6 Winter Waldorf Festivals to Celebrate in December

Advent

The period beginning four Sundays before Christmas that is observed by most Christians in preparation for the celebration of Christmas Day. In Waldorf homes, Advent is recognized by representing the kingdoms of our planet each Sunday:

The first Sunday of Advent we recognize minerals and stones.
The second Sunday of Advent we recognize the plant kingdom.
The third Sunday of Advent we recognize the animal kingdom.
The fourth and last Sunday of Advent we recognize humankind.

We have so many beautiful ways to share with you on how to bring this sacred festival into your home or school in our publications:

December Preschool/Kindergarten Book (Ages 3-6)

December Afterschooling Book (Ages 6+, teens and adults)

Advent and St. Nicholas Festival Book (All Ages)

St. Nicholas Day, December 6th

Celebrated on December 6th (December 5th elsewhere) in many European countries to honor the Christian saint as the bringer of gifts. Boys would sometimes dress as bishops to give to the poor. Many children would wait for treats to be left under their pillows or shoes that were left out. In Waldorf homes and schools, this celebration continues with children leaving their shoes out the eve before (December 5th) to wake to small treats inside including chocolate, coins, fruits, nuts and sometimes a small toy. 

Where to find ideas for this beautiful celebration:

December Preschool/Kindergarten Book (Ages 3-6)

December Afterschooling Book (Ages 6+, teens and adults)

Advent and St. Nicholas Festival Book (All Ages)

Santa Lucia Day, December 13th

The Feast of St. Lucia or Santa Lucia is a festival of light, as are many of the celebrations this time of year. In some countries she is represented as a lady in a white dress with a wreath of candles in her hair. Many celebrate this special day by having the oldest daughter in the family wear a wreath in her hair and offer sweet buns or cookies to others. Boys also share a role by wearing star boy caps or dressing as St. Stephen. The procession is said to help all move forward with light into the deep, dark winter days ahead. 

In my Kindergarten class, we often made St. Lucy Buns as well as crowns and star boy hats for the children and had a walk around our playground and school. In the Little Acorn Learning guides we offer complete instructions for these activities as well as some more unique ideas such as planting indoor wheat for St. Lucia Day.

December Preschool/Kindergarten Book (Ages 3-6)

December Afterschooling Book (Ages 6+, teens and adults)

Winter Festivals Book (All Ages)

Hanukkah

This beautiful Jewish festival is often called the Festival of Lights. It is observed to recognize the rededication of the Temple of Jerusalem. Often a menorah will be lit each evening for eight nights to represent the rededication of the Jewish faith and to spread the light to future generations. A fun game played during this time is the spinning of a dreidel and sometimes small gifts will be shared each of the eight days of spiritual acknowledgement. While my family is not Jewish, I always recognized this special festival in my classroom as the light of hope reaches beyond all faiths and backgrounds. 

Our Winter Festivals Book includes a beautiful tutorial on making a menorah with found nature items, a Star of David banner, as well as a paper menorah. We also have recipes and songs to share.

The Winter Solstice/Yule, December 21st 

The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year and the first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere. This day marks the winter season which continues until the Spring Equinox. Yule was celebrated before the conversion to Christianity in many cultures and this ancient festival still holds strong roots in all we see in the Winter Solstice as well as Christmastime. 

Celebrating the solstice is a magical time in Waldorf homes and schools. All of our books bring this warming festival into the lives of your children with warm recipes, songs, crafts and meditations. Creating a Yule Log was always a favorite in my classroom.

December Preschool/Kindergarten Book (Ages 3-6)

December Afterschooling Book (Ages 6+, teens and adults)

Winter Festivals Book (All Ages)

King Winter Celebration Book (All Ages)

Christmas Day, December 25th 

The day that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ in many Christian faiths (Eastern Orthodox faiths celebrate on January 7th). The four Sundays of Advent lead up to this sacred day.

In our home we have a beautiful tradition of an Advent Spiral calendar as well as other advent traditions such a nativity, advent wreath, mistletoe and Christmas tree. Culturally on this day, many children wake up to gifts from Santa Claus who travels the world to bring joy to those who believe. The tradition of Santa Claus stems from the long rooted tradition of celebrating St. Nicholas, the saint of giving. Many non-Christians still enjoy decorating and sharing gifts this time of year to share love and light with one another.

