16May 2024 by catbird No Comments
“Mother Holle”

“Mother Holle”

Craft Project, Folklore, Learning, Midwinter, Picture Book Buds, Recipes, Winter
Picture Book Buds are a fun and easy way to incorporate literacy into nature study. Read a book (you can even read it outside!) and then enjoy the related activity and snack suggestions! Mother Holle Written by: The Grimm Brothers & Illustrated by: John Stewig Mother Holle is a classic Grimm’s fairytale in which a mistreated step sister falls down a magical well to a fairy realm where she is rewarded for being kind to Mother Holle with gold. (There is of course also a “bad” sister who does everything wrong and is punished in proper Grimm fashion.) The moral of the story is that “industrious children are rewarded and lazy children are punished” although I like to view it in a more modern sense- that kindness is rewarded. Mother Holle…
Read More
28Jan 2024 by catbird No Comments
Hibernating Bear Countdown Clock

Hibernating Bear Countdown Clock

Craft Project, Folklore, Midwinter, Nature Art, Winter
A few years ago I read about a folktale in passing that completely captivated me. It said that bears hibernating in their dens turn over on Midwinter. I spent years trying to track down this folktale, and finally determined it is a Norwegian story. I still haven't found a text, but I have done a ton of research and written my own retelling. (More on that later) In Celtic tradition this time of year is called Imbolc and in that climate people are starting to see signs of spring. In many other parts of the world, mine included, Midwinter is the dead of winter with the worst still to come. I like to call this holiday Midwinter, not just because it is the secular names, but because it is so…
Read More
28Jan 2024 by catbird 1 Comment
What is Midwinter?

What is Midwinter?

Craft Project, Folklore, Midwinter, Winter
Midwinter is a celebration halfway between the Winter Solstice (the official start of winter) and the Spring Equinox (the official start of spring.) It is a time that straddles between winter and spring. The date changes slightly from year to year, but is generally on or around February 2nd. It is what is known as a “cross quarter” day on the Wheel of the Year. These days are seasonal midpoints in between the “quarters” or solstices/ equinoxes. This celebration in the dead of winter is about looking forward to spring, and while it often doesn’t feel that way, the days are steadily getting longer and brighter and the earth is slowly waking up from its slumber. Deep underground seeds are just beginning to think about stirring. Sap is starting to…
Read More
28Jan 2024 by catbird 1 Comment
Brigid Weaving

Brigid Weaving

Craft Project, Midwinter, Nature Collection, Winter
Brigid's crosses are a traditional thing to make this time of year in Ireland and the UK. They are part of the observance of Imbolc which is one of the many names and traditions surrounding Midwinter. I have never really gotten very into these because crosses aren't my thing, but upon further research they almost certainly predate the cross as a Christian symbol and were just repurposed by the church when the goddess Brigid became a saint. Most people recognize the four armed version, but there are literally hundreds of different ways to make these little weavings, many of which are hyper local to specific areas and towns. Most frequently they are made with rushes or straw, but the material used can also change depending on the area. I like…
Read More
01Sep 2023 by catbird No Comments
Hunt for Animal Tracks

Hunt for Animal Tracks

Hike Ideas, Midwinter, Play, Winter, Winter Solstice
Whether you have snow or mud, winter is a great time to hunt for animal tracks. The lack of underbrush makes them much easier to spot. Younger friends will likley just be excited to find and identify some tracks, but older friends might enjoy tracking the paths the prints take and trying to reconstruct what the animal might have been doing and or where it is living. We spent literally hours following those raccoon tracks around the forest and mapped out what we hypothesized was a whole community of raccoons. They went to the water, they went to different trees that appeared to have dwellings in them, it was pretty fascinating. Another fun step would be to draw and illustration or write a story about what you found, in our…
Read More
29Jan 2023 by catbird No Comments
Seed Clouds

Seed Clouds

Craft Project, Garden, Midwinter, Nature Art
After making the Edible Meringue Clouds I was still thinking about Frau Holle shaking her feather quilt and making it snow. I love the image of the feathers turning to snow and wanted to do something more literal with it. I came across some writing about the goddess version of Holle that talked about her flying over fields at Midwinter to make them fertile. My rather practical scientific mind was immediately struck by the idea of seed starting in relation to this myth. Most native seeds require a period of cold to germinate, gardeners call this cold stratification. This is why I paradoxically love seed projects in the winter, there are many plants that actually grow better when planted in the cold and snow. So I came up with another…
Read More
21Jan 2023 by catbird 2 Comments
Garden Planning with Kids at Midwinter

Garden Planning with Kids at Midwinter

Garden, Learning, Midwinter
Midwinter is when I start to organize and sort through my seeds. In the fall when I’m harvesting everything I’m more focused on collection than organization. During the winter solstice season I take a break and by midwinter I’m usually itching to jump back in and sort seeds, plan gardens and look through all the seed catalogs. This is the snowiest time of year in my area and not at all the time to start seeds, but it’s the best time to dream and scheme for spring which is honestly one of the best parts. It’s also the time of year that I invariably find a bunch of random bags and jars of unlabeled plant parts that I swore I would remember the purpose of but which I promptly forgot.…
Read More
21Jan 2023 by catbird 3 Comments
Frost Lanterns

Frost Lanterns

Craft Project, Frost Moon, Full Moon, Midwinter, Nature Art
Midwinter is a snowy sleepy time. The days are 42 minutes longer and brighter than then were on the Winter Solstice, but they don't really feel like it yet. In one of my favorite winter nature books, Grandmother Winter, Grandmother shakes her down comforter out and the feathers become snow. This image is actually drawn from the Grimm's fairytale Frau Holle, which itself is drawn from a much earlier myth. In early Germanic and Nordic folklore, Frau Holle controlled the weather and kept children safe in the winter. In modern lexicon she is a kindly old woman who makes it snow by shaking out her quilts. I like the idea of a sweet old woman who makes snow and looks after children. It follows to me that giving children lanterns…
Read More
19Jan 2023 by catbird 2 Comments
Midwinter Nature Activities for Kids

Midwinter Nature Activities for Kids

Bath & Body, Craft Project, Midwinter, Nature Art, Recipes, Winter
Ten ways to celebrate the Midwinter with kids!! Pin for later! Click the pictures below for more info. (Tutorials for the candles and moon milk will be in my upcoming Midwinter guide!) Midwinter is an inward facing, puttering kind of celebration, in contrast to all of the pomp of the December holidays. It’s cleaning out the old and looking forward to the new-- spring, new gardens and days filled with light all while staying cozy and warm. You can celebrate by making soap, candles, tidying the house, pouring over seed catalogs, laying out garden plans, forcing branches or making traditional foods with milk, honey and seeds. It's a great time to practice hygge, taking pleasure in slower, simple things.
Read More