A big component of creating health throughout our lives is our ability to align with nature. Children are the same way. Showing them the cycles of nature and how to connect are very important ways we can teach children how to guide their own health.
One of the ways I bring nature to the table is through seasonal poems we read as part of our mealtime blessing. I have several books we read from and a few poems and songs memorized. Sometimes we read about the rain, snow, rainbows and animals. Often we read from a wonderful series of books with poems and stories about the seasons.
My favorite these days is a little series by Wynstone Press. The books are titled after each of the seasons and contain a treasury of poems, simple songs and short stories pertaining to each of the seasons. It is fairly easy to find the books online, but here is one link. Don’t let the price dissuade you. Keep these books near the table and you will reach for them over and over through the years. Like treasured friends you will put one book to rest and bring the next one out as each season turns into the next.
The book of Spring which we have been reading from lately has poems about winter giving way to spring, gnomes and fairies, seeds bursting, bulbs blooming, Easter, dancing around the maypole, and newly hatched chicks. I read a few poems or a short story before the meal and it helps us connect to nature and to our food.
Eating the food that grows locally and within your climate helps your body align with your environment, strengthens your immune system and increases your connection with nature. We talk about this at meals after giving thanks to the sun, moon and earth.These poems about the seasons help children feel the connection even more deeply.
Love,
Teresa