Gardening with Children
Archives, Gardening with Children, Giveaway, Nature, Outdoor Play

Gardening with Children

Working in a garden helps connect children with nature and the cycle of the year, teaches children where our food comes from, and awakens wonder and awe at watching a plant grow from seed to flower or fruit.

Children as young as three-years old can begin helping in the garden.  They can help rake and hoe, and with a parent’s help, plant seeds in a small patch, tend the plants and watch them grow.

In Waldorf education, gardening is usually practiced with children and their teachers in kindergarten through second grade. Teachers know that gardening with children provides early science lessons, but more importantly, working in a garden cultivates a connection to nature, which will lead today’s children to become caretakers of the earth later in life.

Later, gardening is an important element of the third grade curriculum in a Waldorf school when children study housebuilding, farming and gardening.

A backyard garden provides a magical place in which children can play and explore.

The marvelous books Sunflower Houses and Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots by Sharon Lovejoy are filled with inspiring ideas for gardening with children including planting a “sunflower house” or “beanpole teepee” – gardening projects in which children can hideaway during enchanted summer days! Sharon’s books will help you and your child plan and grow a garden even if you are a complete notice.

URBAN GARDENING

And gardening is not limited to families who live in the country or in the suburbs. If you live in the city and don’t have a backyard, here are some urban gardening ideas for parens and children:

  • Plant flowers around the base of trees on your sidewalk
  • Plant window boxes
  • Plant and tend a planter outside your front door on a porch or stoop
  • Grow an herb garden in your kitchen (Harvest mint for tea and herbs for soup.)
  • Plant in raised beds on a roof

kids-urban-gardening

Children are naturally drawn to growing things from seeds. I still remember as a child planting carrot seeds in a little patch of dry dirt outside our apartment building in urban Los Angeles, and the wonder and awe of seeing the green sprouts from the seeds I planted and watered! How could I have guessed then that I would grow up to live on a farm in Maine and have large vegetable and flower gardens?

Bella Luna Toys is pleased to offer high quality gardening tools for children, kids work gloves, and a number of books on gardening with children to help children get started.

GARDENING GIVEAWAY

NOTE: This giveaway is now closed.

To celebrate spring to encourage families to plant a garden this year, Bella Luna Toys is pleased to have partnered with our friends at Johnny’s Selected Seeds, producers of high quality, non-GMO and organic seeds here in Maine, for a fantastic Kids Gardening Giveaway!

Win a shiny red bucket filled with kids gardening tools from Bella Luna Toys, six packets of easy-to-grow fruit, vegetable and flower seeds from Johnny’s Seeds and books to help you get started.

Kids Gardening Giveaway!

Win This Bucket of Goodies to Grow a Garden!

Entries must be received by midnight EDT, Monday, May 14, 2018. One winner will be chosen at random and announced on Tuesday, May 15. Good luck!

Congratulations to Glenda B. from Somerset, Kentucky who was our lucky winner! Thank you to all who entered.

Well may your gardens grow!

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Do you have a garden? Are you inspired to start one this year? Have an idea to share on gardening with children? Leave your comments here!

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Archives, Festivals, Waldorf Education

Celebrating Michaelmas

What is Michaelmas?

Michaelmas (pronounced MI-kel-miss) was originally a Christian festival in Western Europe during the Middle Ages. It is the feast day of the archangel St. Michael, and is celebrated on the 29th of September each year.

Michael is an archangel in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, but his festival is one that can observed by people of all faiths and spiritual paths.

Michaelmas falls near the autumn equinox, marking the quickly darkening days in the northern hemisphere. It comes at a time when the weather is rapidly changing and the days are noticeably shorter, and we have a natural instinct to prepare for the colder months ahead.

It marks the end of the harvest and the time to begin to put away food for the winter. It is a time of apple picking and cider making, a time to make warm soup and gather round the hearth. It is the time to put our summer clothes away, and pull out our sweaters, hats, and mittens.

Michaelmas marks the season when we feel the impulse to turn inward after the long, warm days of summer, and gather up strength and fortitude to face the colder days and long nights of the winter ahead.

Celebrating Michaelmas at a Waldorf School

Michaelmas is typically the first festival of the new school year celebrated in Waldorf schools. The festival usually includes a harvest theme with food such as apple cider, fresh baked bread, and pumpkin muffins, as well as games and activities of courage. The grade school children will usually perform a play of St. George taming a fiery dragon with the spiritual help of the archangel, St. Michael, who gives him courage.

