birthday treasure hunt & some natural party favor ideas

Included in Naiya's birthday celebration at the farm last weekend was a delightful birthday treasure hunt.  I thought I would post about our search and find game both as a way to record our fun adventure and because I've had several folks in the past ask me for ideas for Waldorf style party favors made from natural materials.  Feel free to share one or all...

We began with a basket full of simple sewn fabric bags which had the name of each child on the drawstring in letter beads. 

In field and farm and all around
Our elemental friends abound
Fairies, gnomes and mermaids too
A dragon even, in one clue!
Take a bag and start your search
Begin where birds and pixies perch...

I got the beads at the craft store, and this was a handy feature that proved useful in helping avoid conflict over which bag belonged to each child after they were all left laying about.









Using the first hint, the children located a tree close by where hung a number of sweet fairie necklaces.  The next clue also dangled from the branches below a fairie cut out that swung overhead. 

Take one fairie flying sweetly
In the branches so discreetly
Seek next for an underground dweller
He’s a jolly little feller...

The necklaces hanging in the branches were made of wooden nickles (purchased at a craft store) which had been drilled with a tiny hole.  The hole had a little wire loop through it and the pendants hung from an assortment of colored ribbons.  I used a regular stamp and stamp pad to mark a different image on each side of the medallion.  I couldn't decide whether to coat them with beeswax polish or not so I did some with and some without.  (The wax seemed to very slightly blur the image but made the whole thing look richer.  The one shown is without the polish.)




Following the fairie's directions, the children next found our beloved garden gnome behind a nearby shrubbery with a basketful of gnome hats. 

One hat is for me and one for you
Choose one and follow your next clue.
Look for the place where mermaids hide
A silky blue beach where they play in the tide...

The hats were super simple to make and could be done from either fleece or wool.  I don't know where I got the pattern but there is one similar in the Fall 2010 issue of Living Crafts Magazine.  They're cut on a fold and require only one sewn seam.  Each hat took less than five minutes to make.







The gnome's clue led the children to a tableau of the sea complete with toy boat and seashells.  Sprinkled on the silky tide were little mermaids for each child to put in her collection bag.

You’ve found us here! Take one mermaid tear home
We’re glad to go wherever you roam
I know of a dragon who hides in her lair
She’s friendly and wants us to find her there...

At our festivals the children often dig for small "dragon tears" in the sandbox.  I'd seen this larger mermaid "tear" idea at several craft fairs and shops including our own school store.  I hope I'm not giving away any trade secrets by revealing how simple it is to make these magical stones.

The clear glass gems are about an inch in diameter and can be found in the floral section of some craft stores.  The images were collected from the internet and sized in my photo program to fit the stones.  (Alternately, pre-rounded 1" images can be purchased cheaply through lots of folks on Etsy for very little money.  Try searching "digital mermaid image" or "digital fairie image" to see or buy the cool collections enterprising folks have created.)  I printed my mermaids on a heavy card stock on my own printer and after cutting the pictures to fit the stones, I painted some Mod Podge (non-toxic, clear drying adhesive) onto the printed side and stuck them face-up onto the flat underside of the glass.  To give them a nice finish I painted the blank backs gold.






Lastly, the mermaids led the treasure hunters to the dragon hidden under the canopy of a low tree.  I made this papier-mâché life sized dragon for no good reason about 20 years ago.  I was just really into papier-mâché I guess.  She's been sitting in the garage and it only occurred to me a few weeks ago that I might put her to good use.  As much as the children seemed to like her, it was her eggs which were their final prize. 

I’m a friendly dragon just relaxing
I know all this searching can be taxing
So glad you made it all the way through
As a final prize, one egg is for you!

The eggs were made using the simple wet felting technique shown here and filled with a couple of dragon stickers I purchased at one of our favorite local toy stores.