December Preschool/Kindergarten Book (Ages 3-6)

December Afterschooling Book (Ages 6+, teens and adults)

Advent and St. Nicholas Festival Book (All Ages)

Winter Festivals Book (All Ages)

Which of these December festivals do you celebrate? We hope we have inspired you to weave your own family traditions and customs into your winter celebrations and also try incorporating new ideas from some of the examples above.

Share Your Holiday Traditions - A Giveaway!

This past Sunday was the first day of Advent and whether or not Advent fits within your family customs, the time leading up to the Winter Solstice and Christmas is a good time for contemplation, going within and working through unresolved issues in your heart.

In the Waldorf tradition, the weeks leading up to Advent are celebrated by creating reverence for each of the four different kingdoms: stones (earth), plants, animals and mankind.  There is something about this holistic look at this time of year that speaks to me so deeply and I do my best to use this time to dig deeper spiritually.

There are many traditions and customs during this season that families, schools and churches recognize.  Advent wreaths are often used with candles that are lit each Sunday leading up to Christmas time.  Baking cookies, lighting a menorah or adding an ornament to a Jesse Tree each day are other traditions that come to mind.

My family has begun our own unique traditions that I've shared in the Advent and St. Nicholas Festival E-Book such as our Advent Kindness Clock which includes a little act of kindness that can be done each day leading up to Christmas.

We also created a beautiful Advent Wall Spiral where my daughters place a special star each day of Advent time.

I would love to hear about the traditions and customs in your family this time of year.

In the comments section below, share with us your family traditions leading up to the Winter Solstice and Christmas.  On the second Sunday of Advent (Sunday, December 9th), in the evening, we will randomly choose three winners to receive a FREE copy of our Advent and St. Nicholas Day Festival Book or another of your choice!  Be sure to check back here to see if you won.

Good luck!
xoox

Celebrating November with Little Acorn Learning

November is such a beautiful month! Where we live the trees are in full color, the air is a bit cooler and the days feel longer especially after daylight savings time ended. Yesterday felt like the never-ending day in our house. At 7pm we could have sworn it was 11pm! Today is actually Bonfire Night and in the November Caregiver's Calendar we suggest enjoying an outdoor fire with your family or school tonight if possible. It's raining in our little spot in Connecticut today but this can be done anytime this month and is really fun to do during the fall. Roasting marshmallows doesn't have to be only a summer camping activity! I've been working around the clock on so many Little Acorn things... including the Caregiver Calendars for 2019 which will be here soon, a beautiful November newsletter which includes Waldorf-inspired verses, songs, stories, recipes and more (by the way we are offering 50% off ads in it for any likeminded small business owners!), a special book I've been thinking of for a long time and tons of marketing of our current products.

Doing this for so long, it is amazing how many products we have put together over the years. Here are just a few for anyone new to Little Acorn Learning: November Preschool/Kindergarten Guide - this program is wonderful for a mixed aged group of children or young children under age 6. It is non-academic and truly beautiful helping to hold a rhythm through your days. Most of our customers use this as their base and add in more academic work for the older children as needed.

For those of you who use traditional schooling methods or homeschool the older grades, we've put together a Waldorf-inspired Afterschooling Enrichment guide for fun ideas to enjoy with your school-aged children! These activities are a bit more time consuming and better for children who need less assistance.

As many of you know, Martinmas is just around the corner on November 11th. We absolutely love this festival. It is the perfect time to make beautiful lanterns and really embrace autumn. Thanksgiving is coming as well and we made a pretty autumn nature table to celebrate. Many of the ideas and activities we enjoy most are put together in our Martinmas and Thanksgiving Festival Ebook for those of you who could use some festival-specific inspiration.

Also, remember we have sweet seasonal menus for you. This season we have the Autumn Childcare Menu and also the Autumn Afterschool Menu. The first focuses on the daytime meals and the afterschool menu includes just that.. afterschool snacks as well as dinner and weekend meals.

Lastly, this is a perfect time to break out the warm yarns and crafting supplies. Please take a look at our Autumn Handwork Ebook made just for Little Acorn Learning by our friends at Syrendell.

Wishing you a very happy November and please make sure you are on our email list to receive the November Newsletter and fun updates, activities and inspiration. xoxo

Make Your Own Weather Wheel

This sweet activity was requested by a few of our members and comes from our October Preschool/Kindergarten Ebook. 

If you make one, please share it with us. We have many ways for you to share with our community: Our Blog, Facebook Page, Discussion Group and by tagging us on Instagram!

