Celebrating Summertime!!

I want to start by stating that I am by no means an expert on anything Waldorf...but, I do try to incorporate seasonal celebrations into our  year, and I also LOVE using beautiful crafting materials with my children and for my own crafts.  Please join me as we explore summertime celebrations in more detail!

Celebrating Summertime!!!

Here in Eastern Ontario, we're lucky enough to have four distinct seasons...each one very different than the other.  Summer for us means lots of trips to fresh water lakes, picnics in the park, the farmers market, camping, bike trips, fishing, gardening galore and the start of putting away the bountiful harvest! 
In the darkest part of winter we LONG for sweet sweet summertime!

Some festivals to mark on the calendar

June 21st Summer Solstice

June 24th St John's Day (Midsummer's Day)

July 15th St Swithun's Day

August 1st Lughnasad First Harvest

Find the celebrations and festivals that work for your family and your faith.
Every year we recognize the beginning of summertime with our Solstice celebration.  I like
bearing witness to the turning of the seasons.  We take time to make some sun crafts, change around our nature table, and usually on Solstice day we eat outside, (if the weather permits), and end the day with a bonfire. 

Here is an easy peasy summer Solstice craft! 

Sun wands

Our first sweet little sun princess modelling the sun wand!

To make your own you will need:
Wool felt, (red, orange & yellow)
Embroidery floss (red, orange & yellow)
Needle
Scissors
Dowel or stick (whatever length you wish...ours was about 12 inches)
Paint & brush, (whatever colour you wish)
Roving or stuffing
Glue gun and glue sticks
Ribbon, (reds, yellows, orange)

Enlist the help of one paint lovin' pint sized helper!

Cut out felt circles of varying widths and colours...find circular things to trace around your house...
you will need one small, one bigger, one even bigger and then two LARGE circles.

Pile them up so they look purdy!!!

Now sew those circles together...I used various colours of thread to compliment the felt, (because I'm a bit craft crazy!!)...if you want super simple though you can use a glue gun, (holds amazingly well for felt)...leave a gap at the bottom for the dowel or stick, (which will be sandwiched between the two large circles of felt)

Next attach your sunny coloured ribbon to the dowel or stick using a glue gun...

I also lightly stuffed my "sun" with roving...sew the bottom shut...and hand over to a lovely

little sun goddess...

Of course she will also require a sunny golden crown!!
(cut easily from some golden cardstock...stapled together at the back)

Here are some summertime verses that I found online...

Come bright butterfly, close to me
Your beautiful wings I should like to see
You fly like a bird, you sip like a bee
But you're really a flower the wind set free  From The Mystical Kingdom
Combined with a simple butterfly craft, this would make for a lovely morning playtime!

Clapping verse (clap along to the verse)

A sailer went to sea sea sea

To see what he could see see see

And all that he could see see see

Was the bottom of the deep blue sea sea sea

From One Hook Wonder

Again...combined with a simple boat craft, you'll start a summer day out with some fun!

And...if you require further summer crafting inspiration come over for a visit...

I wish you all sun kissed cheeks, strawberry stained teeth, bountiful gardens, 

clean fresh water to cool you off,  the smell of a campfire on your clothes,

and magical moments with family and friends!