Do you think they used plants to weave like you did?
• Did you see any birds while you collected your materials? What did they look like and sound like?

Learning how to use a knife safely is an essential step in starting a carving project with Wilderness Youth Project. Kids of all ages (and adults!) must demonstrate these skills to keep themselves and others safe.

With this great responsibility comes the ability to have lots of fun, satisfaction, and creativity with plant materials that we find outdoors. Below is a short list of tips for how to stay safe and what types of equipment to use. Be sure to check out the cute video “Whittle Kids” from our friends at Trackers Earth as well.

***First Step - Make sure you have permission from an adult to use a knife*** 

What kind of knife to use?

• Potato Peeler - these are great if you have never carved before or if you just want to peel the bark off of a stick. For the young child who is learning fine motor skills, carving with potato peelers is a great training tool. Making a blood circle is still a good idea since these tools are sharp. 

• Fixed Blade Knife - This is a strong and reliable knife for carving.  Fixed blade means that the blade of the knife has a backbone of metal that extends inside the handle called “the tang”.

• Folding Knife - Pocket knives, Swiss Army knives or Opinel knives like the one pictured have the ability to fold into the handle. This can be convenient and take up less space than a fixed blade knife. If the knife does not have the ability to lock the blade so that it can not fold back in on itself, it is not a wise choice to be using for carving. Many times the user can accidentally fold the knife on their finger when carving and hurt themselves. Better to save these knives for small tasks like cutting string.

A sharp knife is a safe knife

• Keeping your knife clean, free of rust, and sharp is the best way to stay safe.
• Knife care and how to sharpen a knife is beyond the scope of this write-up but there are many other resources on the internet if you are curious.

Create a safe carving area (AKA Blood Circle or Blood Bubble)

• Find an area that is easy to mark a line (sand or soft dirt) or gather materials (sticks, bark, rocks, grasses, etc.) to make the outline of a circle.

• Make the area big enough that if you pointed your sheathed knife around it with your arm extended, you could not reach the outside of your circle.

• Imagine where others are most likely to walk, then find an area that has a lot of space away from trails or walkways.
• If the weather is hot, find a spot in the shade

Check in with your mental state or attitude

• Do you feel calm and ready to focus?
• If you feel distracted or need to move your body, do so and come back to your project later

Always cut away from yourself

• Holding your project in front of you allows you to carve into the open space out in front of you. 
• You can rest your forearm that is holding your project on your knee but make sure that your carving project is still out in front of you. Otherwise, you might turn your leg into your carving project.

Angle your knife at 45 degrees or less

• This will ensure that your knife strokes are light, long, and easy and not hard, short, and requiring lots of effort

Keep your knife sheathed when not in use

• When someone comes near your blood circle, they may not be aware that you are using a knife (especially curious kittens!). Stop carving until your blood circle is clear of any unaware creatures.
• If you need to get up to do something else, always sheath your knife first, then either take it with you or put it in a place where it will not be tampered with (e.g. off the ground on a table).

Passing a knife safely

• The best way to pass a knife is to sheath it or close it, then pass it on.
• If you must pass your knife without a sheath, turn the knife around so the handle is facing towards the person you are passing it to, and the blade is facing outwards from the palm of your hand.

Here are some simple beginning project ideas

• Sharpen a stick to a point
• Sharpen your pencil
• Make Chopsticks
• Whittle a Magic Wand
• Carve out a Butter Knife
• Create a throwing Spear

References:

• Alan Kaufman (the knife guy) - notes on knife safety
• Tracker’s Earth - Whittle Kids - wood carving with trackers

By Julian de Rubira 

**This is a more advanced carving project not intended for beginners**

Growing up in southern California, some of my fondest memories are of playing in dense stands of giant reed, building forts and secret hideouts. It felt like a world so far from from the city. Giant reed, also known as carrizo or river cane, can often be mistaken for its tropical look-alike, bamboo. It can be seen in creeks while driving on highway overpasses and at beaches all throughout southern California. It is not native to our region and its dense growth can crowd the space and choke the sunlight of native plants in riparian habitats. However, the silver lining is that it has many utilitarian uses such as building materials, musical instruments, and many fun craft projects.

Containers can be used for holding so many things: toothbrushes, pencils, feathers, charcoal sticks, rocks, jewelry, fish tackle, beads, treasure maps, you name it! Containers made from giant reed, when you’re done with them, can go back into the ground to feed another plant and not to the landfill!