Creating a Weather Chart or Weather Wheel

Supplies Needed:

Large Piece of Cardboard

Cardboard to Cut Out Arrows

Watercolor Pencils/Markers

Brads

Stick

Yarn/Raffia

Scissors

This is a wonderful time of year to introduce a Weather Wheel or Weather Chart to your circle time. Children will delight in looking out the window each morning to determine what type of weather is in store for the day. You can create your Weather Chart with cardboard, watercolor pencils, moving arrows (by using a brad to attach), colorful circles in the center and a drawing of the Sun, Rain, Snow and Clouds. Get creative and allow your children to participate in the process. You may like to add two arrows for those days that the weather is more than one element. Hang your chart with raffia and a stick found on your nature walk that day and keep it on the wall where you do circle time each morning.  Be sure to use your chart as you do your morning blessing which signifies what the weather is each day.

Today is Michaelmas

Do you know what Michaelmas is?  If you are not familiar with Waldorf Education, this mysterious Fall Festival may not be something you are familiar with.  

From the Little Acorn Learning Autumn Equinox and Michaelmas Festival E-Book:

"The significance of the Michaelmas festival in Waldorf schools is seen in the story of a simple boy, who acts out of bravery and righteousness on behalf of others, can overcome fear and darkness. Light must be honored and respected, and can be the greatest weapon we possess in the face of frightening challenges. The older children are taught that we all have within us a dark side, and that we must acknowledge it, learn to control it, and not act out of our destructive emotions. Our dark sides can be a source of strength, inspiration, power, creativity, and mystery—but they must be balanced and harnessed by the light for us to live healthy, happy lives and do good in the world."

"During this time of year when the world is growing dark and we travel inward to find our own inner light to offer to the world around us... (we are much like Michael)..This is the time when we gather up our strength and wield our swords of courage and upright living to slay our inner dragons of depression, egoism, untruth that try to arise. " ~ written by my dear friend, mentor Marianne Frost 

We obviously do not bring these heavy concepts to the little people in our lives. For them, the idea of bravery and truth need not be communicated, it should be emulated naturally. Simple celebrations of the season are appropriate instead and do not have to be done just today – bring them through the next month or two to enjoy each day of through autumn.

• -        Go Apple Picking
• -        Make an Autumn Nature Table
• -        Read Fall Books
• -        Make Homemade Applesauce
• -        Bake Dragon Bread
• -        Hold a Family Autumn Feast
• -        Go for an Autumn Nature Walk
• -        Share Songs and Fingerplays of the Season
• -        Weave Yarn around a Pinecone

Michaelmas Fingerplay

*repeat verse for each finger
(taken from our September Afterschooling Guide)

Five brave knights
With swords held high,
Rode their white stallions
Across the sky.

The dragon roared fire
From the mountain top
One horse ran away
But four did not stop!

Four brave knights... (continue verse as above)
Three brave knights...
Two brave knights...
One brave knight

With sword held high
Rode his white stallion
Across the sky.

The dragon roared fire
From the mountain top
The knight looked back
But would not stop!

The swords raised high
The stallions full speed
Five brave nights
One good deed.

Easy Martinmas Lanterns

 Martinmas Lanterns

My lantern! My lantern! 

Sun and moon and stars 
Put out all your lights 
Put out all your lights 
That my lantern can truly shine bright. 

In Germany, the custom of children carrying their lanterns into the dark and singing Martinmas songs are deep rooted.  In some areas, children go door to door in a procession with their lanterns, singing sweet little songs in return for candy. 

These easy Martinmas Lanterns taken from our Martinmas and Thanksgiving Festival E-Book can also substitute as a bedtime nightlight.  Using the battery operated lights and vellum paper make them a safe alternative to real candles.  For more fun ideas, recipes, songs, crafts, meditations and much more to help you celebrate the beautiful November festivals - be sure to grab a copy of this amazing e-book that we just released last November.

Supplies:

•          mason jars
•          vellum paper (transparent)
•          paper cutter
•          mason wire holders (can purchase at craft store)
•          mason lids with design (can purchase at craft store) *optional
•          design paper punch – or hole puncher
•           battery operated tealights

Many of the supplies can be substituted with other items in your home.  For our lanterns, we purchased three mason jars and mason jar accessories from our local craft store.  We also used one of our favorite star punchers that we had in our crafting room.  A simple hole puncher can also be used or small x-shaped slits could be made in the vellum paper to help the light shine through. 

