Program Topics

Whenever possible, information will be shared in an experiential way. Discussions are designed to stimulate critical thinking and inspire “doing”.

Nature and the Environment

Nature Lessons: Many activities in nature prompt active learning experiences in math, science, social studies, and language whether investigating the creek, building a fort, planting garlic, or making sumac lemonade, Nature provides many valuable lessons about oneself through the environment in which we live.

Healthy Children- Healthy Planet: This program focuses on ways adults can assist children through our fast paced consumer culture. Personal relationships with people and nature provide a much needed alternative to technological gadgets and advertising. Engaging in family rituals and celebrations, turning off the t.v. and eating whole foods together as a family are just a few ways to influence not only our children’s future, but ours as well.

Voluntary Simplicity: These lessons address the material and psychological distractions that keep us from caring for the earth. It is filled with ideas for eliminating the unnecessary in lives so we can focus on the meaningful.

Discovering a Sense of Place: It is empowering to know and protect the place where we live. These discussions are about home, community, bioregions, and responsible caretaking of the land.

Eco-therapy: World views that define our relationship with nature are the driving force behind how we interact with our environment. Explore how working with the elements, cycles, and polarities of nature can help you restore balance within as well as without.

Exploring Deep Ecology: Deep ecology delves into the ways an individual approaches their relationship with the earth. Participants discuss how their personal values affect the way they view and treat the earth.

Globalization & Its Critics: Since public policy supports economic globalization, critical thinking demands that we take a look at the concerns and views of he critics about this trend. Activities that promote localization are also included as well as the affects of personal purchasing and investing habits.

Herbs

The Wonderful World of Herbs: This introductory presentation highlights the myriad uses of herbs via lecture, slides, and/or show and tell.

Herb Gardening: Explore the healing facets of this very therapeutic activity. Possible focus- garden design, cultivation, harvesting, companion planting, astrological aspects- planting by the moon, and non-toxic pest control.

Incredible Edibles: Enhance your foods with the delicate flavors of herbs and spices. This may also focus on wild foods- see foods below for more ideas

Gifts from the Earth: During this session ideas will be given for creating crafts and personal gift items and baskets that include bath & body products, culinary blends, tea samplers, dream enhancers, or many other items for those special loved ones.

Kitchen Cosmetics: Pamper yourself with simple, inexpensive beauty aids that impart a radiant glow from the inside out. Learn how to make cleansing products, toners, and lotions.

The Herbal Bath: There's nothing more relaxing than a warm, aromatic bath. Enrich your bathing pleasure with fragrant herbs, oils, and salts. Your body will appreciate it.

Green Cleaning: Stimulate the senses and uplift the spirits with fragrant cleaning products that are gentle to the environment and non-toxic to people. Many harsh cleaners may be replaced with items prepared with essential oils and other common ingredients that work just as effectively.

Flower Essences: Acquaint yourself with the emotional healing power of flower remedies discovered by Dr. Edward Bach in the 1930's. These vibrational essences influence mental and emotional states, creating mood changes that boost the immune system and overall functioning.

History & Philosophy of Healing: Delve into the past to increase understanding of the theories that drive healing and our choices in medicine today. Embrace the energy and purpose behind why one chooses the medicine they do.

Energetics: Become aware of the principles of ancient healing systems that view wellness as a balance of the elements of nature- earth, air, fire, and water as expressed through such traditions as the polarity of yin & yang in Traditional Chinese Medicine, the three doshas in Ayurvedic Medicine, and the four humors in Greek Medicine.

Green First Aid: View and sample the various items that might be included in a first aid kit and learn how to create your own personalized kit for home, travel, and hiking.

Formulas: Basic guidelines provide the necessary tools for learning the art of blending synergistic medicine through the combining of individual herbs. Participants will engage in this process while also being true to individual preference.

Medicine Making: Herbal medicine is known as the art of simpling because the process and ingredients are simple. Plant preparations for common ailments maybe easily made at home while respecting the environment and creating waste that can be recycled back to the earth.

Gypsy Cold Care: Attune to the seasons and assist the body in transitioning to these changes. Recipes will be given for home remedies to ease those winter discomforts such as garlic soup, rose hip jam, teas, tinctures, and hydrotherapy techniques.

Herbal Therapeutics: Focus is on herbs that tone and strengthen particular systems of the body as well as specific indications for various imbalances. Individual sessions concentrate on a specific system-- immune, respiratory, nervous, cardiac, digestive, reproductive, skin, musculo-skeletal, etc.

