Ideally, your children will participate in the daily life of your family, supported by the rhythms and activities sent by the teachers. In the Getting Started post we suggested a daily rhythm similar to the structure of our day in Nature Kindergarten. We encourage each family to use this material in the way that works best for them. We’re here to support you!
If you are looking for resources, songs and poems that have been shared previously on the blog, you can use the search tool on this page.
May Day, Beltane or Fairy Day - the first of May has always been one of my favourite days of the year! My wonderful neighbour introduced me to the idea of Fairy Day when I was a child. On the 30th of April, every year, my sister, my cousins and I would carefully create a fairy house at the base of my neighbour’s honeysuckle tree. We would craft tables and seats, beds, and a fireplace out of rocks, bark, and bits of wood. Sometimes we would be allowed to take a bit of flour and some spices from our family’s kitchen to make miniature ‘breads’ and ‘soup’ to leave as an offering for the fairies. When we woke up on May Day we would find that the honeysuckle tree had most certainly been visited by fairies! The ‘breads’ and ‘soups’ had been consumed. The fireplace had ashes in it. The furniture had been moved around. The beds had clearly been slept in. It was the aftermath of a fairy party for sure! Often, the fairies would leave us a tiny treasure as a ‘thank you’. I LOVED this magical, thrilling discovery as much as I loved waking up Christmas morning to find my stocking full!
This week why not bring a little fairy magic into your backyard!
Do you recognize a certain Nature Kindergarten teacher?!
Fairy Day at my neighbour’s honeysuckle tree.
A note for caregiver’s about the origins of Beltane / May Day. Excerpt from The Children’s Forest.
BELTANE
Beltane takes place on 1 May, exactly halfway between spring equinox and summer solstice. The word comes from the Old Irish, meaning ‘bright fire’, and the day is now often known as May Day. Beltane marks the transition between spring and summer and celebrates the start of the light half of the year. It is a time of fertility. in the cycle of day and night, this time of year is akin to mid-morning - when we are active and moving.
At Beltane, spring has flung open her doors and the sun’s warmth and energy has called forth new life.
SEASONAL POEMS:
MAY SONG
Sing a song of May Day - Hi-dee-ho-dee-hey!
Showers of flowers from breezy bowers - Hi-dee-ho-dee-hey!
Dancers and prancers in the high grass - Hi-dee-ho-dee-hey!
Joyfully skip each young lad and lass - Hi-dee-ho-dee-hey!
Happy, oh happy May Day, May Day!
Happy, oh happy May Day - Hey!
~ Betty Jones
This verse lends itself to a simple tune like “Sing a Song of Six Pence” (or you can make one up!). The words may be spoken and the “Hi-dee-ho-dee-hey!” part may be sung. Skip around in a circle while saying or singing this poem.
WHERE?
Where are the fairies?
Where can we find them?
We’ve seen the fairy-rings
They leave behind them!
Is it a secret
No one is telling?
Why, in your garden
Surely they’re dwelling!
No need for journeying,
Seeking afar;
Where there are flowers
There fairies are!
~ Frederick Warne
From The Girls’ Book of Flower Fairies (personally, I would like the title of this book to be changed to The Children’s Book of Flower Fairies).
RAINBOW FAIRIES
Two little clouds one spring day,
Went flying through the sky;
They went so fast they bumped their heads,
And both began to cry.
Old Father Sun came out and said:
“Oh, never mind my dears,
I’ll send my little fairy folk
To dry your falling tears.”
One fairy came in violet, and one more in indigo;
In blue, green, yellow, orange and red,
They made a pretty row.
They wiped the cloud tears all away
And then from out the sky,
Upon a line a sunbeam made,
They hung their gowns to dry.
~ unknown author (from A Child’s Seasonal Treasury)
SEASONAL SONG:
My Lady Spring
My Lady Spring is dressed in green,
She wears a primrose crown,
And all the little leaves and buds
Are clinging to her gown,
And when she smiles,
The sun does shine,
And when she cries,
The raindrops fall,
My Lady Spring,
My Lady Spring
MORNING ADVENTURE
Pack your backpack with a snack, water, and extra clothes and get ready to hit the trail (or your backyard!).
