Nature Kids - March 2025 Recap

At Nature School of Fairview, children explore the great outdoors, get messy with art, and grow in ways only nature can inspire! From creating flowers to running free in the fresh air, outdoor play sparks creativity, builds confidence, and nurtures a love for learning.

There is nothing better than learning and growing with friends by your side. Nature School of Fairview believes in fostering friendships, kindness and a love of learning ~ together in a caring community.

Nature School welcomes visitors interested in touring our school. If interested please contact Amanda Jarvis, Director or Nina Marcussen, Assistant Director at 469-352-3723 for an appointment.

Miss Rachel’s Class treated children, parents, grandparents and friends to their Kinder Market held after school on March 13th. 

The children would like to share with you their thoughts on the Kinder Market items they made and sold.

1. All agreed they liked making slime in different colors.  The various slimes were named Elsa Snot, Frog Snot, Mermaid Snot, and Deep Blue Sea.

2. Cute cat, owl, penguin and arctic fox stuffies made by the children were sold

3. Miss Rachel and children grew and propagated succulents for the Kinder Market. Children shared they gave the plants “just one raindrop of water when needed”.

4. Everyone enjoyed painting pictures. The children were happy to share the pictures they painted included rainbows, nature, puppies, cats, outer space and earth.

5. The children shared everything sold at the market and they hope to have another sale.

6. The last question asked of the children, would they tell other children that making and selling was a fun way to learn, share, and make money was a good idea.  The children excitedly shared “YES!!”

• Some of the money from the Kinder Market went toward the purchase of a guinea pig for Miss Rachel’s classroom. Meet Robbie Firebolt.  Robbie has lived in the classroom a couple of weeks. Robbie likes  to eat cilantro, carrots, lettuce, blueberries, bananas and strawberries.  The children frequently ask Miss Rachel if they can  share anything in their lunches with Robbie. Now that’s a great example of sharing.

• Robbie is friendly, likes to play, and is very fast. 

• Robbie makes squeaky and nibbling noises. He likes to run, Miss Rachel catches him!

Miss Marla’s Class also participated in the after school event on March 13th by making and selling lemonade and banana muffins. The children would like to share with you their thoughts and what they learned about running a business and providing a good product.

1. Prior to the sale the children painted the product stand and made lots of signs.

2. Responsibilities varied to allow the children to experience different aspects of their business. 

3. Children agreed that selling lemonade and muffins on a hot day would be beneficial.

4. Children taste-tested the lemonade and muffins prior to the sale.

5. The children made lemonade from a recipe and squeezed lots of lemons. They learned how to boil water and add the right amount of sugar. Cold water was added to complete the lemonade. Lemons were placed on each cup sold along with ice.

6. Banana muffins were also baked from a recipe. The muffins were placed in bags decorated by the children.

7. The children were asked how they arrived at the price of $2/cup of lemonade and $1/muffin. They used math to determine their costs and to enable them to make a profit. 

8. When asked what was the best part of the process. The children responded with money, happy to see happy customers, loved when moms and dads came, drinking lemonade, having fun, squeezing lemons, eating muffins, filling cups with lemonade, passing out lemonade and one child responded, having someone buy me a cup and muffin.

9. When questioned what would you tell other kids about your experience the children responded: It’s a great idea, we would share our recipes, it’s a good experience.

10. The sale totaled $480. Prior to the sale the office loaned Miss Marla’s class $100, which the class has repaid. The children will be going on a field trip to Barnes & Noble where they will each be allowed to buy one book. Some of the remaining money will be given for children who are food insufficient, and the remainder will be saved  for another sale. 

• Thank you parents, grandparents, children and friends for your unquenchable thirst for lemonade, eating muffins and shopping at the Kinder Market. Because of you the children had a positive experience learnig new skills by owning their own business. You are appreciated!!

Do you know a child or children who loves dinosaurs, castles, exploring nature, loves to be creative through art, would like to learn about caring for farm animals and gardening, go on a pirate adventure, or loves experimenting with science?

NSF’s Summer Camp is scheduled for June 2 through August 1. Summer Camp offers a variety of indoor and outdoor activities such as nature exploration, water slides, magic shows, dinosaurs and so much more! Each week features a new theme with activities designed to nurture imagination, creativity, critical thinking skills, team-building skills, and curiosity.

• Summer Camp is designed for campers ages 3-7.

• Hours 8:00 AM - 2:30 PM

• $325 per week, per child

• Registration is open now.  To register go to NSF’s web page, select Programs, Summer Camp 2025 and select  “Register Here”.

Camp registrations are filling up. Nature School currently has availability for 10-12 children to participate. 

If you, or anyone you know, are interested in more information or to register, please go to our webpage, select Programs, Summer Camp 2025 and select “Register Here”.

• In early March, Charlie Hartmann began installing Phase 1 of the food forest garden at NSF. Charlie has planted various plants, seeds, and a few live roots in permaculture guilds surrounding the existing peach trees in the back.  Some plants are easier to see than others, however, some are small and tender and children could easily step on them.  We are requesting that children be kept from trampling or playing in these areas until things get established; at which time small signs labelling the plants will be installed. This will enable the students to interact, learn and be in this new garden space. Until then let’s be cautious and allow these new plants to safely grow. 