The children seemed to enjoy the treasures and the quest and I too had loads of fun putting the whole thing together.

birthday the fifth

After a quiet morning at home with a simple breakfast and search for the now FIVE birthday fairies (I'm still wrapping my head around that number), we once again celebrated Naiya's birthday at Kruger's Farm on Sauvie Island.

We love the relaxed, natural atmosphere and the wide open space where the children can run, play, visit the giant pig, hide in the corn and search for the perfect pumpkin. 

Mostly we just like that we're able to have this gathering out of doors.  We're lucky to have given birth to our child in the early Autumn when the weather here in the Pacific Northwest can be somewhat wet but is almost always comfortable.  With outdoor celebrations it seems like Nature does a lot of the decorating and hosting on her own and even provides a fair amount of entertainment.

We did furnish a spread for both adults and children that included five cakes.  Yup.  Five cakes.  This bit is really Ryan's doing.  On Naiya's third birthday he couldn't decide which cake to make her so he made three.  We both thought it was kind of cute because, you know, she was three.  But then came four with four cakes and now five with cakes a-plenty.  At some point this will have to stop obviously (or we'll need to get some smaller cake molds).  Naiya helped with the decorating of one of the sweet treats and, not surprisingly, this was the one that nearly all of the children wanted to eat.  Any guesses?

 We laid out a table with tiny pumpkins and stick on decorations and these ever so creative children were in fine form.

Like last year, we had a treasure hunt for the little ones to follow at their own pace.  Most tried it out as they arrived alone or in pairs and it worked out quite well.  (I'll post more about the crafts for that soon.)

 We also took a hayride out to the pumpkin patch where all the children found the very best of pumpkins.  They, of course, have to be just so.

I tried out my amateur face painting skills but I think what the children liked most was decorating the mommies and daddies.

Most of the day was just spent frolicking and enjoying the farm and its many inhabitants.

We were lucky to avoid the rain and enjoyed a beautiful, festive day with many of our beloved friends and family.  Just as we unloaded the last party remnants from the car at home the sky opened up and poured out a storm. 

Happy birthday to my wonder-filled little girl.

she's five

Happy Birthday to my dear five year old.

When I was One, I had just begun.

When I was Two, I was nearly new.

When I was Three, I was hardly Me.

When I was Four, I was not much more.

              Now I am Five, and I'm so alive.

(poem adapted from Now We are Six by A. A. Milne)

michaelmas

A festive and meaningful Michaelmas to all on this profound holiday.

I thought I was going to write something about Michaelmas that included an explanation of the beautiful and quite esoteric nature of its symbols and stories but with all the birthday planning and visitors and cleaning, I'm afraid it will have to wait.  What I would like to do is just share the way the struggle of will and consciousness conquering desire and psychological sleep is manifesting in a cute and cuddly way for our daughter in our home.  As with all meaningful celebrations, we don't talk to our almost-five-year-old about the internal significance and substance of these observances but just let the stories and pictures act upon and through her in a gentle subconscious manner.


For a few days now we have been reading (with a fair amount of editing) the wonderful story of St. George and the Dragon as retold by Margaret Hodges.  There aren't a great many picture books out there for Michaelmas and this is one we really enjoy.

To hold the pictures of the story, we set up our Nature Table for Michaelmas to include a scene from this book (as seen in the photo up top).  A pattern for the sweet Michaelmas dragon can be found at  Rhythm of the Home.

When Naiya arrived home from school today we decided to bake Dragon Bread for the first time using a recipe we found here.


Additionally, at school today, some of the classes died silks with calendula flowers for the children to wear as capes, others crafted paper crowns from their yellow watercolor paintings.  In Naiya's kindergarten, the children helped to make the darling throwing stars seen below to celebrate the day.  (Inside is a sealed cloth packet of corn kernels with ribbons sewn on.  The children's portion of the craft was to place the packet inside and then stitch up the star's edge with yarn.)

