I look forward to seeing many of you this Thursday, March 12, at 9:30am for our spring festival. Although the weather should be warmer than the past of couple of days, it is an outdoor festival, so please be prepared with warm clothes.
While the children often find the festival more magical and nourishing if they can have the experience without explanation beforehand, I am offering a more detailed description of the events for adults so that you can be prepared to help if needed (please do not share with children).
9:30am Children and parents arrive. Bread and butter, water, and herbal tea will be available in the shelter near our playground. If you are bringing cut vegetables to share, please bring them here. Children play and/or eat.
9:45am (or when it seems all families intending to attend have arrived), William will play music, sing, and present a fingerplay or puppet show, depending on the weather.
9:50am William will lead us into the woods to the teepee (the walk is 200 yards at the most). There, Mother Earth will silently greet us. She will present William with a fiber pot and plant cosmos seeds into the pot. Ideally, Mother Earth will present a pot and seeds to each child. If there are many children, and the waiting seems too stressful, William (and other parents) will help. It is nice, however, if things do not feel rushed. Some children, of course, may be intimated by Mother Earth, so a parent could receive the gift for the child. Be prepared to help your child carry the pot. We will have extra potting soil and seeds at the end of the walk if, as is possible, your child's pot spills. We thank Mother Earth.
9:55am (or so) We walk a few more yards to another clearing in the wood. There Sister Rain will greet us and water each pot. We thank Sister Rain.
10am (or so) We emerge from the woods (another few yards) and head back toward the playground. There, Father Sun greets us. He ties a spring crown around William's head. Next it is ideal if Father Sun ties a spring crown on each child's head. If there are a lot of children, William and parents can help Father Sun. Again, it is nice if we avoid a sense of hurry. Some children, of course, will not feel comfortable with a stranger putting on a crown; parents are welcome to help their own child with their crown. We thank Father Sun.
10:05am (or so) Back at the playground, Brother Wind greets us and presents us with a large spring cloth for dancing. We thank Brother Wind. Unless it is bitterly cold, William will play the fiddle as parents and children dance with the large cloth from Brother Wind.
10:15am Children play some more, children and parents eat more snack. Each child is welcome to take home a pot. There will be extra in case one is misplaced or spilled. This particular cosmos (which you can plant outside after 6 weeks or so) is supposed to help attract butterflies. to remind you of your time in the Butterfly Room. Each child is welcome to take a crown home. If you enroll in the spring session of parent and child classes (beginning March 26), please bring the crown to class. We will decorate the crowns with wool roving and embroidery for May Day.
10:30am Children and parents depart. Beginning at 10:45am or sooner, elementary children come outside for recess, and it will be good to leave them space.
Lyrics to songs William will sing (he will repeat them and you are encouraged to sing along)
Spring is coming, spring is coming.
Birdies build your nest.
Weave together straw and feather,
Doing each your best.
Spring is coming, spring is coming.
Flowers are coming, too.
Pansies, lilies, daffodillies,
Each is coming through.
Spring is coming, spring is coming.
All around is fair.
Shimmer, quiver on the river.
Joy is everywhere.
Mother Earth, Mother Earth,
Take our seed and give it birth.
Sister Rain, Sister Rain,
Shed thy tears to swell the grain.
Father Sun, Gleam and glow,
That the roots begin to grow.
Brother Wind, breathe and blow,
That the blade green will grow.
Earth and Sun, Wind and Rain,
Turn to gold the the living grain.
With warmth and light,
William Geoffrey Dolde
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