|
AWAKENING WONDER by Lisa Sloan
Introducing children to growing things has long been a passion for Sharon, who for many years owned an herb and garden shop in Cambria, California, where she taught classes for youngsters and the young at heart. Several of her other gardening books have focused on children, including Sunflower Houses and Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots, and she is a children's garden adviser to the American Horticultural Society. Her hope is that this book will inspire kids and adults to enjoy the outdoors together. "I love children and I don't like to see what's happening, with them becoming more connected to electronics instead of the world around them." Natural Inspiration Sharon, a grandmother of four, packed her new book with ideas and projects—some 130 in all—that get children engaged with nature, indoors and out, with gardening, art, and cooking projects. From using a pizza box to construct a nifty solar oven to fashioning a fairy haven from blooms, branches, and other bits; there is something for all ages and interests. But more than merely a guide to nature activities, the book is intended to inspire grandparents to encourage the children they love to develop their senses of curiosity, powers of observation, and boundless imaginations. "When children watch a chrysalis become a butterfly or tadpoles change into frogs, this nurtures them in a way we can't do with our love; it ties into an appreciation for life and wonder," she says. "And, if a child doesn't have wonder, he won't have knowledge." Though parents certainly enjoy nature activities with children, Sharon believes that grandparents are especially suited for doing so because they have fewer distractions and more tolerance for the unexpected. "Parents have different priorities—they are absorbed with teaching their children manners, dressing them in clean clothes, getting them to school on time," reflects Sharon. "We grandparents are a bit more unfettered. We don't mind a bit when [grandchildren] drop into our lives like exploding bombs—grandparents get the joy factor." Deeply Planted Passion Sharon knows firsthand the tremendous impact a grandparent can have on a child's heart. For the first seven years of her life, she was lucky enough to live in a cottage tucked into an orchard on her Quaker grandmother's property. It was Abigail Lovejoy, a botanist and teacher, who ignited Sharon's passion for nature. Sharon's other grandma, "Nonie" Clark, lived a few miles away and came for weekly visits during which the two women reveled in cooking, playing games, and crafting with their only grandchild. Among Sharon's earliest memories are hours spent barefoot in the garden alongside her Grandmother Lovejoy. The wisdom gleaned during their everyday explorations stayed with her long after her grandmother passed away. "When I was a teen, I found I could instantly call up some of the things my grandmother had taught me years before—for instance, the difference between sweet fennel and poison hemlock," says Sharon. "It was practically planted deep inside me." And now, to her delight, she is able to pass her knowledge and enthusiasm to her own grandchildren, Ilyahna, 12, Asher, 9, Sara May, 8, and Moses, 3, in the backyard garden at her home in San Luis Obispo, California. "I am wild about my grandchildren, and I wanted to give them the same pure, simple experiences I had while growing up," she says. In so doing, she feels linked to her childhood self as well as her own beloved grandmothers. "The traditions, stories, cooking, gardening, arts, and patience of Grandmother and Nonie stream through me and eddy around the eager young children who fill my life with light," she writes in her book's introduction. "Whether we are picking berries or storytelling, I feel an invisible current of connection to the grandmothers who came before me."
Shared Adventures Though Sharon and her husband, Jeff Prostovich, spend winter and spring in California, where their grandkids live just minutes away, they migrate to their Maine cottage for the summer and fall. Because this puts thousands of miles between them and their grandchildren for five months of the year, Sharon is particularly attuned to the challenge of long-distance grandparenting, which inspired her to include a section titled "Long-Distance Granny." In it, she shares ideas for maintaining the connection, such as sending books, letters, stamped, pre-addressed postcards, and personalized photo bookmarks that recall their adventures together and anticipate those to come. Some of those adventures are captured on the pages of Toad Cottages & Shooting Stars, which has the feel of a family scrapbook because it is illustrated with photos of Sharon, Jeff, and their grandchildren, in addition to Sharon's whimsical watercolors. The photos were taken in their home, backyard, and favorite neighborhood park and, rather than being staged, captured candid moments as they unfolded. As well as appearing in the book, the children also helped Sharon try out all of the projects. "They were my guinea pigs, and they loved every minute of it," she says.
Simple Magic Most of Sharon's projects are low or no cost, using common household items, like tin cans (for making instruments) or water, dish soap, and corn syrup (for making bubbles). Other activities employ little more than nature's bounty, such as twigs, leaves, flower petals, and nutshells, to make ephemeral artwork or Native American playthings. "Things can be simple; they don't need to be expensive or technologically advanced," she insists. "And you don't need a lot of space, that's why the gardens in my book are container gardens. Magic can be grown from a single seed." Her section on gardens offers ideas for filling containers with veggies and other edibles to help kids make the connection between what they grow and what they eat. "It's amazing when a child realizes that tomato ketchup comes from tomatoes or that one flat pumpkin seed can grow into a giant vine," she says. To those who might feel uneasy about their outdoor expertise, she suggests plunging in unabashedly, noting that even she can't identify every animal track her grandson Asher queries her about. "Don't be ashamed if you don't know the answer to a question—be ashamed if you don't seek the answer with your grandchild." Beyond providing enjoyment and family memories, Sharon believes these joyful interactions with nature can have a lasting impact for future generations. "If children are afraid of nature, they will never be able to take care of our planet. The loss of a wetland, the loss of a species, the impact of a horrible oil spill—these things won't hold meaning for them. But, if they learn about, experience, and love [nature] then, hopefully, when they are adults, it will translate into action." Since its February debut, Toad Cottages & Shooting Stars has gone into a second printing and has garnered a bevy of awards, including the 2010 Gold Award from National Parenting Publications and the 2010 Silver Award, Best in Category, from the Garden Writers Association. For more information about Sharon, visit www.sharonlovejoy.com.  UNDERWATER VIEWER Whenever you're out together with your grandchildren near a pond, tide pool, creek, or lake, use your homemade viewer to get a water critter's view of life. You'll need: Large #10 can (3 quarts) 1-gallon plastic freezer bag Thick rubber band Remove both ends of the tin can. Place the tin can in the plastic bag. Secure the bag with a big rubber band. Slowly lay the can on the water, with the open end up, and watch! For night spying underwater, find a big jar with an airtight lid. Place a small, lit flashlight facedown inside the jar and screw on the lid. Hold the jar in the water with the beam facing down. Taken from Toad Cottages & Shooting Stars text and illustration by Sharon Lovejoy ©2009. Used by permission of Workman Publishing. Book photography by Miki Duisterhof ©2009. |
