CANVAS:
From a CANVAS Facebook post

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[Summer Camp 2020: "Summer Wildflower Walk" Held Along the Tama River!]

The other day, on Sunday, August 30—a sunny midsummer day—we held a workshop along the Tama River! It was our first in-person workshop in quite some time. Despite the intense heat, the children didn’t seem to feel unwell and were completely engrossed in the activities right up until the very end. It was also impressive to see the parents listening intently to the talk given by our guest speaker, Non-sensei from “365 Days of Wild Plants.” It was a truly wonderful time filled with so much communication through “wild plants.” ________________________＿____________ We searched for wild plants with Non-sensei, found them on our own, and discovered them together with our families… Whenever we found one, we stuck a sticker on our mission sheet and observed various wild plants using all five senses.“Where can we find a wild plant with a stiff stem? What does it smell like? How does it feel to the touch?” We were able to observe so many different wild plants in just an hour and a half! The children kept reporting their discoveries to the teacher, exclaiming, “I found one! Look, look!”We used smartphone microscopes to take a close look at the fine serrations around the leaves… At the end, Ms. Non explained the wild plants growing around the participants’ homes, and we drank wild plant tea. It was a day filled with learning about wild plants and connecting deeply with nature, wasn’t it?

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We plan to hold our wildflower walks throughout the year! Spring wildflowers, summer wildflowers, fall wildflowers, winter wildflowers—I wonder what kinds we’ll find? Please try to connect with nature right in your own neighborhood, even if it’s just around your house ^^ Thank you so much to everyone who participated!!