Where to find:

Finding giant reed can be easier than it may seem, as it grows in a lot of the creeks that flow through our cities and neighborhoods. Here’s a link to Calflora’s website for easy identification. If you're in Goleta, try Winchester Canyon park, Ellwood, Haskell’s, Goleta Beach (in driftwood piles), or where San Jose Creek crosses Patterson Ave. If in Santa Barbara, try looking downtown where Mission Creek crosses De La Guerra St., 1000 steps beach, Mesa Lane, or at the western end of Butterfly Beach. If you have any other easy harvesting spots, feel free to share them!

Hazards:

Since giant reed grows near lots of roadways and urban areas as well as creeks, make sure to harvest in an area that feels safe from traffic, poison oak, and possible creek debris. Using tools that are sharp and not rusty or dull are actually the first line of defense to stay safe. Carving knives that flip open and cannot be locked are not recommended. At Wilderness Youth Project, we teach knife safety to kids before ever letting them carve without supervision. Make sure that you understand knife safety before you try this project.

Knife Safety

notes taken from Alan Kaufman (the Knife Guy) of Galapago Knives:

• • Create a safe carving area (blood circle) that is big enough that you can not reach the outside of the circle around yourself in any direction
  • Check in with your mental state or attitude and make sure that you’re ready to stay calm and focused
  • Always cut away from yourself - make sure that your knife pushes into the open space out in front of you. Don’t rest your project on your leg or lap. This project uses one exception to this rule - an advanced technique called "knife hand pairing cut.
  • Keep your knife sheathed when not in use - When someone comes near your blood circle they may not be aware that you are using a knife.
  • Pass a knife safely - The best way is to sheath or close your knife. If passing a fixed blade, always pass with the knife blade facing away from your hand and the handle towards the person you are passing it to.
  • Using the right tool for the right job - A carving knife is not a saw or a kitchen knife.

Whittling Basics

Check this video out for some visual explanations 

1. Knife hand push cut - Most common technique used to make shallow and controlled cuts.
2. Support hand push cut - Use this cut to refine edges and curves.
3. Knife hand pairing cut - Squeeze the knife toward your thumb like peeling a potato. Use your thumb to stabilize and control pressure. Use this cut for fine details.
4. Channel cut - Use this cut diagonally in one direction. Used for decorative designs.

What you’ll need:

• Small tooth saw (pruning saw or other saws can work as well)
• sharp knife (fixed blades are best)
• marking tool (pen or pencil or piece of charcoal)
• sandpaper

How to harvest

Find a piece of giant reed that you like and cut with a pruning saw. You can also break off pieces with just your hand, or find pieces in driftwood piles at the beach. Finding pieces that are already dried or dead (yellow in color) are best if you plan to work immediately. If you choose to harvest material that is still alive (green in color), it's best to wait to use and wrap them in a tight bundle. Then store this bundle for a month in a shady, well ventilated place so they don’t bend while drying. As always, only harvest what you need and respect the life of these plants.

Steps:

1) Make your cuts above and below the nodes of the piece you want. Nodes are the solid joints separating the hollow chambers.

2) Your new piece should now contain closed ends. Mark a line at ¾ of the container.

3) Cut your container into two pieces on that line.

4) Now score a shallow line across the longer bottom piece with your knife about 1-2 inches down from the open end (or approximate about half the length of your shorter top piece). This will mark where the top and bottom pieces meet together when closed. ***If confused, just watch the video closely to see where I make the line***

5) Start carving slowly, thinning this section. Use the #1 Knife hand push cut (be careful not to go too fast or you might cut all the way through like the photo below).

6) Once you’ve thinned out the piece a good amount, start carving back towards the scored line that you marked. Now use the #3 Knife hand pairing cut being sure to go slowly and precisely. This will allow you to create an edge for where your top piece will stop. ***This is a more advanced technique that requires lots of focus.*** If done properly, it should not feel dangerous.

7) Now insert your knife into the top piece of the container and start to scrape the inside wall with the blade of your knife.

8) Once you’ve scraped it thin enough, try fitting it on your bottom piece

9) Now clean up the ends of the container by rounding the sharp edges with your knife using the #2 Support hand push cut.

10) If you choose, you can sand any rough corners or edges.

Congratulations! Now it’s time to find out how the container fits best when closed together. Add an inscription or marking on each of the pieces where they meet. Remember to be gentle with opening and closing as the material has now become thin.

