Herbs! First 5
We began by introducing ourselves and our children. Then Jasmine passed out rosemary, Mexican marigold, sage, and lavender to each child and parent. These herbs were grown in our teaching gardens, our teacher’s home, and the Rosicrucian Egyptian Park in San Jose. They were cut with love and intention to share and teach our community about their qualities and uses.
Everyone got a chance to smell the herbs and engage with them. From there Jasmine told the story about the rainbow children so that everyone could remember the association and the properties of the herbs as well as the colors and what they instill in all human beings. Parents, caregivers, and children locked eyes with Jasmine as she told the story in English and Spanish.
From there we enjoyed a delicious snack of air fried rosemary potatoes, fresh strawberries, and jamaica (hibiscus) nectar. Many of the mothers were happy because they were familiar with the jamaica used in the nectar. The hibiscus nectar we enjoyed was made with jamaica that came from the marketplace in Jasmine’s mom’s hometown, pineapple sage leaves, and hummingbird sage flowers, honey, and maple syrup.
Next we gathered some more of the herbs that were on the table and bundled them up with string so that families could take them home and hang them in their cars or in their showers.
We then washed our hands with ceanothus flowers and water, and talked with the parents about ancestral herbs that they use in their homes on a daily basis.
Our teacher Allegra made a gluten-free natural play dough from natural purple and yellow dye. The kids mashed the loose herbs together and different colored doughs together.
Throughout our time together, the beauty of our natural world was the focus … the physical beauty of the many varied leaves and flowers, and the unique and beautiful scent of each herb. The photos below remain after our morning together as reminders of the many beautiful herbs we shared stories about, observed closely, felt, sniffed, and ate:
The children discovered a roly poly and observed it closely:
