Seasonal Signpost Calendars are a means to track and cultivate the noticing of our environment; native and non-native species, and to link our personal lives with the cycles of our environment.
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
I am a Settler Australian of Irish and Palestinian descent, raised and living on the Merri Creek - Wurundjeri land, where I made my calendar. Their custodianship helped form the rich and spirited land it is today. With gratitude and responsibility, I acknowledge the land I work on.
Making a seasonal signpost calendar was my way of being receptive to my environment. Noticing and researching plant & animal life, I learnt about the history of the land, as well as my own ancestry. Through it I realised my connection and role to better care for this land I live with. As the climate changes and introduced species spread, my awareness evolves. The land is rich and generous. I hope to share its gifts with you.
How to use:
Every time you notice something, add it to the calendar. It could be a new plant or animal appearing. You can write it, draw it, or glue on a photo of it. Get creative!
Make sure your animal/plant appears at the right time on the calendar. The dates are written around the inner circle.
If you like, you can show the duration of its appearance. Do this by circling it and drawing a line to its end point on the calendar. Use a different colour for each line so it doesn’t get messy!
Use the dates as a guide, rather than a rule. Understanding the seasons is about recognising patterns in natural events. Things happen in a certain order, rather than at a certain time.
For long term scale, you can write the date beside your drawing. With climate change underway, you may notice changes more clearly over time.
Questions to ask yourselves:
What is changing in my local environment?
How is the soil? ( E.g. Moist? Compact? )
How is the creek? (E.g. Full? Still?)
Which birds are appearing?
How might this environmental change affect another plant or animal? What is the flow on effect?
Which plants/animals do I notice?
Which plants/animals appear in significant times of my life?
Which plants/animals do I most obviously affect?
Which plants/animals most obviously affect me?
The calendar, like nature, will always be a work in progress. The more we notice, the more we care, the richer it becomes.
Please contact me for a special workshop/program to help implement the Calendar into your classroom, office space.
Contact: sofiajsabbagh@gmail.com.
The Calendar is available to purchase, as well as a blank version - inviting you/your kids/your workplace to fill in your own observations of your local environment, and how it connects with your own lives.
Workshops on how to use the Calendar are available for workplaces, schools, and individuals.