***Questions, comments, finished product photos? Email them to JulianD@wyp.org ***

Let’s give gratitude to our ancestors, the ones who passed on the skills and knowledge through the ages. Without their gracious teachings, we might not get to enjoy the great advancement in technologies that we do today. Humans have evolved with fire, as a means for surviving and thriving. It is easily one of our greatest tools.

This project is about how to make a yucca (or agave) stalk coal-burned container. More importantly, this project is about learning how to use fire as a tool for removing material. Did you know that 8000 years ago, our human ancestors used this same method of controlling fire to hollow out the center of logs to make boats? These canoes are the oldest boat types that archaeologists have discovered. You can read more about them here on wikipedia: Dugout Canoe.

You will need the following:

• Dried piece of yucca or agave
• Sand or dirt - this is to help control the speed at which the coal-burns the stalk
• Fire - only one coal is needed for this project. You could get by with just a friction-fire coal…
• Water - to put out your fire when you are finished. Have a bucket nearby or a hose.
• Chopsticks - for handling a coal safely.
• Flat-bottom stick - used for scraping away the charred material.
• Saw (optional) - for cutting the stalk. You could break it off, use a knife, or burn it off.
• Knife (optional) - for scraping away additional charred material. 
• Sandpaper (optional) - for making a smooth finished surface.
• Drinking straw (optional) - for safer, more precise blowing of air.

Hazards:

• Fire - let common sense be your guide. Follow your city rules and restrictions for having fires at your home. If you’re not an adult, make sure there is an adult with you or get permission from them to have a fire. Pay attention to potential RED FLAG WARNING days when conditions become dry and windy.
• Smoke inhalation - make sure to stay clear of the smoke trail. Wearing bandanas and face masks can help prevent inhalation, but avoid the smoke trail as well. (I’ve had to learn this lesson the hard way and have had one too many post-fire headaches from being too close to the fire and smoke. It is no fun!)
• Smoke in your eyes - Reposition yourself to be upwind from where the smoke wants to travel. As wind tends to shift, you will need to move around in order to keep yourself safe.
• Blowing sparks and ash onto yourself - Dump out any residual ash before giving the container any added air or breath. Blow gently or use a straw.
• Sharp tools - Practice knife safety. Check in with your attitude, make blood circles (an area designated to let others know you are using a knife), and carve away from yourself.
• Agave plant toxins - Be aware that some species of agave, when not fully dry, have the potential to cause irritation to the skin. Use gloves and long sleeves if harvesting “questionably dry” material.
• Super windy days - Do not try this on a windy day. It will become dangerous real quick! A light breeze is okay if the ground is wet.

Where to find yucca & agave:

• Yucca, Hesperoyucca whipplei, is native to our region and grows in chaparral along the ridge of Santa Ynez Mountains. Drive up Gibraltar road or take 154 highway to Camino Cielo East or West. You can also find it out towards Figueroa Mountain or towards the Cuyama Valley. Look for last year’s stalks or older that look dead and dry.
• Agave, Agave americana, is a non-native species to our region. It is used heavily as a horticultural plant, growing near parks, along roads, and in peoples yards. Ask for permission to harvest dead, dried, and fallen over stalks. Note that this species has mild toxins in the sap that can cause minor dermatitis (skin irritation).

Steps:

1) Find a safe area to have a fire: backyard fire rings, barbecue grills at parks, holes in the ground, and beaches where it is safe and legal to have a fire.

2) Start your fire and let it burn down to coals. You won’t need much. One-coal is usually enough for this project. Even just a small friction fire coal can work.

3) Get your materials ready: cut the stalk to the appropriate size you would like for your container. Keep in mind you will want at least an inch of the stalk at the bottom to not burn. This will ensure that you don’t burn all the way through. Make sure you have sand ready for putting out any areas of your project that get out of control. 

4) Grab a coal with your chopsticks. Place it on the top of your container. Move it around in order to start burning the area you want. This process happens quickly so be ready! Note that there should not be any flame, the coal should smolder through the pithy material. 