Since we're always looking for ways to bring these holidays to the children I thought others might find some of these ideas and discoveries useful.  To that end, lastly I'd like to share this story that I found in Autumn from Wynstones Press which is especially nice for very young children:



 

"The Kite" by U. de Haes

    Once upon a time there was a boy whose father helped him make a kite.  They worked on it in the winter, until its wooden cross was surrounded by transparent paper of yellow, red and blue.
   In the summer the boy flew his kite and the sun was so pleased with its colours that he sent his clearest rays of light.  And so the kite looked like a flaming cross in the sky.  The boy let his kite rise as high as it could until the string came to an end and the kite could go no further.
   Whoosh!  Then came a gust of wind.  The string snapped and the kite went flying into the sky.  The boy saw it rise higher and higher.  Soon the kite had gone so high that he could barely see it.
   Up there in the blue there was much to be seen.  First the kite saw a crow.
  “Good morning,” croaked the crow.
   “Good morning,” replied the kite.
   “Are you a bird, with your flaming wings and long tail?”
   “No, I am not a bird.”
   “What are you then and from whence do you come?”
   “I come from the lad standing down there; he made me himself.”
   “And where are you going?”
   “That I do not know.  I want to fly into the sky.”
   “Then you do not belong here.  Up here every being knows whence he comes and whither he goes.  I fly every winter to the south, and every summer to the north.  I advise you to return to the human beings below, for if you do not know where you are going, you will lose your way in heaven.”  But the kite was determined and rose further into the heights.
   Then the kite met a seed.
   “Good day,” whispered the seed.
   “Good day,” replied the kite.
   “Are you also a seed with your roots and shoots?”
   “Not I.”
   “Where are you going?”
   “I do not know.  I want to travel into heaven.”
   “Then you do not belong here.  Up here everyone knows where he is going.  I sail through the air and take in that which moves from the east to the west - the warmth of the sun.  When I have taken it into myself, I travel down again and bring it to the earth.  The earth then lets a flower grow out of me.  If you do not know what to do, I advise you to descend to the earth or you will lose your way in these heights.”  But the kite did not hear and soared higher.
   Then he glided past a cloud.
   “Good evening,” murmured the cloud.
   “Good evening,” said the kite.
   “Are you a cloud with your flaming sunset red?” asked the cloud.
   “No, I was made by human beings.  I came from the boy down there.”
   “And where are you going?”
   “Oh, only into the sky.”
   “Then you do not belong here.  Everyone here knows his purpose.  I collect the last red of the sunset and turn it into the red of the sunrise.  I rain down with the red of the sunrise and bless the earth and when I have done that the sun carries me up once more, so that the red of the sunrise can again be made.  And so I travel up and down.  I advise you to go back to the boy, for without a goal you will lose your way up here.”  But the kite would not return and rose higher.
   Then he came to the stars.
   “Good night,” sang the stars.
   “Good night,” sang the kite with them.
   “What news do you bring to us, you comet of the earth?” sang the stars.
   “I come from the boy who lies sleeping down there on the earth,” said the kite.  “He is waiting until I return but in the meantime he has fallen asleep, and is dreaming about me.”
   “We ask you to take our blessings back to the boy,” sang the stars and every one of them gave the kite some of their light.
   Then came the Angel Michael.  He took a star and hurled it towards the strange newcomer.  The kite burst into flames and like a torch plunged into the depths.
   The boy awoke from a dream.  But when he looked around he realised that it could not have been an ordinary dream for next to him lay the cross of his kite and the coloured paper had been devoured by flames.
   And the cross was no longer wooden but was of bright, heavenly iron.  The boy was astounded when he saw that.  But he was also vexed because his beautiful kite was gone.
   At home his father comforted him:  “Let us be glad.  If your kite was not burnt you would never have received this cross of heavenly iron.  This iron is lighter than the lightest wood and stronger than the strongest steel.  Let us use it to make a new kite.”
   This they did.  And next summer when the kite rose to the heavens he again met those who traveled from north to south, from east to west and from heaven to earth.  And when he came to the stars he again met Michael and again he plunged burning to the earth.  But the cross of heavenly iron shone even more brightly than before.
   And this happened for many years and with every year the cross became brighter and stronger.  And when the boy had grown up the cross took on a different form:  it turned into a shining sword which gleamed with the light of the stars.  With this sword the growing man traveled through the world and he became a knight and servant of Michael.

