Don't let restrictions get you down!
We have so many exciting ways to connect in with a wonderful nature based community these holidays!
Yes it's online, but it will be fun- we promise!!
Lets get outside and inspired this spring!!

In our holiday program sessions you will get to hang out with real nature connection mentors, in real time. They have lots of energy and excitement to meet you and explore, ask questions that will get you out, wandering and wondering.

Our holiday program welcomes participants of all ages, the Village Cafe and the Deepeing Nature Connection Connection session are specifically aimed at adults and teens, the rest are usually kid-centric, and welcoming of nature-curious folks of all ages.

We are asking folks to book one ticket per household, which gives you entry to all of the 11 events. That's 14 hours of community nature connection events and mentoring!!

Here is what we have planned for you:

1 Cartoon Story Catching, Stretching and Hatching with Trace Balla
- Tues 21st Sept 10-11am

Author-illustrator, Trace Balla, has caught many stories on her travels down rivers and across landscapes, and hatched them into award-winning picture books such as Rivertime, Rockhopping, Landing With Wings and The Thank You Dish.

Join Trace on a virtual creative adventure workshop, where we will combine our stories, stretch them, and hatch them to make a group adventure cartoon story. Trace will give you lots of tips and tricks to inspire you to create your own little cartoon strips that you can share with the village on the Firekeepers Community Facebook page.

Suitable for all ages and abilities.

2 Imagination & Storytelling: Tiny Adventures! with Steph Brophy & Jo Laurie
- Tues 21st Sept 4-5pm

Let's experience the magic of story together! Join storytellers Steph Brophy and Jo Laurie for an adventure into the world of imagination. We are going to go on adventures - from the teeny tiny to the gigantic - and build a story together. So come prepared with your playfulness and imagination, and who knows where our story will go!

3 Scavenger Hunt with Logan Timmins
- Thurs 23rd Sept 10- 11:30am

Come along on a wild scavenger hunt as we adventure in our backyards and neighbourhoods! Join Logan and other nature connection mentors as we find all the wonderful treasures right outside your door. How many can you find before time runs out?

Join nature connection mentor, game designer, and older sibling extraodinaire Logan Timmins in a race against time to hone your observational skills. It will be a fun, adventurous session guaranteed to get you noticing more interesting things around you!

Suitable for all ages

4 Equinox Mandalas with Amy of Green Heart Ecotherapy
- Thurs 23rd Sept 4-5pm

On the day of the spring equinox, the moment in which night and day are in perfect balance, we invite you to celebrate by creating a nature mandala!

Join Amy of Green Heart Ecotherapy to make or share a Nature Mandala. It will be a beautiful way to mark the spring equinox and connect with the seasons.

We will be making our nature mandalas during the session so please bring along some collected items that you are drawn to include in your mandala. Collecting these items is half the fun and we’ll catch some stories as we create our nature mandalas!.

You might even choose to make a nature mandala prior to the session as well - if so come along with any pictures you’ve taken and stories of it’s creation! You’ll find some instructions on this Green Heart Ecotherapy event page below, which is a place to share a photo of your mandala with more nature-loving mandala makers:https://www.facebook.com/event...

For all ages and abilities.

5 Song Circle with Indrani Perera and Michelle Morgan

- Thurs 23rd Sept 7-8:30pm

Coo-eee! Come and sing nature songs with facilitators and creatives, Indrani Perera and Michelle Morgan. Singing together online is surprisingly connective and lots of fun so be prepared to raise your voice and smile lots!

We’ll sing camp favourites, new songs and take requests. You can bring along songs to share as well. If you feel shy about your voice - don’t worry, you can sing along with your microphone muted.

Suitable for all ages and abilities (well, those who stay up past 7pm).

No singing experience needed. New folks welcome!

6 Deepening Nature Connection & Curiosity with Mel Turnbull & Claire Mosley

- Sun 26th Sept 10-12 midday

One for the adults! This experiential session will have you feeling inspired, curious and questioning all the living things around you! A chance for adults, teens, parents (and their older kids) to connect with their inner child and to deepen their nature awareness.

7 Roleplaying Nature with Kat Hampton
- Tues 28th Sept - 10-11am

Spring is unfolding and new life is bursting all around us! Have you noticed any noisy nests or unfolding buds? What other signs of new life are around? Come along to explore spring life, share stories, make stories and act out what we see!

Suitable for all ages and abilities.

8 Nature Art with Claire Mosley
- Tues 28th Sept 4-5pm

Come for an hour of art, with a focus on painting and drawing birds! We will enjoy some fun warm up activities and spend the hour creating. Feel free to bring your own nature inspiration and treasures. Inspiration will also be provided!

9 Wild Bodies with Skye and Tanya
- Thurs 30th Sept 11-12:30pm

Come Join Skye and Tanya for an exploration of our wild natures. How does a flower feel to a bee? How does it feel to gallumph like a wombat across the ground? What makes the Magpie warble? Through games, embodied adventure, art and stories, we will discover what it feels like to be something other-than-human.

10 Nature Trivia Quest with Mel Turnbull
- Thurs 30th Sept 4-5pm

How many hearts does an octopus have? What is the fastest animal on earth? Do you know loads of cool nature facts? This one is for the kids - big and little - that love to share their knowledge about the incredible creatures around us. We will be crowdsourcing trivia from our community experts (kids) and learning from each other!

11 Village Cafe with Katrina and Aurora (Rita) of BeRegen
(For Adults & Teens )
- Thurs 30th 8-9:30pm

A place where adults and teens can come to share, be heard, listen, or just witness. A community space to be held, to connect, to be seen however you are. We will use a small group format, to help folks be more deeply heard.

Not convinced that we can do nature connection online??

Here is some of what folks have been saying about our recent online sessions:

“I'm surprised how much I got from this session in just 2 hours. I am feeling so connected to people and feeling so inspired to continue these journeys and to keep showing up, even online, just using what we have. Thank you so much, I can't wait to show up to the next one!” Kellie, teacher and mum, Castlemaine

"It was the right mix of connection with people in big groups and small groups as well as sending you out on adventures in nature so you’re not just stuck on a screen, thankyou so much!" Indrani, crafter, poet and home educator, Melbourne

"I came in this morning feeling meh, a bit flat, and the things that we did today, i feel so much better, I feel like it has been medicine for me, doing this work, and participating with the prompts, I feel so much better, thanks so much!" Al, Environmental educator, Shepparton

We can't wait to see you these holidays!

Biig love from the Firekeepers mentor team