Lavender

I had a very proud "mama moment" last night. Lyra burned her finger on a dish of elderberry dumplings we had just made, and I had gotten her a cup of cool water and a cold potato slice to put on it. While I was off looking for my honey and bandaids Isla said, "Mom! We need lavender! Lavender helps burns, remember?" I had forgotten! We made an infusion (strong tea, left covered 15 minutes to steep), cooled it with an ice cube, and applied napkins soaked in it to Lyra's burns. It was the only thing that helped. She didn't complain once after the lavender. I was so happy that Isla had learned such an important thing from our week of loving on lavender, that it is not just delicious (although we have certainly enjoyed the deliciousness of it as well):



Lavender cake, lavender tea, lavender lemon aid, lavender infused honey... We make as many treats and remedies as possible from each plant we are learning about. This, along with stories about the plants and their corresponding fairies, seems to give the girls an extra connection to the plant.



I beam with pride whenever I hear them explaining to a friend or relative about the different healing qualities of this or that plant. We go on walks and the girls call out, "wild mustard!... wild radish!... nasturtium!... sage!... yarrow!... plantain!..." and it makes me so happy.



We have dozens of useful plant books at home, but my favorite kid-friendly resources are "Herb Fairies" and "Herbal Roots Zine," both absolutely worth checking out. We started with a few by Rosemary Gladstar, and for the kids I got, "A Kid's Herb Book," by Lesley Tierra, and "Walking the World in Wonder - A Children's Herbal," by Ellen Evert Hopman. If you are pregnant I highly recommend "The Wise Woman's Herbal for the Childbearing Year." It is incredibly user-friendly and thorough, and is great for beginners as well as "seasoned" herbalists.