Begin by cutting your vellum paper to an appropriate width that will allow for it to open up within the mason jar when rolled and put inside.  Then use your hole punching tool to create punched out designs on your vellum paper. This is how the light will show through your lantern.

  

Let your children be the ones to punch out the holes.  They will love working to make their lantern unique and beautiful. 

When you are done, simply roll the vellum paper in a tube and slide it inside your mason jar.  The paper should be cut short enough that when it is placed inside the jar, it opens up wider to fill the circumference of the lantern.

Add your mason jar wire handle accessory and replace the top of your mason jar with your designed lid.  Place your battery operated candle inside to check how the light looks through your lantern.

Sing special songs and take your lanterns outside on a night time walk around your neighborhood or yard.  When you return, use these lanterns as a magical nightlight to bring the peace and selflessness of St. Martin into your home. 

Happy Three Kings Day & The Epiphany!

I just love saying that word "epiphany".  :) 

Photo and craft by Jennifer Tan of Syrendell as in our Three Kings Day & The Epiphany E-Book

Wow things have been really busy these last five days and my commitment to focusing more on my business and making changes in my daily routines have been going well so far.  I know myself well though and consistency and discipline is what I struggle most with when it comes to balancing work and family.

Today began my first Mindful Parenting E-Course and I hope that I get as much from it as the students.  I have so many wonderful ideas that I have to balance with keeping the e-course simple and obtainable so members can make changes without getting more overwhelmed than they already are.  And while I have a wonderful outline, I am absolutely putting out fresh ideas each day and I hope it serves the members of the course well.  It is not too late to join us, all emails and class posts will be available to you at any time you sign up!

In the e-course, I plan on focusing upon the following key areas that I have identified in my life that need equal attention in order to obtain true balance as a parent and caregiver:

Environment:

We will work together to try to create habits that help us to prepare our week ahead, establish and maintain routines in our homes, add beauty to the places we dwell, slowly organize our spaces and create peaceful and loving homes and schools for the children who depend upon us.  As fun as beautiful crafts can be, children - more than anything - need rhythm, consistency and an environment that is predictable.  Focusing here and on ourselves (in the next item) is the MOST important thing.

Self (Body/Mind/Soul):

We will learn to take time out each week for ourselves as often as possible to breathe, meditate, stretch, exercise, get fresh air, be creative, explore our talents, turn off media and background noise, connect with friends and our community, eat clean food, drink water, get proper rest, journal and slow down to pay attention to the world around us.

Children:

We will incorporate (slowly) simple activities, songs, stories and ideas that create a soothing presence around the children we care for.  We will remind one another to include children in the daily tasks of running a home and school so they can learn practical life skills by modeling our behavior.  We will slow down and remember that we are being watched and it is our responsibility to be worthy of imitation.  We will work harder to provide healthier meals, better rest, more outdoor time and less media so our children can thrive and develop optimally.  

Celebrations:

We will look at easy and attainable ideas to bring the seasons and festivals into our homes and schools.  We will slowly consider how this particular time of year plays into our lives, as caregivers, on a deeper and more spiritual level.  We will include songs, stories, books and crafts when we feel able in order to create a home filled with seasonal spirit.  We will NOT blame ourselves when we cannot fit these things in.  Caring for our environment, self-care and being a more mindful and present parent outweighs this and should always take precedence over crafts and activities.  

Parent Education:

Along the way, I will send writings, links, tools, quotes and adult book recommendations that I feel will help you learn and grow as a parent and teacher.  Taking a course like this is a wonderful first step but in order to break old habits, we need knowledge to back it up.  I am also working on a potential guest speaker call to bring more ideas into our group.  

Today the group focused on adding simple meditation, routines and a mantra to their days ahead and looking forward to get a clear understanding of their obligations and commitments this week so they can work around that framework.

I LOVE the crafting, singing, stories and activities that I include in my guides - but the truth is that these are bonuses and the most important thing we can do as caregivers is to take care of the needs of our homes, our "selves" and our children.  

For that reason, I will only offer simple ideas for celebrating Three Kings Day tomorrow and through the week to students (yes it is OK if you celebrate later in the week or not at all!!).  But, if you do want to celebrate, take a look at the Little Acorn Learning January 2015 Newsletter for some fun ideas and activities.  

Is this a new festival for you and your family to celebrate?  In what simple ways will you bring the joy of the season into your home or school this week?  

