Location: Witty’s Lagoon 

Date: May 25th

Time: 10am-4pm

Hosts: Marae & Eden

Ages: 9-13

Cost: $150

Take home: A glycerite for a floral sweet treat and somatic imprint of spring, potted herbal seeds and starts to grow at home, a nature art project, and write up on care tips for the plants we started.

As the hawthorns bloom at Witty’s lagoon, we will get to sit with them and collect their petals for a sweet medicine called a glycerite; an infusion of spring. As the first day in our flower fae series, we also want to introduce everyone to the start of a beautiful and practical relationship with our herbal friends: seeds and seedlings.Together, we will plant a series of herbs that can be grown on a patio or in the ground and at the end of the day, taken home! A write up on the plants, care tips, and contraindications for use will be made available to all families. The best part- varieties we plant together with intention will be reflected in later camps for art and medicine making! The process of getting dirty, learning about seed starting, and getting excited for the possibilities to come will be reflected in the day.

Location: Esquimalt Location

Date: June 22nd

Time: 10am-4pm

Hosts: Marae & Eden

Ages: 9-13

Cost: $150

Take home: Small bundle-dyed bandana, lino print edition on fabric, and hand carved stamp for future use.

Plant sits are an interactive form of meditation with the focus being on a plant in the wild, and can be done in stillness or movement. Inspired by getting to know our plants in this way, we will move into a day with many art projects! Lino printing is a popular form of printmaking where the artist carves a rubber stamp of their own design and prints it with ink on their medium of choice. For this camp, our designs will be inspired by a plant spirit. We will draw the plant or inspiration it holds, transfer it onto a stamp with graphite, and carve out the lines with a speedball linoleum cutter. Last but not least, the printed design will go on an assortment of paper and fabric that can be used in future textile art projects! Each kiddo will also get to create their own small bundle-dyed bandana to take home using natural pigments, flowers, leaves and other found objects. We will explore bundle dying as a method of capturing the qualities of the natural environment, flower spirits and our plant kin with safe to use and environmentally low impact chemicals. 

Location: Fernwood Location

Date: May 25th

Time: 10am-4pm

Hosts: Marae & Eden

Ages: 9-13

Cost: $150

Take home: An herbal tea, infused oil & honey, and write up on harvesting different kinds of herbal medicines.

By learning how to harvest plants in a farm/nursery garden, we will build tools for medicine making basics that can be built on later on. We will go over harvest fresh herbs, seed collecting, flower cutting, and more. The afternoon will be spent in the kitchen making remedies with our baskets of herbs. The herbal preparations of the day are designed to help us get into our bodies. Our tea will be filled with gentle calming and uplifting herbs for a perfect any time of day ‘sip’! Honeys that we infuse with herbs can be used in tea or baking, adding medicine to unexpected future recipes. The oil we make will be a lavender body oil, and used for calming self hand and arm massage in and outside of class, adding to our toolkit for self regulation and connection. Just like our harvesting expeditions, our focus will be on attuning to what feels rights through our bodies.

Location: Pkols/Mount Douglas Park 

Date: August 10th

Time: 10am-4pm

Hosts: Marae & Eden

Ages: 9-13

Cost: $150

Take home: An energetic flower essence in dropper form, cyanotype printed tote bag and piece of gluten free herbal cake.

We will be introducing Plant Spirit Meditation, heart-centred perception and land-based meditation. Each kidlet will choose a flower, tree or plant to sit with to create their own flower essence that will be in dropper form for them to take as a nervous system regulation tool. Our art project for the day will be crafting sun-affected Cyanotype bags with gathered sticks, seed pods, flowers, leaves and flowers. Each kiddo will lay out their unique design in the sun and see how the pigments are affected by sun exposure, leaving behind a memento of their pattern to take home. Lastly we will also be baking a gluten free sweet treat with a fresh herb in season! The focus of the day will be in celebrating the gifts of summer and creating tools for bringing the magic with us for a gentle transition into the school year ahead. 

Location: *Sidney Island Marine Park

Date: *August 31st

Time: *10am-4pm (arrive in Sidney at 9 am, leave Sidney spit at 5:30pm if only coming for the day)

Hosts: Marae & Eden

Ages: 9-13

Cost: $150

Take home: A seaweed cream & sea essence remedy, as well as video of our storytelling creation based on selkie lore.

*At least one chaperone is required for each participant or family on this trip, as it will include a passenger only ferry and optional camping stay for the August long weekend. Price does not include ferry or camping costs. Participants are required to have completed 1 flower fae program prior to attending. Sign up soon and book your camping stay through gulf island parks if you wish to make it a weekend family experience!

Selkies are an emblem of celtic folklore; creatures that live and travel between land and sea. These seal-human selkies will help us navigate the transitional period of becoming, wether that means crossing over into a new school year, or navigating the personal crossing into teenage hood and all of its mysteries. Throughout the day we will dive into creative storytelling in a safe and organized container, and make a body lotion and an energetic essence from sustainably harvested coastal seaweeds. With these stories and potions in our pockets, we remember the grief of summer’s end and welcome our new challenges and gifts in the year to come. Parents/chaperons are welcome to take part in our activities or wander the island and explore its magic.