Nature School Project: Mineral Rich Tea
In this Martin & Sylvia's Nature School story,"The Sword Inside", Martin wants to be a real knight for Halloween — and real knights, he says, have horses, metal helmets, and iron swords. Daddy wonders about this. Is a knight still a knight without horses, helmets, and swords? Martin doesn’t know — but he gets a surprising answer in Wilderness School that morning. He learns that knights, as well as everyone else, have swords… on the inside.
Rachel is here with us today to share her recipe for a homemade mineral rich tea that will strengthen and fortify any child for hours of imaginative play. Whether as a knight, a dragon or whatever their hearts desire.
My children, and I had a delightful (and messy) homeschooling day this week involving plant pressing, terrarium-building, history research, tea-making, and a bit of writing and multiplication for good measure. Not all of our days are so dialed in, so I celebrate these small victories.
And one of the sweetest parts of the day was blending tea with my daughter.
She has been cow dairy-free for a couple of years due to some eczema she was experiencing, and I sometimes wonder if she gets adequate minerals in her diet without it. Blending up a mineral-rich tea what the perfect answer!
We did a little research, then pulled jars out of our apothecary and set to work smelling and mixing and blending.
Horsetail, raspberry leaf and nettle are all great sources of minerals. (Especially when given a good, long steeping-time.)
We added rose petals and lemon balm for flavor and tulsi because of it's gut-soothing properties (helpful for anyone with eczema or leaky gut).
We planned to add rose hips but the kids ate them all instead. There are worse problems to have, I think.
And the tea is downright delicious! No one even asked for honey.
This tea isn't just for kids! Most adults can use more minerals, too. Drink up.
Mineral-Rich Herbal Tea
Ingredients
5 grams raspberry leaf
5 grams nettle
4 grams rose petal
3 grams tulsi
2 grams horsetail
2 grams lemon balm
Directions
Exact proportions are not necessary. Experiment with your favorite herbs.
Boil enough water for as many cups as you want to make. Pour the water over the herbs in a tea pot or in mason jar and steep for 15 minutes.
Enjoy!
Other herbs to consider: oatstraw, peppermint, rosehips, and chickweed.
Or make a bedtime blend for kids by adding catnip leaf!
If you liked this nature school project here are some others to try:
About the Author
Rachel Wolf
Homeschooling mother of two, owner of LuSa Organics, writer and crafty gal. You'll find her blogging about peaceful parenting, simplicity, homeschooling, food preservation, and crafting of all sorts.
