Three fun, plant remedy activities for the family to enjoy!!

Ask children what they know about herbs and most would answer, it’s something used for cooking or use as a garnish, which a lot of kids would put to one side before they can even begin to devour their dish.

This is a wonderful opportunity for you to educate them about the power of plants and how herbs aren’t only used as an ingredient for cooking but for many things; one of which is traditional medicine.

Let food be thy medicine, and let medicine be thy food. – Hippocrates

Herbalism is as old as the world and teaching our children the ancient and natural way to heal ourselves empowers them to cultivate a whole new relationship with plants, the environment, as well as their body.  

Here are three Herbal activities you can do with your children on any  occasion:

HOMEMADE FIRE CIDER

There are so many herbal remedies that you can use to boost your immune system. However, this particular herbal tonic, which you can make with your children, is one of the traditional immune-supporting remedies developed and popularized about 5 decades ago. 

These days, we don’t wait for flu season before we start strengthening our immune system. With the rising numbers of COVID-19 cases, most of us have gone back to the basics such as practising proper handwashing, getting enough sleep and nourishing our bodies with a healthy diet. However, when you begin to feel the first signs of flu, a homemade fire cider must always be available in your apothecary. You can learn how to make one here.

Teach your children the health benefits and medicinal properties of each ingredient that you put in your fire cider infusion so they will have a better understanding of how the body works and respond when you take natural plant medicines to fight flu pathogens. That way, you make room for them to be creative by adding other herbs and spices that possess the same properties as those that you have mixed in your herbal infusion.  

DIY HEALING SALVE

With lock down restrictions still in place, most children are confined at home with their faces planted on their smartphones or tablets. Give your kids plenty of opportunities to be active especially during this time.  While we all know the importance of physical activities, getting hurt also comes with the territory. A natural healing salve works wonders than your usual over the counter brand. A tea tree oil for example is excellent for cuts as it is the best antiviral agent. 

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Making a healing salve with your children helps them grasp the importance of why this natural ointment needs to be applied to any of their cuts, scratches or even bruises. In addition, because it is so natural and organic, it can be applied not only when they have accidents but anytime they want!

A tutorial can be viewed here.

DIY LIP BALM

One way to entice your children to enjoy this activity is when they see how wonderful and nurturing Mother Earth can be. 

When you line up your natural ingredients and assemble these plant magic together with your little ones, It will help them become more aware that what you have created together does not contain any toxic chemicals unlike most of the popular skincare and beauty products marketed around the world. Aside from having a deeper connection with the environment, they will also begin to understand the health benefits of plants at a young age. 

These activities will get them to love planting more herbs and other plant varieties to efficiently forage their own plant medicine. It will help them understand and grasp the practice of producing something from farm to medicine. It is also a start for your children’s awareness, to comprehend, that the source for healing is not always found in conventional medicine sold in a pharmacy or supermarkets but from the natural healing component of plants. Most importantly, they learn to care for their health naturally, the planet, and at the same time, you allow them to have a whole new connection with nature as a way to observe and celebrate Mother Earth!

If you have other ideas for herbal activities with your family that you would love to share, please comment below!