5) Once most of the area has begun to burn, take the coal off of your container. ***COMMON SENSE TIP - Reposition yourself to be upwind from where the smoke wants to travel. As wind tends to shift, you will need to move around in order to keep yourself safe***

6) Let the container begin to burn down, keeping an eye on the sides of the container to make sure they are not burning. Areas that have turned black in color mean it is not burning efficiently. Areas that are white are the areas that have recently burned. And areas that are glowing red are actively burning now. Use your flat-bottomed stick to scrape the char from around the side walls. By scraping around the sides, you are helping the charred wood adhere to the unburned edges, insulating them from the central fire,  and keeping the majority of the burning focused downward. 

7) Once you have scraped it a bit and ash has accumulated, dump it into your sand bucket or back into the fire. Then, you can give the container a little bit of air from your breath or the breeze. ***COMMON SENSE TIP - Be cautious when blowing air and getting your face close to the burning container. This can blow sparks and hot ash back into your face, or onto your arms and legs potentially burning clothing or your skin. This is why it is important to dump out any residual ash before giving the container any added air*** If possible, you can use a straw to blow air gently onto your container.

8) Continue this technique - scrape, scrape, dump, blow… scrape, scrape, dump, blow… until your container is looking close to your desired depth. Don’t be hasty, you can always use another coal to start the burning again, but you can’t fix it once it has burned too far. Remember to use the sand to smother any areas of your container that may be burning more than you like. ***Do not use water on your container because it will make it soggy and ruin the material. ***

9) Once your container has burned down to your liking, fill it all the way up with sand to stop any further burning from happening. Keep it there until the outside of the container no longer feels hot, and then pour it back out. Check to make sure all areas have stopped burning before moving on to the next step.

10) Scrape away any loose charred material: You can continue to scrape with your flat-bottomed stick or use a knife to remove more material. If using a knife, go slow and be sure not to poke your knife through the bottom of the container.

11) Sand the inside, bottom, and edges: Be sure to give the lip edge some sanding so it does not feel as brittle. You can also sand down the bottom of the container and bevel the edges for a pleasing appearance.

Finish:

Now your container is ready for dry use storage. If you’d like to take it a step further, you can dip the bottom of the container in some hot beeswax to protect it when stored on surfaces that could get wet. You could possibly wax the inside as well for even more moisture protection, but I have not tried this to tell you from personal experience if it works or not.

Don’t forget to put out your fires safely and responsibly. Use water and stir-it with a stick like a big pot of soup. Make sure that ALL areas have been wetted and have become cool to the touch.

Reflection story

Coal-burning can be a  fun way to connect with older and slower ways of making things. I learned a valuable lesson teaching this technique to some friends of mine while we were hanging out in the forest one evening. As I began to show them how it was possible to burn out the center of a log to make a wooden bowl, our progress was delayed. The wood we were using was just a little too wet for it to work efficiently. Then one of my friends thought he had a million dollar idea. As he saw me struggling and tirelessly trying to blow air into a pile of coals, he ran to his car to get something. When he came back, he had a battery-powered Ryobi air compressor that he thought would quicken the process. To his credit, the air compressor worked amazingly well at getting a lot of air to help burn the wet wood more efficiently. Looking back, our struggles may have been appropriate because of the wood not being seasoned properly. Although, additional air wasn’t going to solve this problem either. Because the wood was slightly damp and too fresh, the bowl he made in 5 minutes ended up splitting as it continued to dry. An appreciation for slower-paced traditional handcraft techniques were challenged that day. But in the end, it seemed that the speedy trick was no match for the methodical process of hollowing out a log. Enjoy the process!

Questions for reflection:

What are some other things that you do in your life that connect you to an older way of living in the world? (that has been done for hundreds or thousands of years?)

Have you ever wished for something to happen quicker or get frustrated when it takes too long?

What is something you loved about this process of making a container?

Beyond:

My hope is that this project becomes a stepping stone into a world full of other interesting project ideas. If you are looking for further coal-burning inspiration try making the following:

• a wooden coal-burned spoon or bowl. 
• a container to be used as an arrow quiver
• a didgeridoo
• Or even a boat or canoe!

Other projects to be made with different parts of the yucca or agave plants:

• • String or rope. Cordage!
  • Harvesting the fresh stalks or flowers of yucca for food
  • Sandals
  • String bags (there is a museum in Oaxaca, Mexico dedicated to this)
  • Or even a Surfboard!

