To me this time of year is all about apples! These activities work equally as well for both Mabon and Samhain, and yes you guessed it - they're all based around the apple theme.
How about styling a still life scene for your children using apples? Give them a range of materials to experiment with (e.g chalks, oil pastels etc) and print off some famous still life pictures from the internet. For small children simply label the prints with their name, date and the artists name. For older children you might provide more indepth information on artists or encourage them to research their favourite on their own.
Maybe you could juice some apples? On the BBC show 'The Edible Garden' Alys Fowler and her friends make their own apple press using a drill mechanism. You could try this for a really hands on project with older kids! I will try to track down a video clip to post!
How about some divination? Ever heard of the apple peel divination? If you manage to peel the apple whole you can then throw the peel over your shoulder. The fallen peel will then give you the initial of your true love. Little girls of a particular age will enjoy this!
You could have a Pomona banquet ~ place a bowl of apples on the table and enjoy them together after a meal in honour of Pomona. A lovely informal way to introduce children to the Roman Goddess Pomona.
There are a wealth of stories involving apples that are also wonderful to tell with children. A lovely book I have found is 'The Apple Pie Tree' by Zoe Hall ~ a story that tells the life cycle of the apple for ages 4+. It also has a section in the back on how bees pollinate flowers and an apple pie recipe!
The old favourite 'Snow White' features the enchanted apple,but for something different how about telling your children the tale of Thomas the Rhymer? Thomas, a 13th century poet was whisked of by the Queen of Fairyland and given an apple of inspiration to eat. There is a Steeleye Span song telling this story that I remember as a favourite from my own childhood.
Other apple stories from myth and folklore that you might find interesting are those of Iduna and the magic apples for those wanting to teach their children of some Norse myths. For Greek inspiration you could tell the story of the Golden Apples of Hesperides.
And of course, Avalon is also called the 'Isle of Apples' so you might chose to tell your children stories of the Round Table. Children might want to illustrate these stories, or they might want to write their own apple stories.
If you wanted to move away from myth somewhat you could also tell stories of Issaac Newton and his apple as an introduction into looking at gravity. You could also tell the story of William Tell's task of shooting an arrow upon his sons head. For older children this story really does have a lot of lessons.
I hope I have at the least provided you with some inspiration!