look mommy, i made a boat

Naiya has had a fascination with water lately.  She called me upstairs just now so excited to show me this.  "Mommy, mommy....come look!  I made a boat!"  It's an index card, a piece of paper, a colored pencil and a flower petal.  "I even colored the bottom to help it float!" she explained.  (The wax crayon coating does, in fact, make the paper less water permeable and so increases buoyancy time.)


My dad, who for some reason isn't able to leave comments here said, "It's in the blood."  His father, Naiya's great grandfather, is a boat designer by profession.  Come to think of it, I don't know why I've never mentioned this before.  My grandfather is the very interesting and talented Glen L of Glen L Marine Designs.  He's been designing and building boats since 1953.  If you've ever wanted to build your own boat or even just check out boats (you know, real boats, not paper toys) made by amateur boat builders (including that guy on NCIS), I'd totally recommend stopping by their site.  You can even see my lovely Aunt Gayle right there on the home page...  http://www.glen-l.com/  or http://www.boatdesigns.com/

the 36th annual cider squeeze

 On Saturday we enjoyed the whole day over in Eagle Creek at the 36th Annual Cider Squeeze at Philip Foster Farm.  It's just so dang wholesome.

picking apples

grinding apples

pressing cider

wringing laundry

de-cobbing corn

grinding corn

building log cabins

play and dress up in the historic log cabin - "for kids and Omas only"

fuzzy caterpillar

making rope

Across the street from the Cider Festival we found a lovely family running an alpaca farm.  The children played with the litter of kittens there and enjoyed the alpacas a bit as well.

autumnal equinox

   It feels like we barely got a taste of Summer and here it is Autumn already.  Today is the Autumnal Equinox when light and darkness balance on the wheel of the year.  From here into Winter, the nights will grow longer than the days.  And oh, how I’ll miss those warm, long nights (brief though they were this time around).  It’s an interesting time, entering my husband’s favorite season; one to celebrate equilibrium before preparing for the colder, darker time to come.
   Historically this holiday was an observance of the last crops coming in and so a time when the bustle and hard work of summer decreased along with the light.  For us, with school beginning, it seems just the opposite.  We do however make the transition from lots of hectic time traveling and playing out of doors with many friends and family to the more solitary, calm, indoor activities and crafts that the cooler weather inspires.
   This seasonal transition is a time when those contrasting lifestyles meet.  At our bonfire gathering this evening we’re wondering how we (both adults and children) can inwardly and outwardly celebrate this moment of balance and also honor all the goodness that the earth has given us.
   We’ll bring the bounty of our separate gardens to share with those we love but what of activities?  I’ve read about games symbolic of balance (like races carrying eggs on spoons) that are held at Equinox feasts but I’m wondering what other traditions and festivities folks might enjoy for their Fall celebrations.   
   Any suggestions?  I’d love to hear how other people acknowledge the turning of the year (even if this rotation finds you in another hemisphere and you’re welcoming Spring instead of Autumn).  Won't you please leave a comment/suggestion to help enliven our observance?

Happy Equinox to all!

Autumn winds are sighing

Stealing through the forest brown,

As they softly pass the tree trunks

Little leaves come falling down.

But a stronger gale is blowing-

Than the leaves themselves

Rise and dance about the forest

Just like little elves.

Faster, faster see them whirling

Till the gale has passed.

One by one the tired leaflets

Sink to rest at last.

                                           from Autumn by Wystones Press