Nature Net News
May 2005
May Day Heyday
"Every
flower is a soul blossoming out to nature."
Gerard de Nerval
|
Dear Readers, I remember it like it was yesterday. Waking up early on a fresh spring morning and carefully opening my bedroom door to discover a delicate May Basket hanging on its knob. Who put it there? Why? I never found out, but it’s a delightful ritual that I’ve cherished and continue with my children to this day. Some say if you wash your face with the dew off the grass on May Day you will stay forever young. True? I don’t know, but there’s something about the freshness of May that puts a spring into everyone’s step. Take that energy and put it to good use – take a hike, visit a Nature Net site, dance around the Maypole, or check out our newest section: "Eco-Exercise", family physical activities geared to the season. Enjoy! Kathe & BetsyThe Folks at Nature Net |
May Day's origins trace back to Roman times when people celebrated Flora, the goddess of spring? She was honored with decorative flowers and festive carols & dances.
What to do this month:
Watch for spring flowers beginning
to bloom like apple & plum trees, honeysuckle and lilacs.
Be on the look-out for other signs of spring, including earthworms surfacing or birds building nests and laying eggs.
Check out family events at area Nature Net sites!
Tricks of the Trail for Parents:
Healthy
Snacks
The fresh May air brings renewed outdoor activity… and burgeoning
appetites! Keep your little
ones happy with healthy snacks on the trail.
Fill a re-sealable bag with tasty treats that can be tucked into a
backpack. Make a festive
combination of raisins, craisins (dried cranberries), nuts, and cereals.
A bag of mini-carrots is a refreshing alternative to salty and
crunchy snacks. Fruit
leathers are also convenient. Stay away from items that could melt (chocolate) or leave
sugary residues on small fingers. Use
your snacks to motivate small hikers – when we reach the top of the
hill, we'll stop to relax and enjoy nature’s bounty. Once
you’re finished, you can re-use the plastic bag for your nature
collecting on the way back home!
Instant
Outdoor Expert:
Though an ancient
celebration, springs
arrival is observed to this day - and around the world! In Italy, May Day is known as
the happiest day of the year. In Switzerland, pine trees are
placed under young girls windows and in Germany May Day is a public holiday
akin to Labor Day when houses and dance halls are adorned with flowers and
green grasses. Many western European and American towns still celebrate the day
with a Maypole dance.
Eco-Exercise:
Dancing
around the Maypole
May Day’s activity doesn’t need to end after May 1st!
No Maypole handy? Try this fun
variation:
1. Hold hands forming a circle
around a favorite tree (or Maypole) and choose a song to sing!
2. Select a ‘leader’ who chooses a method of circling the tree –
steps, skips, hops, etc. Everyone follows
the leader circling the tree for 16 beats.
3. Then, the next person to the right becomes the leader and chooses his/her method, and the
group repeats the process.
4. Continue around the tree, switching leaders until the last person
has taken a turn.
5. Finish your final round by
touching the ground, then reaching up high to the tree tops!
Not enough people to circle the tree?
Hold hands and move around the tree base.
Switch directions, do funny walks, have fun!!
"Diary of a Worm" by Doreen Cronin
"Honeysuckle Sipping: The Plant Lore of Childhood" by Jeanné R. Chesanow
Featured Nature Net Site
Nature Craft
Madison
Conservation Parks
The City of Madison Parks Division Conservation Section has 14
different and unique conservation parks. A conservation park differs
in how it is managed and why the land was acquired. The goal of the
conservation park is to restore native plant and animal communities while
providing education areas and opportunities for everyone.
In the late 1960s, the City of Madison began purchasing land in what is
now Cherokee Marsh. This large and diverse wetland needed to be
preserved for future generations. Since formally establishing a
Conservation Parks Program in 1971, the City has acquired and manages over
1600 acres of conservation parkland.
Conservation parkland is our past, present and future. We need to
preserve this land, restore it to its original state now for future
generations to have a window to our past.
Visit a park in your area to take advantage of the great conservation work
the City of Madison has achieved.
Make
a May Day BasketBrighten a friend or neighbor's day with a colorful May Day basket hung on their door.
For a traditional May basket, cut a wide triangle shape from a sturdy piece of paper. Snip off the triangle tip and roll the remaining piece into a cone shape. Glue or tape the over-lapping sides (using paper clips to hold it in place while the glue dries). Cut a strip of paper for the handle (12 inches in length should do) and glue or tape it to the top of the cone. Fill your cone basket with real (or home-made tissue paper) flowers and sneakily hang it on your friend or neighbor's doorknob.
You can also use your imagination with recycled materials to create a truly unique basket. Try a toilet tissue roll cut in half, decorated and closed off at the bottom with a stiff piece of paper. Attach a pipe cleaner handle and fill with small flowers.
Other recycled "basket" ideas include plastic strawberry baskets, yogurt cups, play dough containers or baby food jars. Just decorate, attach a handle and send spring greetings!
(Nature Craft idea from familycrafts.about.com)
