Fundraiser: Shummi Land Tax
We’re excited to offer these beautiful hemp tote bags as a fundraiser to support Sogorea Te’ Land Trust and help contribute toward our Shuumi Land Tax.
At Oak Heart, we believe in building meaningful relationships with the land and honoring the Indigenous people who have cared for it. Our outdoor programs invite children and families to slow down, explore, play, and develop a deeper connection with the natural world.
Ruth Orta, an elder of the Jalquin/Saclan Ohlone/Bay Miwok people visits our class to share her knowledge of the acorn .Her stories tell of her culture and her family. She is a mother of seven, grandmother of 17, great grandmother of 38 and and great, great grandmother of 26.
She has spent most of her life honoring her culture and involved in the meaningful work of cultural revitalization and rematriation.
The Shuumi Land Tax is a voluntary contribution that people working or living on Ohlone territory pay to support Sogorea Te’ Land Trust’s work toward Indigenous land return, cultural revitalization, and community healing.
Every tote purchased helps us contribute to this important work while giving you a practical, reusable bag to carry a little piece of Oak Heart with you.
Thank you for helping us nurture a culture of connection, reciprocity, and respect for the land.
With gratitude,
Oak Heart Forest Program
Chickadee Pop-up Playgroup classes
Join us for a playful morning in nature filled with exploration, friendship, sensory play and adventure. Whether you’re new to outdoor learning or already love forest play, our Chickadee Playgroup is a wonderful way to connect with other families and experience the magic of childhood outdoors.
Lantern Walk
*Please note the date has been rescheduled for December 6th
As the days grow shorter and the light begins to fade earlier each evening, we gather to honor the turning of the season with our 6th annual Lantern Walk.
A lantern walk invites the light into the darkness of the days and can inspire a sense of connection to the rhythms of nature, community, and the light within. Children and families come together for an evening of seasonal crafting, warm tea, music and storytelling beneath the night sky. Our evening ends as we follow a path to the Labyrinth illuminated by gentle light—our lanterns shining as symbols of warmth, hope, and inner light during the darker months ahead.The simple act of walking together, each light joining the next, reminds us that even as the days grow darker, we each carry our own small light to share with the world.Date: Saturday, December 6th
Time: 4pm
Location: Briones Regional Park, Alhambra Creek Staging Area, Martinez CA.
2537 Reliez Valley Road
Crow Site
(follow road all the way to the parking. Enter first green gate and follow path to the second green gate, that is the Crow site.)
RSVP: Please let us know you are coming at oakheartforest@gmail.com
Donations: This year we are asking for a small contribution to this annual event. No contribution is too little. We are grateful for our community and appreciate your support.
Open House
Interested in learning more about our forest program? Join us for our Open House in the natural space we call “natures playground’. Oak Heart Forest Program offers both a forest playgroup, which supports young children and their parent/caregivers and a drop off program for children ages 3-6 years.
Seasonal craft and herbal iced tea will be offered for your enjoyment. Can’t wait to connect with you!
Please RSVP to oakheartforest@gmail.com.
Herbal Workshop for Women and Children's Health: An introduction to herbal remedies for you and your children
Join us this Spring as we welcome Clinical Herbalist Veronica Ricksen as she shares her knowledge of herbal remedies for Women and Children’s health.
In this workshop, Veronica will be sharing her knowledge of:
Herbs for Women’s Health
Nutritive tonics (herbs for vitality and beauty)
Hormonal health & womb care
Stress support
Safe Herbs for Kids
Nervous system support
Immune system support (colds / coughs / flu, allergies, eczema)
Veronica Ricksen is a Registered Herbalist with the American Herbalist Guild specializing in women’s health and fertility. She teaches at the Berkeley Herbal Center and offers consultations and custom herbal formulas through her practice, Kapu, LLC which is dedicated to helping women live attuned to nature and their bodies. She is a wife and mama who uses herbal remedies whenever possible to help care for herself and her family.
COST: Individuals can choose between our sliding scale of $15-$20 per participant. Please use our Venmo QR code to make your payment.
RSVP: Please let us know you are coming at oakheartforest@gmail.com
Lantern Walk
~ Join us for our annual Lantern Walk ~
We will gather at the Crow Picnic Site, Alhambra Creek Staging Area, Briones Regional Park, Martinez and walk to the labyrinth within the park.
We’ll be guided by the light of our lanterns along our path. There will be warm tea, apple cider, seasonal craft offering, and storytelling.
Please bring a lantern with a battery operated candle. Due to wild fire safety, no campfires, or open flames of any kind are allowed in the park.
Donations: This year we are kindly asking all families to make a small contribution to this event. No amount is too small. We are grateful for our community and appreciate your support.~
Email: oakheartforest@gmail.com to RSVP. Thank you.
Lantern Walk
Join us for an evening walk with lanterns, crafts and storytelling.
At the Alhambra Creek Staging Area, Briones Regional Park, Martinez
We will gather in the Crow picnic site and walk to the Labyrinth.
The Crow picnic site is located in the fenced Walnut orchard not far from the parking lot, and near the restrooms.
Please RVSP to oakheartforest@gmail.com
Join us for a Natural Plant Dye Workshop ~ Bundle Dying
Learn the beautiful art of natural bundle dyeing with plants. The results are fun and always delightfully one-of-a-kind!
DATE: Saturday, Sept 23rd
TIME: 10am - 12pm
LOCATION: Briones Regional Park, Alhambra Creek Staging Area.
We’ll gather at the Crow Picnic Site, 2537 Reliez Valley Road, Martinez. CA
Oak Heart Co-founder and Forest School Teacher, Debi Cooper will facilitate this two-hour workshop for adults. You'll gain an understanding of how to work with natural dyes as you explore the process of bundle dying. Each student will leave with two dyed pieces; a cotton flour sack dish towel and a silk scarf to take home and the know-how to design and create more pieces on your own.
No prior experience necessary - beginners welcome!
COST: $60
Includes instruction, materials and tools necessary to make a cotton and silk dyed piece. Along with light snacks and refreshments.
REGISTER/RSVP HERE: oakheartforest@gmail.com
Payments for the workshop are made through Venmo
Venmo profile - just click or tab this link
Class is limited to 10 participants. We hope to see you there!
Open House
We will be hosting an Open House, Sunday, June 4th at 10am in Kennedy Grove Regional Park.
6531 San Pablo Dam Rd. El Sobrante, CA
Come meet the teachers and founders of this program and experience our Summer Camp location.
Please email us to join @ oakheartforest@gmail.com
Celebrate Earth Day & John Muir’s 185th birthday, Saturday, April 22nd, 2023
A wonderful fun filled family day in the sun, at the grounds of the John Muir National Historic Site, which includes his 1880s victorian home, orchards and vineyard. There will be food and live music along with many displays relating to history, ecology, and Nature. This is a great event for people of all ages and especially for families with children!
Lantern Walk
“Hope is being able to see the light despite all the darkness”
-Desmond Tutu
Let us celebrate the changing of seasons and join together for an evening of lanterns, crafting and storytelling. We will meet at Briones Regional Park Alhambra Creek Staging Area in Martinez.
Time: 4:30-6pm
Location: 2537 Reliez Valley Road Martinez CA, 94553. We will be meeting in the Crow site, which is to the right once you enter the main gate. The path we will be walking is stroller friendly.
We will have a craft offering and warm tea upon arrival. Please bring a mug from home if you wish to have some.
We encourage you to bring your own lantern or source of light which will guide us on our evening walk. We will have candles (battery operated) for your convenience.
We look forward to gathering with our community as we bring our light into the dark.
Please RSVP to oakheartforest@gmail.com