WILD & WISE WEDNESDAYS

After school program

DATES: 6 WEEK PROGRAM APRIL 10 - MAY 15 2024

TIME: Wednesdays, 4 - 5:15pm at Apothefinca in Escamequita

Transport: Pick up provided from El Socorro bus stop at 3:40 - parent pick up at 5:10 at Apothefinca

AGE: 7 - 14 yrs old

PRICE: $90 for 6 weeks

Summer NATURE Camp: El Pueblo Magico

Dates: 2 - 5th July & 9 - 12th July 2024

Time: 9 am - 12:30 pm

Age: 7+

Price: $190 for 4 days or $60/day

EL PUEBLO MAGICO

This 3 day camp is for wild and wise kids who want to explore, create and get their hands into the earth, build, dream, imagine and create beauty.

Day 1: Plants & Potions: Potion making is one of the best and most fun ways to learn about plants. Apothefinca’s herb garden has a wide arrange of medicinal plants: Mexican tarragon, Oaxacan lemon verbena, Aztec sugar leaf, Turmeric, Ginger, Vanilla, Boldo, Gotu Kola, Rosemary, Butterfly pea flower, Medicinal varieties of basil (african, tulsi, thai, lemon, sweet), Aloe, Various trees whose barks are medicinal, Incense, Insulina …. so many medicinal plants… and many of them smell amazing. Guided by our senses and the color of plants the kids will collect plants and pot a plant to take home and we will make edible medicinal potions in beautiful glass jars (these will come home with the kids). The kids decide what their potions are for. I will tell them the real medicinal uses of the plants they choose and they can decide if they are making a cure-all remedy or something to make dragons appear or get super powers. Also today…. it being day 1… we will have a tour of Apothefinca and a nature walk on the secret trails into the nature reserve behind the property.

Day 2: Ocean & Design Day: We will head out to the beach and search for bones and building materials and study the beach/river environments and learn whats special about them and what grows there. We will bring home a collection of things to start making designs for what El Pueblo Magico.

Day 3: El Pueblo Magico: Today is design, imagine and building day. With our collection of materials from the beach the kids will design a structure. We will do some real building - both with our hands using natural building material and with a couple of adults helping with power tools so the kids get to make exactly what they have designed. Previously the kids have made incredible duende (fairy/pixie) villages so we may have another fairy village construction or perhaps they’ll want to build forts for themselves or maybe a tree platform for bird and monkey watching. Or perhaps something entirely different…

Closing Ceremony - parents are invited to join us as we complete camp and send our wishes up in smoke and see what we’ve done in nature camp

Highlights of this camp include an adventure to the waterways, building out of natural materials, making potions and a magical village and learning about the medicinal plants that grow locally and how to use them.

Price Includes: materials for art, organic botanical medicine making, LOTS of take homes from the garden.

Transport: Need help getting your child to Apothefinca in Escamequita? Car pooling options & possible shuttle from El Socorro depending on group needs.

Meals & Snacks: We will provide a fresh snack & natural juice daily. Please send your child with an extra snack, lunch & water.

What to send your child with:

• Hat, sunscreen, flip flops & closed toe shoes.

• For the garden: garden scissors & gloves are good options (totally optional but kids enjoy having their own cutting scissors), and a basket or open bag (not plastic - cloth bag or basket is best) to take home plants & cuttings.

• On our beach day you’ll need to send your child with a towel & swim suit.

• For potion & salve making: Jam Jars and empty make up containers are very useful

• Lunch, water & a snack

Wild & Wise Kids Nature CLasses & CAmps

DETAILS

Kids get to learn the secrets of nature in the tropics in wild and wise after school class. We’ll collect herbs and learn about medicine teas; we’ll visit wild, stingless bees; we’ll spend time journalling under the home tree and developing our nature skills, we will play and we will make potions and medicines. In these series of classes and in every camp your child will go home with their arms full of herbs, joy and their spirits lifted.

Classes change with the seasons and what we do, the plants we gather depends on the climate, what’s growing and what’s happening in the Apothefinca gardens.

Here are the guiding principles of Nature class, and main areas of focus:

Observation, Connection & Gratitude

The first step to becoming a young herbalist is to observe what’s around and start to know which plants can be used in the kitchen and medicine cabinet. Before we start using plants we need to observe and then we can begin our connection, always with gratitude and admiration of the beauty of the wilds.

Herb Study and Collection/Gathering & Medicine Tea

In each class series or camp will learn about a few specific medicinal herbs - we’ll collect herbs and make our own tea blends to learn the flavours, benefits and favorites.

Potions and Medicinal Salve Making

With knowledge of which herbs and flowers are edible and medicinal the kids will have the opportunity to roam the organic gardens and collect whatever they want to make their own potion. This is always a favourite activity and a fun way for us to review what we’ve learnt and make something magical and stimulate the senses.

Making a medicinal salve is one of the most useful things to have in our first aid box. Salves are made with a herb infused oil and beeswax.