An herbal adventure for kids
Kids, ages 5-12 will have their own cozy corner at the Wild Indigo Herb Fest! There will be lots of fun activities planned as well as presenters teaching classes.
Kid Fest will be located centrally in the center of the Fest for easy access. There will be a tent dedicated to the kids and there is a playground for them to enjoy with nearby access to nature trails and a small pond for watching wildlife.
Meet the Presenters
Rhonda Barlow
Rhonda Barlow, Registered Dietitian, Herbalist, Community Health Educator, and Garden to Table Advocate, is the founder of Lovey Toolhouse.
Rhonda will be presenting Spice Crafts: Scented Hair Scrunchie or Bracelet
In this hands-on class, Rhonda will share the history of herbs and spices used in articles of clothing, talk about which herbs are best suited for this project then let the children pick a piece of fabric to sew together while incorporating herbs to create their sachet bracelets or hair scrunchies.
Irucka Ajani Embry
Obiora Embry
Irucka Ajani and Obiora Embry are creative, enterprising, intelligent, multidimensional, and multi–faceted twin brothers.
Irucka and Obiora will be presenting Introduction to Fermentation via Colorful Sauerkraut
In this interactive workshop, Obiora and Irucka Ajani Embry, twin brothers who grew up in a creative family where food was never boring will focus on fermentation. Irucka will discuss some basics of fermentation and they both will talk about some of their past ferment successes and failures. Through the instruction by the twin brothers and the curiosity & creativity of the young participants, we will be adding a twist to a traditional fermented food: sauerkraut. The young participants will have an opportunity to go beyond the basic ingredients by adding color and diversity from Summer flora.
Tony(a) Lemos
Tony(a) Lemos is a community herbalist, educator, and artist with 25+ years of experience. Founder of Blazing Star Herbal School in MA, she leads a year-long apprenticeship and botanical art program. Inspired by the green world, she helps people connect with plants for healing and well-being.
Tony(a) will be presenting Art that Breathes (kids edition) Vases for Wild Things
Young artists will design a vase on card stock and then step outdoors to gather flowers, grasses and leaves that turn their artwork into a living bouquet. Together we will paint, poke and gather.
Shana Weddington
Clinical herbalist & local food systems champion. Exec. Director of Agricole Farm Stop. Food coordinator & MC for Great Lakes Herb Faire.
Shana will be presenting Herbal Honeys: A Sweet Way to Stay Well
This hands-on workshop teaches children how to make their own delicious and medicinal herbal honey. Using local honey and a selection of simple, child-safe dried herbs, we’ll learn about different plant benefits and create a tasty remedy for everything from a sore throat to a grumpy mood. Kids will leave with their own jar of herbal honey and a new appreciation for plants as food and medicine.
Mary Blue
Mary Blue is a community herbalist, educator, and activist with over 25 years of experience. She founded Farmacy Herbs in Providence in 2006, growing it into a nationally respected hub for herbal education, farming, and health justice that has trained over 1,000 students and launched herb businesses across the country. Her work focuses on using herbs, nutrition, and lifestyle to support health. Mary has taught and delivered keynote addresses and taught nationally including at universities, conferences, and community institutions. She has served as a Teaching Associate and Associate Professor at Brown University Medical School and spoke about herbalism at the United Nations Council on Women in 2012, A widely cited and award-winning herbalist, Mary is a leading voice in community-centered herbal medicine.
Mary will be offering Herbal Superhero Theatre
Kids will dream up herbal superheroes, create a play then act it out.
Kristine Brown
Kristine Brown, RH(AHG), is helping parents teach their kids about herbalism, one herb at a time. Combining her knowledge as an herbalist and homeschooling mom, Kristine created the only children’s herbal curriculum that uses all four learning styles (visual, auditory, reading, and kinesthetic). She has taught classes for children locally and coordinated numerous herbal conference kids’ camps both locally and nationally. She is the writer and illustrator of the online children’s publication Herbal Roots zine and a membership offering, Herb Club. Teaching others about plants and drawing and sharing her knowledge with children—our future—is her passion.
Kristine will be conducting the opening and closing sessions of Kid Fest.