FAIRY TREE
Look closely around the environment, Could that acorn cap be a fairy-sized soup bowl? Does that rock look like the perfect stool for wee folk? Can you find something fluffy (cattails, milkweed, moss…) that would make a comfy bed for sleepy fairies? Look around for the perfect fairy tree - one that has lots of nooks and crannies near the base of the trunk. Create a inviting resting place for the fairies to land and spend May Day evening in celebration. You never know what they might leave you in return!
Materials:
your imagination
a basket for collecting supplies for your fairy house
wool yarn or cotton string to make festive garlands to decorate your fairy tree
Fairy trees typically have lots of little nooks and crannies that can be used as rooms and perching places.
*On May Day visit your fairy house to see if you have had any visitors. Look for signs that the fairies have been by: dew drops, tiny flowers nearby, sparkly stones…
Fairy food offering for the wee visitors.
May Day morning: checking the fairy tree. They were here!
SEASONAL STORY
This week’s story is Backyard Fairies written by Phoebe Wahl.
RECIPE
FAIRY REFRESHMENTS
This recipe is from The Girl’s Book of Flower Fairies by Frederick Warne.
CRAFTS
Here are a few of my favourite crafts in honour of May Day, Beltane and Fairy Day.
FAIRY DOORS
A fairy door is a miniature door, usually set into the base of a tree, behind which may be small spaces where people can leave notes, wishes, or gifts for the "fairies".
Materials:
Solid piece of bark or wood
Scissors
Glue
Yarn or ribbon
Beads
Paint
Paintbrush
Flowers
Pinecone
Acorn caps
Seed pods
MAY DAY CROWNS
Celebrate the first of May with a festive crown!
Materials:
Long flexible branches, grapevine, wire, strip of fabric, or cardboard
Seasonal flowers and grasses
Yarn and / or ribbon
Beads
Feathers (craft or found in nature)
Scissors
Glue (optional)
Instructions:
The base of the crown can be made from, long flexible branches, grapevine, wire, fabric, or even cardboard. Use what you have on hand.
Collect some seasonal flowers, grasses to weave into, or stick onto, the base of the crown.
Fit the base of the crown to the child’s head.
With yarn or ribbon attached, let the child wind it around the base of the crown, attaching flowers, grasses, feathers, and beads at intervals.
Decorate with colourful yarn or ribbons that fly as the child runs and dances.
BELTANE PLANT LORE
Excerpt from The Children’s Forest written by Dawn Casey, Anna Richardson and Helen d’Ascoli.
BLUEBELL
CHARACTER:
I am Bluebell, flower of enchantment.
I grow where forests have grownh since ancient times.
To grow from see to flower takes me four to five years.
Your people used to say that my bells were rung to herald gatherings of Faery Folk; we are sometimes known as faeries’ doorbells or faeries thimbles.
GIFTS
My bulbs, poisonous to people, are a favourite food of badgers and wild boar.
My scent fills the May woodlands and sends some into otherworldly dreams.
The gummy sap from my bulbs was used to attach arrow fletchings and also to bind books.
My magical plants are protected by law as well as by the Fair Folk, so leave them to perfume the forest and dance in their honour.
MORE RESOURCES
Find out more about the world of Flower Fairies here.
This is a fantastic website that has inspired me for many years. It has lots of wonderful resources and suggestions for Waldorf-Inspired activities to do with your children. Visit Meagan Rose Wilson.
CONNECT WITH COMMUNITY
You have the opportunity to connect with other parents and families on the Nature (home)School journey through a private Facebook group. The digital forum is a place where you can post photos of the activities that you get up to with your children, share stories or inspirations from your outdoor adventures, and connect with other families. Please follow the link to connect with other families in the online community or from Facebook - search: Nature (home)School Support.
We are a very small Not For Profit School. If you like these resources and find them helpful, please consider making a donation to our Nature Kindergarten program. We appreciate your support!