***If you liked this project or have any comments or questions, please email me at JulianD@wyp.org ***

Materials needed:

• Pine cones
• Nut butter or honey, your adhesive. ***Nut butters are great, but if you're feeling brave and want a real sensory experience, honey is your sticky friend
• Bird food. ***Can be dried fruits, meal worms, cheerios, seeds, or a fun blend. Some good seeds include: Sunflower, Safflower, Nyjer or Thistle, Millet, Shelled and Cracked Corn, Peanuts, Flax...
• A butter knife/spoon/stick
• String/ribbon/yarn/wire, something to hang up your bird feeder
• Scissors to cut the string/yarn/wire

Adventure

1) Take a stroll to your nearest pine tree with a bag.

I have spotted many pine cones on scattered along the sidewalk at McKenzie park, down De la Vina street, and all around Los Carneros Lake. If you bump into one of these beautiful pines on your way to the grocery store or while walking the dog, take a minute to gather a few pine cones.

 2) Make the Pine Cone Bird Feeder.

Find a space that is easily cleaned or where it is OK to scatter bird food/sticky materials. Gather all your materials in this space. Spread your adhesive all over the grooves of the pine cone. Make sure there it is thoroughly covered, nice and sticky to hold the bird food. Then start pouring/sticking the food on. Once your pine cone feeder is complete tie a string around it and find a nice place to hang it... on a tree branch, off the porch, wherever a bird might come snack.

3) Observe.

After your feeder is hung up and birds have discovered it, watch to see who visits. How frequently are they coming? What are they eating?

Late spring and early summer are great times to adventure down streams and explore what kinds of life inhabit the shallow pools. What if we imagined that we were tiny like the creatures that lived in these creeks? 

Ready...Set...Go!

Something has shrunken you and your only way to travel is by building a raft. Build something that will float and not get stuck in the shallows but will be able to survive the rapids. Below is a video of how to make a raft. Sticks and string were used to tie it all together. Watch out for the waterfalls!

Try out different raft designs and sizes. Find out what gives your raft balance and makes it flow smoothly past any debris.

Raft Derby

If you’re with a friend or sibling, try a friendly race to a chosen destination. Agree on some contest rules, like how many times you’re allowed to assist a stuck raft or how many seconds you have to wait before re-releasing a stuck raft. Maybe you want a challenge and will try to see who can keep a light-weight stone or object on top of the raft the farthest? 

Beyond

Now that you can make a small raft, try making a life-size raft. You can use driftwood logs at the beach instead of sticks, and strong rope like paracord instead of string. Goleta Beach or Haskell's Beach, where the creeks run into the ocean, are great places to look for materials. Good Luck!

*Questions, comments, epic raft videos can be sent to JulianD@wyp.org *

Oh, what joy to fly through the sky on a rope swing in the forest! Here we will share how you can bring a portable rope swing on your adventures. 

Step 1. Get a strong rope, we like to use rock climbing rope, as they are very strong. The length of your rope depends on the height of the tree you will hang it from - a 40ft long rope would do great for many of our Santa Barbara trees.

Step 2. Put that rope in a bag and bring it on your adventure!! Have your child carry the swing on the adventures, this will empower them and is also a great activity to build their proprioceptive sense. The proprioceptive sense is their perception or awareness of the position and movement of their body in space, and is developed by doing activities like carrying heavy things which give feedback to their joints. This sense, sometimes referred to as the sixth sense, is important for self- regulation, coordination, posture, body awareness, the ability to focus and speech.

Step 3. Find a sturdy stick as your seat - make sure it is at least as thick as an adult's forearm, with a hand saw cut the branch so that it is about 2 ft long, this depends on the size of who will be using the swing. I am sure your children can come up with some fun ways to measure how long the stick needs to be for their bottoms! IF you don’t have a hand saw- no worries, wander around and you will find the perfect stick! 

• Also think about how the seat will feel, is it soft and comfortable or is the bark super scratchy? Will it hold your weight -can you break it if you tried?
• You can decide to keep this stick in your swing bag or to bring a saw on your adventures to harvest your seat each time, I prefer bringing my seat along with me each time.
• When harvesting your seat, you often can find a sturdy dead branch on the ground rather than harvesting from a live tree. Either way, bring in mindful harvesting. You can ask the tree for part of its branch, you can give a gift in return, you can form a relationship with the tree by learning about it through your senses… 

Step 4. Find a tree branch to hang your swing from. It is very important to check the health of the tree and the particular branch before swinging on it. Does the tree have leaves? Or are the leaves brown? Has this tree lost any limbs? Are there fungi growing on the branch or the tree? 

• Also investigate which direction the swing will go - you don’t want to hit a tree!

