Hello Dear Friends & Foragers!
Hearing from you and seeing you find one another online and in real life means more than I can say. A few of you wrote in and asked if there might be more optional activities or creative projects than what is in the monthly meeting Field Guides.
Thank you for asking. Knowing how to best serve you makes all the difference in the world.
So, we are adding a LIBRARY to our clubhouse.
Like most online projects, it will be a long-term work in progress. But my dream is to create a growing trove of ideas, simple tutorials, creative prompts and things you can explore, either on your own or together as a troop.
I’m thinking cozy book nook meets your favorite coffee or tea shop that now offers all your favorite crafts with all your favorite people. That should totally be a real place, right? 🍄 📖 🍀 🎨 🧶☕️✨
I want you to have the flexibility that if something doesn’t land for you or your group in a monthly field guide, you have options. And if you want to hang out more than monthly, you have options.
If you visit our home page here, you’ll see our navigation menu got a mini makeover.
You can now find all our field guides in the same place. Woot! Now, if only my house was as organized as our clubhouse is becoming. 🤣
The library is organized by our 4 Society cloverpoints.
MAKE: Creative projects, simple activities, and mini tutorials to make by yourself or when you gather with friends.
EXPLORE: Whimsical ideas for wandering out and about, looking at the world more closely, trying new things, and seeing what you discover.
GATHER: Activities, games, recipes, and easy ideas for spending meaningful time together.
GROW: Creative prompts and activities for your Frolic & Forage Field Journal. (« I can’t wait to tell you more about this fun surprise very, very soon.)
And yes. The library is open for everyone to explore.
I’ll send a few of my favorites to your inbox, but I won’t make you hear from me every time I put something new on the shelves. Because, hi, inbox overwhelm is real. And I imagine there will be quite a bit of shelf-stocking around here for the foreseeable future. So most of the time, I’ll point you toward the new additions here in the Monday Mushroom going forward.
But you can always pop over to the library and peruse the shelves whenever you like.
Our other big news is about virtual troop meetings.
So many of you were asking for this.
We know meeting in person isn’t always possible. Schedules, health, transportation, caregiving, location, and life itself can make gathering around the same table difficult.
So to clarify, Frolic & Forage independent troops can absolutely gather virtually, too.
Meet in person, meet online, or do a little of both. What matters is making room to connect and create together.
Read more about virtual gathering here and about creating a troop-specific presence online here.
In case you missed it, here is our very first Field Guide for your first meeting.
We'd love to see what you're making and how your troop is growing. If you have a handmade project you or your troop created, or a story, milestone, or meaningful moment from your troop that you'd like us to consider for a future Monday Mushroom, just reply to this email. A dedicated submission page is coming soon.
All my love,
Do you have to be a paid subscriber in order to access the library? Because, I’m not seeing the same home page.
I just stumbled on your page and I wanted to let you know I think you've really hit a nerve with this! I'm not forming a troop, but I've been designing a scouting-adjacent program for girls focused on mastery and skill building (instead of exposure to topics like some of the national programs). It's called the Daring Girls Club and we're learning six Crafts - Fire Craft, Nature Craft, Needle Craft, Kitchen Craft, Camp Craft, and Garden Craft.
I think people are really craving REAL skills, community, and wonder. Great job!