Hello kind krafters! My name is Amy Cameron and I am so excited to get started with this amazing organization! I figured for my initial post I would start telling you a little about myself.

​I am twenty years old studying my Bachelor of Music Education at Acadia University as a saxophone major. I play both Tenor and Alto Saxophone along with learning many more instruments. I love music and being able to teach others my passion is most definitely my dream career. I am from Cape Breton Nova Scotia where I spend my summers and during the school year I reside in cute little Wolfville Nova Scotia.

Besides moving back and forth across the province throughout the year and keeping busy trying to become a better musician and educator, there are many other things I enjoy so much!
           
I also have a great love for fashion, all types of music (especially rock music). I love musical theatre and performing, some of my (many) favorite musicals include:

• Hamilton
• Dear Evan Hansen
• Heathers
• Falsettos

​I love to dance (although I am not very good at it), trying out local restaurants and spending time with my amazing family and friends.
I am a huge lover of travelling and hope someday to have the opportunity to teach and help communities all over the world. Some of the places I have travelled to include:

• New York
• London
• Paris
• Florida
• Boston

I want to learn how I can educate myself and others about the world around us. I am always trying to stay busy and involved!
Staying involved and busy with the community and the people within my own life is a priority I try to obtain by, supporting local businesses and get involved with organizations just like kind krafts!
I hope to use my passion of educating and learning to help others ignite the same passions they might hold in them, I want to give my future students the opportunities to be creative and make a difference.

Now that you know a little about me, I am so excited to keep writing about my experiences and learn so much more about these wonderful projects that kind krafts supports.
 
Talk soon everyone, Amy Cameron

​Hello lovely kind krafters!!! As you may know, our current cause is Monarch Protection and we are focusing on the Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute’s current work in this area. The Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute is a non-profit co-operative that is working hard to protect butterflies through their project the “Butterfly Club”. This club was founded by biologists from MTRI and Parks Canada and over the coming summer, they are hoping to be able to plant 1000 swamp milkweed plants across Nova Scotia. In this blog, I’m going to write about the importance of Monarch conservation and how you can help these beautiful butterflies in the smallest of ways!

The Butterflies
 
Monarch butterflies are known scientifically as Danaus plexippus and are perhaps the most common butterfly in North America. Its wings are easily recognizable with a bright orange, black and white pattern covering them. They are classed as milkweed butterflies as they lay their eggs on milkweed plants for their larvae to feed from. Monarchs can lay hundreds of eggs which is a hopeful sign to many researches as they believe that with enough time spent on conservation, their populations will begin to increase and reach non-critical levels.
 
Between August and Mid-October, Monarchs begin their multi-generational journey south over the span of several months. These butterflies head towards the high mountains of central Mexico for the winter months and then will begin migrating back north in March and arrive around July. At least four generations are involved in the annual cycle as most Monarch butterflies live only for a few weeks. During these migrations, Monarchs depend on nectar from wildflowers for their energy and fat, and milkweeds to lay their eggs on. 

What’s the problem?
 
As of 2014, researchers found that over the past twenty years, the number of Monarchs in North America had dropped to less than 10% of what they once were. There are several reasons as to why this might be, but it is believed that the main one is loss of habitat. Due to the rise in development and agriculture, many of the Monarchs homes have been damaged or ruined. Predators also play a factor in the depletion as larger animals, as well as other insects, will ingest the larvae as it feeds on the milkweed plants. Another issue for these butterflies is that many milkweed plants are being sprayed with herbicides which kill the larvae as they try to thrive whilst creating a huge loss of breeding grounds for them. 

So, what can we do?
 
Many people are interested in Monarch Protection just like kind krafts and there are simple ways for all of us to help them flourish! Here are a few ideas:
 

1. Create areas within your own garden for Monarchs to live – they don’t have to be large spaces! Decorative flowerpots or hanging plant holders can be enough room to help.
2. Find the sunny spots of your garden to plant in – butterflies rely on the sun to regulate their temperature and energize for trips.
3. Choose plants that will provide lots of nectar for the butterflies and that will continue to attract them to your garden – here is a great link with many beautiful flowers to choose from: https://www.almanac.com/content/plants-attract-butterflies.
4. Milkweeds are essential for Monarchs – make sure to plant at least one plant as they act as host flowers for the caterpillars to feed on.
5. Buy “Butterfly Club” packages from MTRI  which includes everything you need to start growing your butterfly garden and the money goes to a great cause - http://www.merseytobeatic.ca/butterfly-club.php.

I have also found some great articles and videos to help you with even more ways to help the butterflies. These actions may seem small, but as Nicole Hamilton said in the following video,
 
“I might just plant my one Monarch waystation, which is just a raindrop, but then if my neighbour sees it, and then another neighbour sees it, and then we start to grow them, then it becomes something significant”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=267&v=6JpLR2hpfSk
https://www.canadiangeographic.ca/article/how-build-butterfly-garden
http://www.wwf.ca/conservation/species/monarch_butterfly/
http://cwf-fcf.org/en/resources/encyclopedias/fauna/insects/monarch-butterfly-sp.html
http://www.merseytobeatic.ca/butterfly-club.php (more links on this page!!)
https://www.almanac.com/blog/gardening/garden-journal/monarch-butterflies-chrysalis-watch (awesome related articles!)

Thank you for reading everyone! Have fun planting in the sunshine and seeing these wonderful butterflies in your garden!
 
 
“We are all butterflies. Earth is our chrysalis.”
            -LeeAnn Taylor
 
 
Rhian xoxo

​Hello kind krafters!! For any students reading this, happy summer vacation! If you’re anything like me, long breaks may not be your favourite thing. I am a lover of routines and so in the summer I can often find myself at a loss of things to do with all of my newly found time. To help myself, and any of you that might feel the same, I have written about a few ways I keep busy in the summer! 

1. Create a weekly schedule!

Have a copy of your daily routines to make it easier to add other activities into your week. Write in specific times for exercise, work, volunteering, etc. You can always attend upcoming krafting sessions, so keep checking for future events!

2. Try one new thing each week!

This new thing doesn’t have to be big, but it’s awesome at keeping life interesting! Whether it’s a new food, event, or route home it will be cool to try. Some things I want to try this summer are: Paint Nite, Seven Bays Bouldering, and new exhibits at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia!
​
3. Plan out your social time!

Instead of waiting around for people to make plans with you, message your friends and ask if they want to hang out in advance! There’s always time for fun walks with friends around the Commons, trips for ice cream at Dee Dee’s, or taking a trip to the nearest lake/beach for a nice swim! Take advantage of the nicer weather and soak in that vitamin D!!

4. Keep learning!
​
I understand that most of us are done with school for a few months and really don’t want to pick up another textbook until classes start again in September, but the that doesn’t mean the learning has to stop! Listen to podcasts on topics that interest you, watch documentaries on Netflix, rent new books from the library and continue to research and become knowledgeable about things you might be unable to learn about at school. Attend museums, lectures, and other informational sessions that you are too busy to go to during the school year – you never know what you might find out! 

5. Go to local events!

There are SO many things happening that are so easy to find out about and attend! Check out thecoast.ca for a super list of events for every day of the summer. Personally, I’m excited to see Jeremy Dutcher in May, Mamma Mia! through Neptune Theatre, Argyle St. Kitchen Party in July, Shakespeare by the Sea, the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo, as well as going to coffee houses and open mics around HRM. 

Have fun finding cool things to do this summer everyone! But don’t forget to take the time to rest up before school starts again too!!
 
Rhian xoxo