Step 5. Tie the end of your rope to your seat, tying a knot in the center. I often simply do 3 overhand knots. Pull on it to double check its strength.

• A swing with the knot in the middle rather than two knots on either end, provides your child an opportunity to work on core strength. Balancing to get on the swing and swinging on it will engage the core and support your child's healthy development.

Step 6.Throw the seat connected to the rope up and over the tree branch, this may take a few tries and make sure to have everyone clear out of the way so that it does not hit anyone! 

Step 7. Tug on your rope and double check that it is sturdy!

Step 8. Tie the other end of your rope to the trunk of the tree, wrap it around the trunk three times and then tie at least two overhand knots. 

Step 9. Once again test out the swing.  Your child can do this by sitting on it and bouncing up and down to check the strength. Make any needed adjustments. 

Step 10. Swing and  ENJOY!!!

In setting up your swing remember that you will need to take it down at the end of your time there - do not tie it in a way that makes this impossible.

While this is one way to set up your portable rope swing there are many ways to do so and it can be a great time to practice different knots if you or your child are interested in doing so. 

Also many of our trees in the Santa Barbara area are stressed from past droughts, so checking their strength and looking for signs of their health is very important! Looking at the overall health of the forest is a helpful way to gauge if you have chosen a sturdy tree. 

Have you ever been out to park, a creek or the beach with your children and they have brilliant ideas for projects but you simply do not have the supplies they need handy?  Maybe they found the best piece of wood to turn into a bow and all they need is a piece of string but you do not have any?

If only you had what you needed right then and there, the momentum of their play can carry them forward into a deeper experience and maybe, just maybe, you can have a quiet moment alone-ish (because we all need that sometimes!).  Why not make a portable craft kit that has anything and everything you may need on an outing to a natural space?  Over the years, we have found that there are certain things children need most often while in the woods and the supply list reflects those needs. The kits are easy to put together and you most likely have most of the items you need for it at home already.  

Supplies:

• Box, basket or bag to carry everything 
• Scissors (adult size and child size)
• String (yarn, jute twine, hemp twine)
• Clippers (gardening style bypass pruners work well, they come in child size also)
• Folding saw
• Sandpaper
• Glue
• Hand drill
• Drill bits
• Sewing needles
• Thread
• Felt or felted wool(for stitching.  You never know when you might need an eye patch in the woods)
• Needle nose pliers (not essential but we have used them more often that you would think)
• Digging spoon (regular flatware tablespoon that is sturdy.  We have dug giant pools with our digging spoons)
• Watercolors, or watercolor pencils
• Brushes
• Small cup for holding water (or not, if you’re sitting by the flowing creek)
• Watercolor paper 

Encourage your children to help you come up with a supply list, maybe they have ideas that are not on this list that would be a nice addition.  Let your children help to gather the items and place them in the box or basket.  When they help to put it together, they have some ownership over it and take pride in helping to keep it well stocked and cleaned.  

Young children who are still working on fine motor development  in their hands will need help with cutting tools.  Using tools is a wonderful time to talk about tool safety and etiquette as well as harvesting etiquette.  It is important to take only what you will be using and to bury the little bits and pieces of cut materials and grasses under the leaf litter.  This shows good manners as we are keeping the areas we use cleaner than how we found them and it shows care for others because who loves coming upon a space where there are a lot of cut up branches laying around?

When you put this kit together, think of what your children might need when they are out and about.  What do they usually ask for when they are playing?  But, do not forget to think of what YOU might need also.  Maybe you like to paint while your children play, or write in a journal?  Maybe you enjoy stitching?

Encourage your children to carry the craft kit when you go on adventures. It is good for their development to do heavy lifting and they feel proud to carry things for the family.

Sometimes having a simple craft that requires few or no tools is a treasure to have in your magical “Mary Poppins” bag. This is so helpful when you are out and about or you just need something for your children to engage in but you did not bring a craft kit with you. And, who doesn’t love a fancy crown?  Leaf crowns can lead to rich imaginative play and if you wear it upside down, it is more like a pixie hat.

Supplies:

• Sycamore Leaves or any other semi dry leaf with a stem on it. Sycamore trees often grow in and around creeks and rivers (in parks, Liquidambar trees are lovely.  You know the ones that change colors in the fall with the spiky balls that hurt real bad when you step on them barefoot?).
• Clippers or scissors (optional)

Directions:

1) Gather plenty of leaves.  For a child’s head, you will need at least 5-8 big sycamore leaves.  Make sure the leaves are pliable enough that they do not crumble when handled.  Very dry leaves can soak in a creek for several minutes or sprayed with a spray bottle to become more pliable.