Earth Mothering: Bringing children into the world in a gentle way sets the tone for the rest of their lives. Suggestions will be given from a variety of wholistic methods for natural healthcare during pregnancy and childhood.

Women's Mysteries: Reproductive health care from menarche to menopause will be discussed with special emphasis on attitudes and how they affect the transitions that come with being maiden, mother and crone.

Earth Ceremonies: Awaken the power within by tuning into the forces of nature. Become aware of the elements, the cycles, the seasons, the moon, the plants, and all they communicate. Ritual is life in action and traditions are the glue that holds family and community together.

Sexual Sense: Relationships are one of our greatest challenges. This subject matter focuses on improving communication skills and increasing understanding of gender. Depending upon the group and their age, it can include STD’s, contraception, child birth, harassment, and other sexually related issues.

Aphrodisiacs: An excellent program around Valentine’s Day, this option provides insight into creating passion in your life. Many recipes are included that may easily be made in your own kitchen. Always a fun and enjoyable session!

Sweet Dreams: Dreams can help us become more aware of our inner life while also helping resolve situations in outer life. Working with dreams is the focus and recipes will also be given for promoting peaceful sleep, and for stimulating and remembering dreams.

Blessed Death: Rather than send flowers, I tend to give death baskets which nourish the living and ease the stress. Learn how to create your own baskets and what and why you might want to include certain items. Understanding the grieving process is important to moving on with one’s own life following important losses. Avoidance of this topic leads to fear, stress, and economic manipulation. The focus may also be on learning about alternative options in order to make wiser decisions about this final journey we must ultimately travel alone.

Tea Tasting: Sample an assortment of teas- black, oolong, green, and herbal. Observe their appearance in dry form as well as their varied hues and scents when brewed. Each will be labeled along with a brief description and serving suggestions.

Tea Time: Explore the history, processing, preparation, and elements of a traditional tea party. This may be a lecture format or we can actually prepare a traditional afternoon tea party and then indulge in our creation.

Health Benefits of the Camillia Senensis Plant: We will discuss the health benefits of “regular” tea which includes black, oolong, and green tea. Though they originate from the same plant, the processing produces very different brews with slightly different health promoting aspects. (this program may also be conducted focusing on herb teas)

The Tea Ceremony: Learn the principles behind this ancient Japanese ritual of performing a simple daily task with focused attention as an avenue to spiritual enlightenment. Incorporating such simple rituals into our chaotic fast paced lifestyles can be a way of slowing down and restoring balance.

Food and Cooking

Wild Foods & Flowers: Discover the nutritious value and interesting dishes that may be created from common weeds and beautiful flowers. A must for domestic arts and homeland security!

Food Preservation: A lost and dying art but one essential to survival is food preservation. The focus can be on drying, canning, freezing, or fermentation. It may focus on a specific food such as tomatoes- juice, spaghetti sauce, and salsa or apples- sauce, butter, and pie filling. There are many, many possibilities here!

Jams & Jellies: A great way to preserve fruits flavored with herbs, this is a great beginner’s class on putting food up. Dried fruit roll ups could even be included.

Basics: In some families, we now have three generations of fast food, micro-wave cooking which makes learning through example rather difficult. Learn how to make the basics from scratch- pie dough, white sauce, noodles, and more.

Specific Food Categories: These sessions focus on one type of food- soups, salads, entrees, vegetables, breads, and desserts. These sessions may be fine tuned even further with emphasis on pasta, pies, cakes, cookies, sandwiches, wraps, scones, yeast breads, quick breads, etc. the possibilities are endless!

Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner: First time performing this daunting task of preparing turkey dinner? This trial run will help you feel more comfortable not only about roasting a turkey but also making dressings, cranberry salad, mash and sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie, and a Parker favorite tradition, 7-layer salad.

International Flavor: Add different spices to you life by incorporating seasons from around the world. Choose from Mexican, Italian, Chinese, Indian, or if it’s something we’re not real familiar with- we’ll perfect it before your class!

School Lunches: As a substitute teacher, I always pack my lunch. Though school lunches are improving, in general, they lack color and freshness. The packed lunches I observe often include soda and candy which the kids usually eat firs, often leaving the sandwich untouched. This class focuses on healthy solutions to eating away from home.

Nutrition: These sessions focus on the state of health in the U.S. today where our children, for the first time in history, have a lower life expectancy than their parents. I find this frightening. A video resource does an excellent job of presenting this information and stimulating discussion. Other aspects that may be included are the food pyramid, portion sizes, where our food comes from, eating locally, food politics, and eating the colors of the rainbow. These are very informative sessions that foster critical thinking and life style changes.