Top
SUBSCRIBE
JUICE BOX
VIDEOS
SEARCH

This form does not yet contain any fields.
    Powered by Squarespace
    STONE SOUP

    GUY FAWKES NIGHT

    Mark your calendars! November 5th is Guy Fawkes Night, an evening for bonfire fun.

    In 1605 the British rogue Guy Fawkes was arrested in a cellar filled with barrels of gunpowder. Luckily, he was caught before he had the chance to strike the match that would blow up the kegs and King James. Yup, Guy's plans went up in smoke and he was sentenced to death.

    "This sorry tale has been preserved in British folk culture ever since, with an evening of fun on November 5th. An effigy of Guy Fawkes is burned on top of a large bonfire, and the night crackles and sparkles with fireworks.

    "On the days before November 5th children make "Guys" from old clothes, stuffed with paper or straw," as explained in All Year Round, a wonderful book of festival lore and activities. Children would then wheel their straw men through the neighborhood and ask passer-by's for "a penny for the Guy". The penny stash would be used to buy wood and fireworks for the celebration on the 5th.

    In pagan times, the transitional times between the seasons were always celebrated with fire rituals. The enthusiasm for the annual Fawkes event may be tied to the folk memory of these ancient seasonal bonfire celebrations.

    Times have changed, alright. These days it would take a wheelbarrow of pennies to buy one log! And you can bet that sending our kids out to beg on the streets would raise a few eyebrows. Now they just beg from their parents!

    But, why not embrace the Guy? Who doesn't love an occasional bonfire; it's a good excuse to clear up garden rubbish, burn all evidence of Goodwill craftbook shopping, roast potatoes,  stay out late to gaze at the stars, and dream into the flames and the flying sparks.

    If you can't manage a large bonfire, maybe gather one or two small children and organise a backyard campfire or an indoor fireplace party to celebrate the end of autumn? And don't forget to bring your Dancing Rain Dolls...they enjoy watching the fire, snuggled next to the kids they love.

     

    YESTERDAY'S SOUP
    « Lost & Found | Main | INDEPENDENCE DAY »
    Saturday
    11Jul2009

    A JAR OF JOY

    DateSaturday, July 11, 2009 at 8:33AM

    Who doesn't need more joy in their lives?!

    I was grazing through the book The Creative Family: simple projects and activities for you and your children by one of my favorite craft bloggers, Amanda Blade Soule.

    It is one of those books that makes you happy you are mom...even when the kids run off with your good scissors, play "build a sandcastle" with all the dirt from your seedling pots, lose your wallet somewhere in the house along with all the checks you needed to deposit four months ago, and you can't for the life of you figure out how to make a meal ALL your children will eat, let alone actually like.

    The four sections Gathering, Playing, Living and Connecting are chock full of great ideas for fun family activities and easy crafts like family drawing time, a no-pressure pick-up-the-crayons gathering. Or how about her idea of holding informal yet productive meetings in bed---now that's MY idea of a good meeting. And I love the pattern for cute yet practical bedtime bags that store pj's and your child's favorite bedtime story.

    One project I thought was so sweet and simple is her Joy Jars. All you need is a recycled jar and slips of paper. You can work with your child to decorate it with whatnots and crafting scraps with your kid to make it special. Brainstorm together as a family and think of different messages to write that will make the person you're gifting smile. A couple examples she shared were: "I love it when you call me angel"; "You have so many fun shoes, Grammie!", and "You make the best toast ever!" There you have it! A Joy Jar. What a thoughtful, easy way to teach gratitude and share love.

    Amanda goes beyond showing us how to encourage imagination and nurture creativity. Her book, just like her SouleMama blog, gives so many no cost and low cost ways for us to spend quality time with our families. There is no need to run ourselves ragged transporting our kids here and there to keep them happy. Amanda's book reminds us that there are plenty of heart satisfying traditions we can start now at home with our families. Hoorah for summer and a little time to do them!

     

    AuthorA&A | Comment1 Comment |

    PrintView Printer Friendly Version

    EmailEmail Article to Friend

    Reader Comments (1)

    Hi Amy! I really love that book and her blog too. congrats on Waldorf training!

    August 29, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterAndrea

    PostPost a New Comment

    Enter your information below to add a new comment.

    My response is on my own website »
    Author Email (optional):
    Author URL (optional):
    Post:
     
    Some HTML allowed: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong>