mabon – Wineberry Wood Press

30Sep 2024 by catbird No Comments

Autumn Simmer Pots

Autumn, Autumn Equinox, Samhain, Simmer Pot

Autumn is when simmer pot season really starts in earnest around our house. A simmer pot is basically a homemade air freshener made by simmering fragrant pieces of fruits, herbs, and other spices in water. You throw some nice smelling things into a pot and let it just simmer on the stove all day. It makes the house smell amazing and cozy. It's a great way to make use of apple peels and core from fall baking. I went ahead and used teh cut outs from our jack-o-lanterns too! I went beyond the usual apples and spices in the harvest simmer pot, using some common fall garden plants and weeds. Sweet autumn clematis is terribly invasive in my area so I don't feel at all and about yanking it. It also…

21Sep 2024 by catbird No Comments

What is Autumn Equinox?

Autumn, Autumn Equinox, Folklore, Learning

The Fall or Autumnal Equinox is the midpoint between the Summer and Winter Solstices. Day and night are of equal length in nearly all parts of the world. The word equinox comes from the Latin words for “equal night”—aequus (equal) and nox (night). On the Autumn Equinox the Earth’s tilt is at zero relative to the sun, meaning it is not tilting towards or away from the light, it is in balance. The Equinox is the astronomical first day of fall, traditionally starting the fall season. Darkness and night increase, we move within our homes and ourselves and begin to prepare ourselves for the coming winter. This is the time of year when farmers would know how well their summer crops did, and whether they would have enough food for…

20Sep 2024 by catbird No Comments

Autumn Equinox Simmer Pot

Autumn, Autumn Equinox, Simmer Pot

Autumn Equinox is a time when people all over the place are taking stock and settling in to the cozy time of year. It brings to mind apple pies and falling leaves. Bountiful produce and abundance as nature makes her last big push. An easy (and nice smelling!) way to celebrate the season is to make a special Equinox simmer pot. Use this recipe as a start and add anything else that speaks to you– you might just really like the smell or want to encourage more of what the plant symbolizes in your life. Apple peels & cores: I am pretty passionate about using things that would otherwise be wasted for simmer pots, cutting up and wasting a perfectly good apple is not my style, but apple cores and…

18Sep 2024 by catbird No Comments

Giving Back Seed Bombs for Foraging

Autumn, Autumn Equinox, Craft Project, Foraging

We love to forage as a family, One of the most important things about foraging is remembering to give back-- to leaves some for the animals, to thank the plants and to cultivate gratitude. When kids are invlved I like to do something concrete to help them think about giving back. Recently we have been making seed bombs with native plants to throw along the trail and very literally give back. So many natural areas are completely overrun with non-native invasive plants that I hope this small action helps native plants regain their foothold and makes more food for the woodland critters. It's really REALLY important that you use seeds for plants that are native to your area and will thrive in the conditions that you are distributing them. Sun?…

09Sep 2024 by catbird No Comments

Autumn Leaf Lanterns

Autumn, Autumn Equinox, Craft Project, Nature Art

As soon as the weather begins to turn cold, I cannot stop making lanterns. This darker time of year is perfect for flickering lights and lantern walks. Sometimes I build the lantern structure itself for a more advanced project, but I like to have a variety of easy to make lanterns as well. This is one of those. I usually like to leave natural materials natural, but these lanterns are so cute I couldn't help myself! The lantern also makes use of fallen autumn leaves making it especially seasonally appropriate. If you are working with younger kids, or just prefer the natural shapes, you can skip the cutting and just use full leaves instead. You can use any type of leaf you prefer, although some seem to hold their color…

09Sep 2024 by catbird No Comments

Autumn Equinox Harvest Chandelier

Autumn, Autumn Equinox, Craft Project, Foraging, Garden, Nature Art, Nature Collection

The Fall or Autumnal Equinox is the midpoint between the Summer and Winter Solstices. Day and night are of equal length in nearly all parts of the world. The Equinox is the astronomical first day of fall, traditionally starting the fall season. Darkness and night increase, we move within our homes and ourselves and begin to prepare for the coming winter. This is the time of year when farmers would historically know how well their summer crops did, and whether they would have enough food for the winter. It’s not a coincidence that so many disparate people and cultures celebrate the harvest around this time. Whether you observe the equinox, Thanksgiving or another fall celebration, giving thanks for the harvest is something we can all appreciate this time of year. …

19Sep 2023 by catbird No Comments

Little Leaf Baskets to Store up for Winter

Autumn, Autumn Equinox, Craft Project, Foraging, Garden, Nature Art, Play

One of my favorite things about seasonal midpoints is that they reflect what is happening in nature-- and different cultures all over the place have similar observances. As I was researching Equinox around the world this year I stumbled across a random mention of the the French Republican Calendar- which was briefly instituted in France after the French Revolution. They instituted a calendar that began the year on the Autumn Equinox and had months named after things happening in nature. The first month was named for the grape harvest. This got me thinking about phenology which the science of tracking seasonal changes. (And one of my favorite things!) I decided to go for a walk in the garden and see what seasonal changes might inspire me. Sadly I don't have…

04Sep 2023 by catbird 1 Comment

Seed Saving

Autumn, Autumn Equinox, Garden

Collecting seeds in the fall garden is both useful and super fun for kids. Shelling beans is one of our favorite fall activities- crinkly seed pods make all kinds of interesting noises and provide free seed for next year. Seed saving is both one of the last tasks before the garden goes to bed, and a promise of next years growth. It’s the end of one cycle and the start of the next one. Sometimes I hand draw fancy seed packets- sometimes I stuff seeds in random unlabeled bags and forget about them. My Farm to Flight unit study includes a printable seed packet with a space to tell the story of your seeds— was it the biggest juiciest pepper? Was it a gift from your grandma? The stories of…

04Sep 2023 by catbird 4 Comments

The Simplest Autumn Lanterns

Autumn, Autumn Equinox, Craft Project, Play

It's no secret that we love lanterns, this site is full of various lantern designs of varying complexity. (falling leaves lantern, star lanterns, harvest moon lanterns, frost lanterns) But when my kids were toddlers this was the go to lantern craft. It's super easy for little hands and can be upgraded in any number of ways. The supplies and simple and easy to manipulate. Fall is lantern time for me. The nights are darker and longer and a lantern brings a cozy flickering light. A number of traditional celebrations and festivals include lanterns this time of year and it's the perfect time for a lantern walk. Easiest Tissue Paper Jar Lanterns In their simplest form these lanterns consist of a recycled glass or plastic jar, tissues paper, glue, and some…

04Sep 2023 by catbird 1 Comment

Fall Apple Picking Hike

Autumn, Autumn Equinox, Foraging, Garden, Hike Ideas, Play

Ok so "hike" is a little bit generous here, but this is a great way to get outside, get exercise and procure snacks. And as I have mentioned, we love hikes with built in snacks. There is something about picking fruit off the tree that is inherently more thrilling than buying it at a store, and it makes children infinitely more likely to want to eat it. They have participated in the process so they are now invested. The best part is that when invariably get home with way too many apples, you can partake in one of our other favorite autumn traditions-- baking with apples!

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