Martinmas and Thanksgiving - A New E-Book from Little Acorn Learning!

Celebrate the Beautiful Late Autumn Festivals of 

Martinmas and Thanksgiving with Your 
Children!

149 PAGES of Verses, Fingerplays, Poems, Song, Crafts, Meditations, Book Recommendations,
Circle Times, Recipes and Much More to Guide You in Celebrating the Martinmas and Thanksgiving Festivals
in Your Home or School!

ONLY $24.99

Authors:
~ Eileen Straiton, Little Acorn Learning

~ Sara Wilson, Love in the Suburbs

Table of Contents
*Beautiful Book Recommendations
*St. Martin and Martinmas Customs
*Martinmas Verses and Songs
*Christ Appears to Saint Martin Tale
*A Very Old Story About St. Martin's Eve
*Organize a Saint Martin's Cloak Coat Drive
*Horsehoe Cookies Recipe
*The Autumn Ball
*Autumn Simmer Pot
*Preserving Leaves with Beeswax Tutorial
*The Robin
*St. Martin Weckmann and Afternoon Tea Recipe
*Martinmas Puppet Show
*Martinmas Lanterns Tutorial
*Easy Painted Lanterns Tutorial
*Lantern Walk
*Saint Martin Chant
*Lantern Bearer Transparency Tutorial
*Caregiver Meditation: Living Peacefully
*Martinmas Mandala Tutorial
*Games for Martinmas Time
*Fall Fabric Wreath Tutorial
*Autumn Leaf Candles Tutorial
*Harvest Mother Doll Tutorial
*Thanksgiving Leaf Mobile Tutorial
*Easy Autumn Leaf Garland Tutorial
*Kindness at My Table Tutorial
*Cornhusk Placemats Tutorial
*Why all Men Love the Moon Fable
*Giving Thanks
*Games for Thanksgiving Time
*Thanksgiving Verses and Songs
*Turkey Window Transparency Tutorial
*Caregiver Meditation: Gratitude
*Family Gratitude Journal
*Welcome to the Table
*Thanksgiving Poetry and Quotations
*Involving Children in Preparing the Thanksgiving Feast:
-Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe
-Bold and Beautiful Carrot Dip Recipe
-Baby Butter Jar Recipe
-Thanksgiving Squash Soup and Roasted Squash Seeds Recipe
- Chip-Chop Roasted Vegetables Recipe

Introducing the 2014 Caregiver's Calendar!

My new 2014 Caregiver's Calendar is available through Little Acorn Learning!!  Check out a FREE sample month on the website!  This is a wonderful 12 Month calendar filled with important dates, festival celebrations, colors/grains/activities for the day, full moon dates and daily inspirational ideas or suggestions for each day of the year! This calendar is a wonderful peek into Little Acorn Learning's ideas and will help you create a more peaceful and mindful home or school! 

I hope it helps you! 

Fleeting Moments

Oh these moments, they are so fleeting - aren't they?  I haven't been in this space for a long time and find it harder and harder to keep up with my blog.  Yet, I have a deep desire to once again keep this place active and updated and I hope to find a way to achieve that soon.  As I type this I am actually sitting in the airport waiting for a flight with my girls as we embark upon a fun family vacation together.  It will be their first time on a plane and they are both excited and nervous.  

As the days have passed by since I've been here last, I have been quite busy.  The most important event that occurred was that my sweet Keira turned 12 years old.  The years, just like the moments, seem to fly past me at times and I find myself blinking my eyes a few extra times to see if it is true that my girls are growing so fast or if it is just my mind playing tricks on me. 

We celebrated Keira's birthday in conjunction with Easter this year.  Family and friends filled our home with love and laughter and she enjoyed her special family celebration.  

She also had a party with some of her closest friends.  She had a glow-in-the-dark mini golf party which was a ton of fun.  The girls all were glowing in the dark and we found out quickly that 12 year olds giggle a real lot. 

 In between all of the celebrations and regular daily life, I've been enjoying my sweet daycare babies as always...

Oh and Sara Wilson and I have just completed another e-book celebrating the Late Spring Festivals.  It sure isn't easy finding time to write with such a busy life but I truly love the work that I do and I'm so grateful to be working with Sara on this festival series as we really support one another well and her work is phenomenal.  

This e-book came out so nice and is 130+ pages full with Waldorf crafts, stories, recipes, songs, circles and so much more - just in time for Earth Day, Mother's Day and May Day.  

We hope you enjoy it!