05Sep 2022 by catbird 1 Comment
Harvest Moon Celebration

Harvest Moon Celebration

Autumn Portfolio, Craft Project, Full Moon, Harvest Moon, Recipes
We are so excited for the Harvest Moon! The Harvest Moon was so named in Europe because the light of the full moon allowed farmers to work into the night to bring in the harvest. After the harvest was finished it was a time of celebration and rest. This full moon is always the one closer to the Autumnal Equinox so it’s most often in September, but sneaks into October every now and again. In many Asian cultures this full moon is known as the Mid-Autumn Festival. It’s is traditionally celebrated with mooncakes (which we have made one of our traditions too!) Have you ever looked up at the man in the moon? What westerners refer to as the man in the moon, many other cultures refer to the rabbit…
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12Jun 2022 by catbird No Comments
Campfire Orange Cakes

Campfire Orange Cakes

Campfire, Recipes, Summer Solstice
I was completely obsessed with these as a child, and pretty much still am as an adult. I thought they were generally common knowledge until I served them at one of my kids birthday parties a few years back and no one had any idea what they were. I am now on a mission to spread the word of orange cakes. Not only do they take on some smokiness form the fire, but they pick up the oils from the fire and have the most amazing subtle orangey flavor. You can use any cake batter with any dietary needs for this recipe and this is one of the few times you'll see me recommend you just use a quality boxed mix. (Although you can absolutely use a homemade cake batter…
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27Apr 2022 by catbird No Comments
Marshmallow Wands

Marshmallow Wands

Foraging, May Day, Play, Recipes
May Day or Beltane is the first day of May and the halfway point between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice. In some places it marks the beginning of summer, in others, mine included, it is the midpoint of spring. It’s still a bit chilly, but wildflowers are starting to bloom and those “spring” vegetables like radish and asparagus are just starting to come to life. In Japan, the relatively modern holiday of Greenery Day is celebrated just after May Day- and I like the idea of a day to celebrate spring, flowers, gardens and being outside. One of the most important parts of European May Day celebrations were bonfires. Livestock were driven between big bonfires to protect them for the summer. This was the time of year that…
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15Feb 2022 by catbird No Comments
Sugar on Snow

Sugar on Snow

Midwinter, Recipes, Snow Moon, Winter Portfolio
February is when tree sap starts to travel back up tree trunks, meaning that it's time to make maple syrup! The best days below freezing at night but warmer and sunny during the day. I live in the most southernly part of the US where you can still tap trees and make maple syrup. I tap both maple and black walnut most years and every so often we make some sugar on snow. We usually use store bought maple syrup for the sugar on snow- the syrup we make is too precious! The sugar in this case refers to the maple- it's just cooked until it's at softball stage and then allowed to set up quickly on the cold snow. Simple yet magical! A perfect way to celebrate Midwinter and…
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27Jan 2022 by catbird 1 Comment
Making Butter with Kids

Making Butter with Kids

Midwinter, Play, Recipes
Midwinter is the time of year that ewes traditionally started lambing, so for Western Europeans in ancient times it was the return of milk to their diet. It’s hard for us to really understand that these days, but there is something very comforting about creamy, milky dishes this time of year. February is also usually the month that our hens start laying again which is always very exciting. As I’m writing this I’m thinking we should really plan some sort of mini celebration to mark the occasion! I don’t do lactose so I don’t really dive deeply into the milk and cream elements of this holiday, but my kids love to make butter. Mason Jar Butter Making Making butter in a mason jar is stupid easy and strangely satisfying. We…
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19Dec 2021 by catbird 2 Comments
Solstice Yule Cake

Solstice Yule Cake

Recipes, Winter Portfolio, Winter Solstice
Winter Solstice and the Yule Log.... Every Winter Solstice my family turns off all the lights in the evening, lights a fire in the fireplace, lights a million candles, spreads a blanket in front of the fire/ Yule tree and has dinner on the living room floor. Not only is it a lovely way to celebrate the darkest night, but it’s also a great opportunity to turn off electronics and lights and just enjoy each other’s company. The kids think it’s hysterical to walk around the house with a lantern and it’s an incredibly relaxing night in a busy stressful season. Every year we have Swedish meatballs (which are referred to as ikea meatballs in my house... ) and a bouche de noel or Yule log cake. Some years it’s…
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19Dec 2021 by catbird No Comments
Hibernation Week Pie

Hibernation Week Pie

Cold Moon, Full Moon, Hibernation Celebration, Recipes, Winter Portfolio
Cold Moon hibernation pie!! The December Full moon is most often described as the Cold Moon. In my mind the Cold Moon is always linked to hibernation— my school has a week-long hibernation celebration every year in December that culminates in a Cold Moon Hibernation Party. Everyone learns about different aspects of hibernation, coziness and staying warm from straightforward activities like building shelters and learning about how animals survive to more abstract ideas of home and hearth. The fourth grade makes candles as a part of their colonial america studies and fifth grade makes hibernation snacks to eat while observing the stars. It’s a delightful way to celebrate the winter holidays and to prepare for a long winters nap.
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19Nov 2021 by catbird 1 Comment
November Tea Party

November Tea Party

Autumn, Autumn Portfolio, Recipes
Foraged spicebush tea with a multiflora rose syrup. The hips sweeten after a frost, as do the little carrots we wrestled out of the garden. A beautiful way to celebrate the shift to teh colder months. Foraged Spicebush Tea Spicebush is a plant that grows wild all over the east coast. In the fall it produces bright red berries that make a lovely spice, but the thing I like most about it are it's twigs. You can find them even in the dead of winter and they make a lovely gentle flavored tea. It immediately makes me think of tromping through the woods with my kids. We like ours sweetened with a little bit of rosehip syrup or honey. My kids love foraging it and drinking this tea! Ingredients: dried…
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