I confess, this is my absolutely most favorite circle time that we do all year. And the children love it as well! We always bring this gem out around this time. In early Autumn we like to celebrate the practicalities of the seasons– the changing leaves, picking apples and pumpkins, the blacksmith helping the horses. And in late November we like to celebrate the harvest and the work of the farmer with thanksgiving and gratitude. But in between, in that sliver of time after Halloween when we’re still ripe for the possibilities of imagination, we like to celebrate our little pointed-capped friends underground, the gnomes.
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Looking for a way to bring peace and joy to your day?
Seasons of Joy is my 10-week seasonal guidebook to add rhythm and fun to your daily routine. Each guidebook has ten weeks' worth of circle times, stories, arts, crafts, and handwork, painting, playtime activities and more!
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We have been having so much fun in our circle time these past two weeks. We’ve been going apple picking. First we ride our ponies to the apple orchard, then we find the apples and pick them and put them in our baskets. After riding back home, we tell the story of how to find a cozy little room that houses five seed babies inside the apple. Then we wash our apples and make apple cake! What a wonderful thing to experience in our imaginations, day after day after day. Here’s a little “mini treasury” with just a few of the lovely candles available on Etsy. These would be a beautiful addition to your autumn circle! ‘Autumn Circle Time Candles’ by annettemarie
I’m a little late to the party, but here are some of our favorite Autumn and Halloween books.
This sweet little book follows the adventures of a woman who selflessly gives up what she has, even when it doesn’t get her what she wants. Bonus? Apple cake recipe!
Two little acorn children get carried away by the Autumn wind and have many adventures in the forest. This has been a favorite in our home for years!
Do you have photos of you and your family enjoying activities from Seasons of Joy Autumn? Pictures of finished projects you’d like to share? Pictures of your nature table? I’d love to see them! Please consider either sending pictures to frontzfamily@gmail(dot)com, linking to a picture in the comments (be sure to leave an email so I can contact you!), or visiting our Facebook page and posting pictures there. You can also post pictures in your own Facebook album and tag “Seasons of Joy”. Thanks for sharing the joy!
Like lots of other things in our lives right now, circle time doesn’t look quite like it did before. Instead of singing and dancing around the living room, we cuddle on the couch together. Instead of using circle time to tell a continuous story, it tends to be variations on a theme. You know what though? That’s OK. Change can be uncomfortable and it can leave us feeling like we’re not living up to previously set standards, but sometimes it can actually be good to mix things up a little! And I keep telling myself that this time next year, Nicholas will be almost seven and will have pretty much phased out of circle time, and instead I’ll have two little one-year-olds just learning the joy of our family rhythms and a big four-year-old guy who will be home from his year of church preschool and ready for our very own Nursery Rhyme Nursery School. It’s all good. I find myself reflecting on my own thoughts on circle time in Autumn Seasons of Joy:
If you haven’t purchased your Autumn Seasons of Joy yet, now is the time! This not-so-little ebook has a great little price– only $15 for 10 weeks of seasonal activities for you and your family! The book includes: * 5 autumn circle times, with opening and closing verses. Take a movement journey to the apple orchard, march some friendly gnomes, celebrate the harvest, find joy in the autumn leaves, and visit some creatures in the autumn woods.
This year, our Halloween circle is framed by a lovely little story by Nancy Foster called “The Naughty Little Hobgoblin.” It can be found in Let Us Form a Ring. This is a great book and I highly recommend it, even if just to learn how a Waldorf circle “works.” I also found a copy of the story here. At the end, there’s a lovely little traditional song: |
Love begins by taking care of the closest ones - the ones at home.
~Mother Teresa |
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