• Throughout March, Charlie planted brussel sprouts and green cabbage with beet seed sown in between; yellow squash near some strawberries that were previously planted, and  peas on the other side. More butternut and yellow squash plus some collard greens, as well as carrot seed were planted in the spiral gardens. Four tomatoes and three pepper plants were also transplanted.

           Sweet william and foxglove flowers, and native shade tolerant seed mix were planted in the front garden.

Foraging wild edible plants on Nature School of Fairview’s property as a food source: Dandelions

Nice, young dandelion leaves will have a milder flavor than older plants.

Dandelions are nature's soil savers. Their deep taproots (25 feet long) penetrate the ground, reaching nutrients that many other plants can't access. This helps improve soil health and can make it more fertile for other plants. Their roots also help aerate compacted soil, allowing water and oxygen to penetrate more deeply.

Dandelions are one of the superfoods of foraging due to their high amounts of vitamins, minerals, and protein as well as the multitude of ways to use them. However, these nutrients come at a cost, mainly the strong bitter flavor of this plant.Nice, young dandelion leaves have a milder flavor than older plants.

Nutritional Value: Vitamins A, B, thiamine, riboflavin, minerals, and protein.

Most of the time cooking is boiling them in salted water until they're tender and taste good to you, then sauteed with garlic and oil, and added to soup (chop them first) or simply garnished with lemon juice and olive oil.

The best part of dandelions for eating are the white leaf stems right at the top of the root, sautéed in some bacon grease.

To access, use a shovel, dig up the cluster of crowns, and cut them from the roots. From there, trim the leaves for another purpose, and cook the crowns like a small vegetable. Dandelion crowns are tender and delicious, with a texture that might remind you of an artichoke. 

You'll want to give the hearts/crowns a good blanch after trimming that calms the flavor, as well as helping to clean them.

Cultivated dandelions are much more mild than truly wild ones, and will stay tender longer as they're managed by growers as a food plant. If you find wild dandelions too strong for you, try looking for cultivated dandelions at your farmers market, local co-op, or Asian or Middle Eastern Grocer-they make a great salad. 

The perfect time to harvest dandelion leaves is just before any flower stems appear.

• Harvest young leaves: The best time to pick dandelions is in the early spring when the leaves are young and tender, as older leaves can be quite bitter. 

• Wash thoroughly. Rinse the leaves under cold running water to remove dirt and debris. 

If you have access to milder greens with which to make a salad then "dilute" a small amount of shredded dandelion leaves with a much larger amount of mild greens. 1 part dandelion + 9 parts mild greens is a good ratio.

Wilting the dandelion greens with hot bacon grease is perhaps the most flavorful method. The hot grease both destroys some of the bitter compounds as well as coats and "desensitizes" your tongue to the bitterness. Note that olive oil will also work though not quite as well.

Overwhelming the bitterness with (sour) vinegar and or salty (soy sauce) flavors also works. A strong vinegar/oil salad dressing with the dandelion greens works very well.

Dandelion flowers are edible, but not the part of the plant in my opinion, which I'd say would be the leaves or the crowns. Some people like to dip them in batter and fry them (when did fried batter ever taste bad?) and it's ok. Others will toss the flowers whole into salads, which I never do, but I may pick apart the flowers and sprinkle the petals on top of a dish or a salad. Dandelion flower jelly is also a thing. 

The only inedible part is the stem, which contains a very bitter, milky substance.

(Source: Forager Chef)

Recipes:

Dandelion wine 

Dandelion wine does not require any special equipment to make. Just dandelions, some sugar and yeast, oranges and lemons, and pots to boil water in.

This recipe uses cloves, which gives it a nice touch. If you have dandelions around, give it a try. 

Ingredients:

• 1 package dried yeast

• 1/4 cup warm water

• 2 quarts dandelion blossoms

• 4 quarts water (1 gallon)

• 1 cup orange juice

• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

• 8 whole cloves

• 1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger

• 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped orange peel

• 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped lemon peel

• 6 cups sugar

Preparation:

1. Dissolve the yeast in warm water. Set aside.

2. Wash the dandelion blossoms well. Put them in the water with the orange, lemon and lime juices.

3. Add the cloves, ginger, orange and lemon peel, and sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and continue to boil gently for one hour. Strain through filter paper (coffee filters work great). Cool. While still warm (but not hot), stir in the yeast.

4. Let stand overnight and pour into bottles. Allow uncorked bottles to sit in a darkened place for three weeks. Then cork and store bottles in a cool place.

5. Makes about 4 quarts.

Source: Texascooking.com

Disclaimer:

Dandelion is generally considered safe. Some people may have an allergic reaction from touching dandelions. Others may get mouth sores. If you are allergic to ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigold, chamomile, yarrow, daisies, or iodine, you should avoid dandelion.

Never eat, or let your children eat, something you cannot identify with one hundred percent certainty. Always cross-reference the information. This is the biggest foraging rule, which should never, ever be broken.

Nature TIdbits: 

Did you know, if you didn’t have any special devices to predict bad weather you could simply find a dandelion? They’re one of the many plants that close their petals when rain is approaching so that the pollen is protected. The puffballs also do this with their plumes so that the seedlings are less likely to blow away during hard winds. Other plants like tulips, marigolds, and some daisies do this too. (Source: Dandelion Appreciation Society).