Discovering Waldorf – ‘Celebrating Autumn’

Yay! Today is Autumn Equinox. Did any of you see the Harvest Moon with her round face smiling down from the sky last night? Wasn’t she spectacular?! Did you feel her energy? Did you howl to her your love? I did.

So, in celebration of Autumn, I am delighted to welcome Maureen, the twig of Twig and Toadstool. She brings to us the first in a series of seasonal posts… here is Autumn.

Celebrating Autumn

There is no other season like Autumn. As a parent I treasure Autumn as a season of change. The days are gradually getting shorter, the air is cooler, the garden is winding down, and we’re getting back into the rhythm of our daily lives. For our children, Autumn is simply magic. Where I live the trees change colour, there is food to gather, the sweaters and hats come out, homelearning begins anew, and there is the anticipation of many a celebration in the months ahead. There is something palpable in the air.

For Autumn some of our favourite reads are:

(of course when Michaelmas or Halloween comes near we add some books specific to that celebration)!

I’ve also started making a festival calender specific to Autumn…I put on birthdays, the moon cycles, and all the festivals we hope to celebrate. There are many fun celebration days in Autumn. Here are some of the possible festivals you can celebrate…pick a few or pick them all! A great resource for celebrating festivals is “Festivals, Families and Food” by Diana Carey and Judy Large. Celebrating a festival doesn’t have to be overwhelming. It can be as simple as baking something special or reading a story relevant to the day.

September 23 Fall Equinox, Harvest Festival
September 29 Michaelmas (Feast of St Michael)
October 4 Feast of St Francis
October 11 Thanksgiving (here in Canada)
October 31 Halloween
November 1 All Saints Day
November 2 All Souls Day
November 5 Guy Fawkes Night
November 11 Martinmas (Feast of Saint Martin)
November 25 Thanksgiving (in the USofA)
December 4 Feast of Saint Barbara
December 6 Feast of Saint Nicholas
December 13 Feast of Saint Lucy (aka Saint Lucia)

here is our nature table, all ready for Autumn!

This is also the time of year when we get outside and start collecting. We not only collect Autumn food items such as apples, pumpkins and squash, but we also collect natural craft supplies for the year ahead. Milkweed pods, acorns, pinecones and leaves to press are brought in by the basketful and added to our craft cupboard. These supplies will make many an ornament, fairy, gnome or animal in the long winter months ahead!

Here’s a little finger rhyme to enjoy while you’re out collecting treasures
Little leaves fall gently down
Red and yellow, orange and brown;
(Raise hands and lower them, fluttering fingers like falling leaves)
Whirling, whirling round and round
(Repeat above motions)
Quietly without a sound;
Falling softly to the ground,

Cornmeal playdough ornaments!

You will need

1 cup flour

2/3 cup salt
1 cup water

Here are some of the books I use to help me plan our fall celebrations…

Mabon (celebrating the autumn equinox) by Kristin Madden

All Year Round by Ann Druitt, Christine Fynes-Clinton and Marije Rowling

One of my fellow homelearning friends gave me the inspiration to teach poetry to the children during the year. I think it’s so important to keep poetry alive and well, and so we incorporate seasonal specific poems to our learning rhythm. Here’s a sweet little Autumn poem to get you started:

October gave a party;

The leaves by hundreds came –

The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,

And leaves of every name.

The Sunshine spread a carpet,

And everything was grand,

Miss Weather led the dancing,

Professor Wind the band.

~George Cooper, “October’s Party”

I hope this post helps get you started on some serious seasonal celebrating! If you need more inspiration or seasonal specific craft ideas please come pay us a visit at Twig and Toadstool, (or you can check out our blog roll for some other fabulous blogs brimming with ideas and inspiration!

xo maureen

* * *

Thank you, Maureen, you are a darling. You have brought to us the fullness of Autumn’s beauty… her charms, her songs, her poems. Until now, I was bemoaning the end of Summer. Now, I am soooo excited to welcome Autumn. Thank you for helping me let go of the old and embrace the new.

Please, everyone, do pop in to Maureen and Shanti’s blog, Twig and Toadstool. It is a place of utter enchantment. I love it there.

Here are the other posts in the Discovering Waldorf Series.

Blessings and magic to you, Maureen, for sharing today.
Donni