As summer turns to Autumn the opportunities for seasonal craft is abundant, autumn leaves, seeds, nuts, flowers and berries are all in abundance. This craft is a wonderful way to use one of our native plants that is always growing and always green, the native harakeke, flax or Phormium tenax is a wondrous plant, with more uses than leaves on a bush. We made these flax leaf boats using an adapted reed boat tutorial we found online here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpZA2Aj9W5A 

This story is a wonderful way to enrich a boat making experience, especially as we move from late Summer to Autumn.

Emily Mouse’s Boat

A little mouse named Emily, she built herself a boat.
She put away her hammer and nails and hoped that it would float.
Emily went for a sail, but her boat just would not goWind, wind called Emily, please wind come and blow!
here I am said the west wind-the west wind blew the mouse,
the west wind blew the boat right on top of a house.
Wind wind called Emily, please wind set us free,
so the east wind blew the boat and house right to the top of a tree
Wind wind called Emily, i fear we all may drop.
The south wind blew them all to a mountain top.
Oh wind wind called Emily, you’ve made a big mistake.
The north wind blew a mighty blow and the landed in a lake
The mountain became an island, the house sat under the tree,
but Emily stepped right out of her boat and said no more sailing for me.

Jorinde Robbers is a mother, adventurer and the managing director of Blossom Tree Home Based ECE. Blossom Tree provides a bridge between families and educators offering home-based Early Childhood Education for children up to the age of 6. Blossom Tree’s philosophy is based on children engaging in free play, with simple toys in a loving domestic environment. Young children thrive in the presence of parents and other devoted caregivers who enjoy life and caring for children Little children learn primarily through imitation and therefore need to be cared for by people with integrity and warmth who are worthy of being imitated.

https://www.blossomtree.org.nz/