Nature based crafts, activities, and rituals to bring in the season of expectation.

Fall and spring bring the best energy. Early March and early September are my absolute favorite times to plan for the upcoming seasons. I see them as waiting rooms—the expectant place straddling the already and the not yet. I love to use the first two weeks of those months for reflection and contemplation. I consider the feelings the upcoming seasons bring up and I reflect on what nature does during that season. In fall, I think about how the plants are letting go. They are storing up their energy for winter’s rest. I consider what I need to let go of—and after the season of abundance there is always stuff I need to let go of, and what I need to save—this may be seeds, drying leaves or fruit, or preserving memories by printing photos, saving mementos from the season, or writing in a journal.

I also think about how we are slowly losing light each day and consider how I want to bring more light into our home. This is the time we make more beeswax candles, use our lamps, and hang lights on our porches. I am sensitive to the impacts of blue light on our circadian rhythm, so I try to incorporate warm lighting for the shorter days.

I also consider what foods will be in season and plan our garden and collect a recipe list for our fall meals. Slow cooked, warm, hearty meals, and baked fruit will be on repeat this season. Squashes, beans, and pears are abundant right now.

Finally, I consider the upcoming holidays and events and think about what we will host and any gifts we will want to make. This is the best time for us to begin handmade gifts that need curing time, or are more involved—e.g. vanilla extract, in-season fruits for canned jellies, etc.

One of my core values is fostering a love of creation and a spirit of stewardship with my child. Part of imparting those values to her is modeling living seasonally with intention. Here are some of the projects we will be doing this fall (or have done in the past) to help foster a reverence for the natural world. I hope it inspires you to consider what activities you may do with your child(ren) this year.

1. Roll beeswax sheets into taper candles for the dining room table. Melt beeswax pellets into collected containers for candles.
2. Forage fallen leaves to dip in beeswax and make a mobile/wall hanging for the homeschool room.
3. Collect or purchase pears or apples and make turnovers. We love using Sweet Loren’s allergy friendly puff pastry dough for these!
4. Raise butterflies. We have had great success using the Insect Lore kits.
5. Reserve fall books from the library for our seasonal bookshelf. I like to include Native American myths and stories that include constellations, then follow those readings with star gazing.
6. Plant marigolds and zinnias and make a centerpiece flower arrangement (with a carved pumpkin with a jar inside as a base) for our Thanksgiving table. If you don’t want to grow your own flowers or forage them, Trader Joe’s has a fantastic selection of flowers that could be used for this.
7. Save seeds from our garden/yard—zinnias, sunflowers, and celosia are ideal. These make great hostess gifts.
8. Visit a sunflower field and pumpkin patch.
9. Make vanilla extract for holiday baking and gifts.
10. Make homemade marshmallows for s’mores and hot chocolate.
11. Collect pokeweed* fruits (Phytolacca americana L.) to dye cloth napkins for our table. I’m learning to hand embroider, so I think this will be a great project to practice new stitches on. Alternatively, we may dye some wool roving to needle felt into wool toys. *Please note that pokeberry seeds and mature stems and leaves are all toxic, so do not ingest this.
12. Felt (needle or wet felting) a squirrel, pumpkin, and acorn to add to our wool toy collection and strengthen fine motor skills. We may make some other wool animals as Christmas gifts.
13. Plan and plant our fall garden using seeds and transplants locally grown. This is a great time to plant root crops and salad greens. I have had good results interplanting these in the same beds.
14. Make apple butter.
15. Make fresh herbal teas from pine needles, and yarrow leaves. Both of these can be made from fresh leaves by boiling in water, then steeping for 6-7 minutes.
16. Harvest goldenrod (Solidago) and prepare a goldenrod oxymel to support our respiratory systems. This article has the recipe and lots of helpful information about the medicinal uses of goldenrod.
17. Order flower bulbs to plant for early spring blooms. Divide bulbs in our yard for more blooms.
18. Make a fall wreath with foraged grapevines and dried grasses and flowers collected.

I hope this helps you as you plan an intentional season with your family.

With love,

Sunshine

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