2) Cut or break the stems (petiole) off of the leaves and save in a pile.  This is what you will use to stitch the leaves together.  If the stems (petioles) are too tiny, twigs can be used instead.

3) Place one leaf on top of the other, overlapping slightly.  Use one of the little stems or twigs to pin the two leaves together.  It goes through both in the front to the back, then back through to the front again. Think pinning two pieces of fabric together.

4) Continue pinning the leaves together until it is long enough to fit around your child’s head (or yours!). 

If you have older children, gathering leaves is the perfect errand to send them on, whether you are in the creek or just in your yard if you have fallen leaves.  Have your older children make crowns for the whole family. This is a moment that they can be truly helpful.

Transformation: Dressing up, wearing a mask, using our imagination are all ways to transform, to transform into another being. 

One key skill the young child learns through this transformational play is empathy. As a child transforms into a Rabbit about to be snatched up by a fox, they begin to feel the feelings of that rabbit. To expand upon this we can help them shape shift by making masks.

Making masks also develops fine motor skills, patience, hand eye coordination and more. This craft will require your help - so it can be a family ‘in breath’ as Kelly described in our newsletter, a time where we are present together. Masks can be as simple or elaborate as your children can imagine.  This is also a great craft for older siblings to be a part of. 

What you need:

• Scissors
• Felt (felted wool sweaters work great too)
• String
• Needle
• Thread
• Glue (optional)
• Buttons, feathers, sequins and other fancy decorations

Directions:

1) Decide what you would like your mask to look like (encourage your child to draw a picture so you have a better idea of what they are imagining)

2) Draw the outline on your felt, including where the eye holes should be- measure to fit your child

3) Cut out your felt

4) Cut holes on the sides or stitch on the string or elastic

5) Use elastic (if you have it) or thick string to tie your mask on

 Optional Additions

• Glue feathers on or other lightweight decorations on

If this was a fun project for your family and you want to make more masks, there are some great templates online. I really enjoy First Palette’s animal mask templates!

Supplies

• Adult large or extra large t-shirt
• Scissors
• Paper for pattern (or just eyeball it)
• Acrylic paint or markers
• Paint brushes if using paint
• Cups for water (for paint)

Directions

The first thing you want to do is measure your child to make a pattern (or you can just cut out a shape without making a pattern). Have your child stand with their arms straight out to their sides.  You will measure from wrist to wrist across their back.  That will be how wide you will make the wings.  Half of that measurement will be how long you make them.

The bear measures 30” from wrist to wrist so the measurement for wings for the bear would be 30”x15”. The pattern I used was for a child’s wing span of 34” so half of that is 17” for the length. Since we are cutting on a fold, the pattern ended up being 17”x17”.  

• Anything goes for the pattern shape but rounded edges seem to work best for t-shirt fabric as it tends to curl.

Lay out your t-shirt and place the pattern on the fold so that when it’s cut you end up with your finished wings.

Cut around the pattern.  Then cut 2 long strips of t-shirt that will become the laces that tie around the shoulders.  They should be ¾-1’ wide by about 20-25” long.  Then cut 2 shorter strips that will become the laces to tie around the wrists.  They should be ¾-1” wide by at least 10-15” long. When you stretch the ties they curl up. It’s best to cut the strips longer that you think you need so there is enough to tie.

Next, make small cuts in the wings for the ties to go.  Cut 2 holes on each wing tip for a tie that goes around the wrists and cut 4 at the top back for the shoulder ties to go. **I marked the spots with blue sharpie so it’s easy to see where to cut**

Thread your long laces through the shoulder cuts and tie.  Thread the smaller laces through the wing tip cuts and tie.

This is what the finished wings look like on the outside:

Now the wings are ready to be decorated with paint or markers!  Here is where children can get very creative.  Will they be painted like a butterfly you have seen in your yard?  Will you make them more like bird wings and paint or draw feathers?

Watered down acrylic paint can be brushed on.  Let dry for 24 hours then heat in the dryer for 10 minutes.  When you wash them, most of the color will stay in the fabric.  However, it is safe to say that the wing won’t need to be washed that often.

If you have older children, let them lead this project with their younger siblings.