Today we are looking at the life that is born during the spring time this is a time of new life. On our 18th day of our countdown we are looking at what animals are born at this time. Animals are in full mating season now, because of the mass amounts of food available. Before we begin creating Spring Animal Window decorations lets look at the animals of the season. Mommy cows are fully feed on green pastures and full of milk for their little baby calves. Lambs go to seek shelter so that they may give birth in a safe spot then within 20 minutes of after being born they are ready to try to stand. After mating in fall it is now time for the for the white tailed deer. We also of course have the wonderful cycle of the ducks. I have each kid trace a cycle of the duck. After they trace it I then carefully have them cut it out then we discuss some facts about the little one. First an egg-Most duck eggs hatch 28 days after being laid. Duckling-After hatching it takes 5-6 weeks for the oil on their wings to fully coat them to waterproof them. Teen Duck-After 12 weeks they molt their first set of feathers and their second set done growing now they are able to leave their Mom. Adult Duck-Adult ducks can live up to twenty years in the wild.
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On our sixteenth day of leading up to our Spring Equinox celebration we make a beautiful representation of the holiday, a bird nest decoration. Birds are rich in magickal history, every culture has some form of it. Native Americans use birds in totem pole as symbols of many things to represent properties they would like to bring into their lives. They are also were used to tell the story of the family; a blue jay-attitude, cardinal-confidence, crow-knowledge. Birds gather sticks, grass, mud and they even use their spit. Birds make nest when it comes time to lay their eggs this is the nest only purpose, because they dont sleep in them. It usually takes two weeks for a bird to hatch its eggs after they mate. After a few weeks baby birds are finally ready to leave their nest, and their Mom. Intertwine all the little stick so that they make a strong foundation. Now hold and say: Place the grass carefully on top of the twig base. I then place the small eggs and say: "Rebirth, reborn new beginnings together" We have reached day fourteen of our twenty-one day countdown to the Spring Equinox. Today we are making more decorations for our home, I saw some really cute rabbit cans to hold flowers. Hares have long been a symbol of the spring, because this is the time when they mate. Wild rabbits would create nests to prepare for birth, then they would abandoned the nest once the babies were born. Once the nests were abandoned birds would then come and make their homes there, laying their eggs. This is how the originally folklore had connected hares with eggs. To make this Hare Can you need: a can, construction paper, glue, cotton balls, goggle eyes, permeant marker. When making these decorations we use recycled cans that we have cleaned out. Take a white piece of paper line it up with the can then cut it and glue it on. I also put a rubber band around it so that it will stay in place till it dries. Tear 2 inches of tissue paper then glue and place around the inside center of the can. Cut ear shaped piece out of the left over white paper then cut smaller eat shaped pieces out of pink paper for the inside of the ear. Glue the pink onto the white ear, align it with the back of the can and glue it in place. I move the rubber band up to hold these in place as well. Draw two small oval out of pink paper for the cheeks glue them on. When cutting the pink paper for the nose make sure it is smaller then the cheeks, glue in place. Cut large oval circles for the outside of the eyes, glue in place. Use a permeant marker to draw a mouth on the before gluing the cotton balls in place. Finally glue on your goggle eyes!
You can put fake flowers in it to really bring in the energy of the season. As we come to day number 13 of our 21 day countdown we take the kids to go really experience the new life that surrounds us during Ostara. We are going to a local pond and feeding our local baby ducklings that just hatched. There is nothing more beautiful then watching your children interacting with animals in a way that teaches them that animals are also just creatures of the God & Goddess like us. During spring time all the animals are surrounded by food which really gets them in the mood if you know what I mean. You can see this everywhere you look from calves, lambs tadpoles, to ducklings. We gather up our stale bread and head to the lake. When you teach your the importance of caring for animal whether they be wild or domestic it shows them the importance of compassion. They are learning to be empathetic to the animals search for food and without even realizing it learning to be giving. These are important traits that our children need to be taught so that they will can make the world a better place as they get older.
