Other craft ideas for fall/winter

One of our favorite activities for fall and winter is making quick/easy/cheap/all natural bird feeders. We collect pine cones from our neighborhood and then the kids smear them with peanut butter and roll them in bird seed. We hang them in the trees where we can see the birds... the kids have learned to identify some birds, feel good about helping our wildlife endure the winter, and when the seeds are eaten, we can "refill" the pine cones (sorry I can't find any pictures)...

My kids are young (4 and 6) so quicker projects like the bird feeders are often more manageable than cooking projects, although we have made bread (big soft pretzels were SUPER fun, we made the dough in the bread machine, and then sprinkled parmesan and a little salt)... and cooking is always a great sensory activity when you can use your hands!


...and applesauce.


So, other than the structured ideas of crafts or activities, we mostly spend time outside noticing the change in seasons. We tend to collect stuff and put it on our season table. At Mabon I'll change it over from Summer to Autumn, and the kids will participate. I think I love our season table more than anything else! This is a picture of our table in Spring... I need to take pictures more often, I guess! Autumn tends to have the most found objects in it...

In my opinion, anything you can do with children that can incorporate noticing the change in the season at Mabon is in line with the honoring of the turn of the wheel of the year. For my children noticing their environment goes a long way toward keeping them present in each moment (which I think is different than "living in the moment" where people get focused on what they are doing, not who they are with an awareness of their environment). Staying present, and not being pulled into thinking of past and future constantly, will allow them to grow up more grounded and in touch with their own truth. That is completely my own opinion, so take it for what it's worth.

Blessings... and may you have a wonderful Mabon!