Photo by A Mountain Hearth

Photo by A Mountain Hearth

Taming the Dragon

St. George, the patron saint of England, is the human manifestation of St. Michael on earth and their stories are closely related.

The story of St. George taming the dragon symbolizes the inner courage it takes to face our human challenges. As the days grow colder and the nights grow longer, we must find and bring forth our own inner light when the sun, warmth and growth of the earth are fading.

St. Michael, who gave courage to St. George, gives us courage to uphold what is right and true, and the strength to face the challenges that lie ahead. The story speaks to children in a deeply symbolic way, feeding their innate need for truth and justice.

“Michaelmas is a great time to ponder our own inner dragons and to cultivate the courage and strength necessary for self development.” – from Waldorf Publications newsletter

St. Michael and the Dragon

Celebrating Michaelmas at Home

If you are not part of a Waldorf community, here are some ideas for observing the festival and the season at home:

  • Create a Seasonal Nature Table depicting St. George and the Dragon. You could display autumn leaves, small pumpkins and gourds to represent the harvest. Or you could display the Black Knight with Red Horse, Dragon, Cave, and Large Angel wooden figures from Ostheimer of Germany. Orange and red play silks can represent the colors of fall and the courage of St. Michael.
  • Tell stories about St. Michael or St. George. One of my favorites is from the beautifully illustrated picture book St. George and the Dragon by Margaret Hodges.
  • Read “The Most Beautiful Dragon in the Whole World” from Reg Down’s charming collection of autumn stories, The Festival of Stones.
  • Do fun outdoor activities that require strength, courage and bravery: take a hike, have a tug-of-war with friends and family, have a scavenger hunt for “dragon eggs” (these can be small gourds spray painted gold).
  • Make a dragon candle for Michaelmas. Instructions can be found in the book All Year Round.

Of course, preparation is as important a part of a festival as the day itself. And Michaelmas is the beginning of the fall season. These activities can be extended and enjoyed throughout the month of October.

As adults, we can use this time to focus on our own inner work and spiritual growth. Take time for meditation and journal writing, and think about the areas in which you would like to grow.

Wishing you strength and courage this Michaelmas season, and may all your dragons be tamed!

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Have you celebrated Michaelmas at a school or at home? Are you inspired to begin a new tradition? How do you prepare for the coming season? As always, your comments are always welcome!

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Waldorf Art Supplies - Bella Luna Toys
Archives, Art, Education, Giveaway

BACK-TO-SCHOOL GIVEAWAY! Win a Gift Basket of Children’s Art Supplies

It’s Back to School Time

COMMENTS FOR THIS GIVEAWAY ARE NOW CLOSED.

Thank you to all who shared their back-to-school memories! I read every one of them and was touched by hearing both memories of your own school experience and your childrens’ experiences.

Congratulations to Kate who blogs at Seeking Small who is the winner of our Back-to-School Basket!

Enter to Win this Basket of Art Supplies!

Bella Luna Toys is pleased to offer a giveaway for a basket full of children’s art supplies for a creative school year.

This exciting basket includes one of each of the following:

⭐️ eco-art™ Drawing Paper Pad from eco-kids®
⭐️ Stockmar Opaque Watercolor Paints
⭐️ Set of 3 Bamboo Paintbrushes
⭐️ Set of 12 Oil Pastel Crayons
⭐️ One Pair of Kids Scissors
⭐️ Set of 24 Easy Grip Eco Colored Pencils
⭐️ Dual Size Pencil Sharpener
⭐️ Child’s Bolga Basket

Total value of over $100!

Win a Back-to-School Gift Basket from Bella Luna Toys

Win a Back-to-School Gift Basket from Bella Luna Toys

TO ENTER

Earn one entry for each of the following actions:

  • SHARE A FIRST-DAY-OF-SCHOOL MEMORY:  Receive one entry by sharing a memory of your first day of school as a comment in the Comments section below this blog post.
  • TAG FRIENDS:  Receive one additional entry for each friend that you tag in the comments section of our Instagram Back-to-School Giveaway photo.

Entries must be received by midnight PDT on Thursday, August 31, 2017. One winner will be selected at random and announced on Friday, September 1, 2017. By entering, you confirm that you are 18+ years of age, release Instagram of all responsibility, and agree to Instagram’s terms of use. Giveaway open to all, but a winner outside the United States will be responsible for shipping fee.

Happy New School Year and Good Luck!

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Enter our giveaway by sharing a memory of your first day of school as a comment below!

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