This an all time favorite of my kids day of the countdown it is the day we hunt!!! Day 10 of our 21 days we are hunting fertility eggs. The art of hunting has been around since the time of man first began it is how our ancestors first found food. People still hunt for there primary source of foods in many parts of the country. Although we may not be hunting game, instead we are hunting plastic eggs. It is believed that the tradition of egg hunting came about during the burning times, the time when Christianity was hunting and burning those who worshipped the Pagan religion. They would tell the let them know that it was safe to celebrate the Spring Equinox, and as a gift they hid eggs for them to find during their celebration. Then once the children found the eggs they would tell them that they had trespassed on others property arresting the parents and seizing the land. From this sad history a positive loving game came the Ostara egg hunt. I adapted my own version of the egg hunt, we "hunt" fertility eggs. What are fertility eggs you ask, they are eggs that are filled with seeds. Eggs are naturally a fertility symbol as are seeds from those beautiful flowers arise, creating food for others. Before the kids get home from school I fill each egg and we hide them as I hide them I sing When they get home I give each child a basket and let them know that the winner shall have the honor of choosing where to plant all the seeds. We give the count down and off they go. Once the winner is decided we they dig the hole in the decided space and say
I am a warrior these are my seeds My strength and my courage grow everyday This is my warrior garden The 7th day of our countdown we are making a egg wreath to bring a little more Ostara beauty into our home. The Germanic Pagan tribes used to entwine branches to form a circle around candles to help decorate as a representation as a Sun. The Christians took over this tradition and adapted it to their Christmas holiday. This is a really to create you just need: card board, plastic eggs, and glue, optional- ribbon. Cut the card board into a 3 inch diameter circle Glue each egg and hold it in place don't move till fully dry. OPTIONAL If you like you can add a star in the center with the ribbon gluing each end of the ribbon to the cardboard.
It is day six of our twenty-one day Spring Equinox countdown today we make Rebirth Egg Mobiles. These will hang as not only a decoration but as a symbol of the new energy we would like to bring into our home. These decorations are so easy to make you just need dollar store plastic eggs, they have little holes in the top of them. Using a thread poke it threw one hole then out the other hole. Use as many eggs as you like just remember as you are thread that are focusing on what type of energy you would like to bring into your home. Once done pick each end up and tie together all the eggs will fall toward the center forming a pile of eggs. As you hang them say a blessing to harness the energy you seek.
In our Ostara countdown day 5 of our 21 days we have come to a making beautiful egg candles. Eggs have long been a symbol of spring time, because they represent new life and rebirth. Making candles are an essential in every home they really transform a house to a home. So why not combine both the symbol of the season with the art of candle making. Our first step is to "hollow the egg" this means empty the egg of everything inside it. When you are emptying it don't throw the inside out you can use that to make which you can find in the recipe section. Hollow blowing Method Step 1: Wash the Eggs Saying a blessing "I wash away the impurities." Step 2: Make Small Holes at Each End of the Egg Hold the egg over the dish. Pierce the larger end of the egg first with the push pin. You may have to twist the push pin to pierce the shell. Flip the egg around and make a slightly bigger hole in the opposite smaller end. Continue holding the egg over the dish, as the yolk may leak from the hole. Step 3: Enlarge the Holes Straighten out a paper clip. Move the wire gently around inside the egg to break up the yolk. The goal it to scramble the yolk and white to make it easier to blow them out. Step 4: Blow Out the Egg Before you blow say "We push out all the negativity in our lives." Holding the egg over a bowl, place your mouth over the hole at the small end of the egg and blow until the contents of the egg drain out. Now it is time to make the egg candle eggs that have been blown out beeswax wick a long needle or toothpick scissors Use the toothpick to push the wick through the hole in the egg make sure it comes out the other end and the bottom is secure. As you melt the wax focus on the spring and the Earth awakening and all that you would like to accomplish in your life. Once your wax is melted, pour it into your egg slowly. As you pour it say "We celebrate the rebirth of our awaken land and our new hopes and dreams." I let the wax fully dry it takes about 2 hrs. then peel the egg shell off of the wax. On the fourth day of our twenty-one day countdown we are going go be dying our Ostara eggs. I always try to use my own dye blends because I don't use store bought dyes, because they have been linked to many diseases. Food coloring is found in many ingredients from candy, cereal, pet food, beverages, and even cosmetics. Once your make your own food coloring you can use it for everything that you would use the store bought for. I use my coloring blends to color even your food like pancakes, cakes, and even green eggs for a Dr. Seuss day. For Orange, use yellow onions. mix 1 cup yellow onion skin, 1 teaspoon vinegar and 3 cups water in a pot let boil for 30 minutes then strain out the onion skins. For Bright Orange, use 2 cups of raw carrots with one tablespoon vinegar and 2 cups of water, boil for 15 minutes. For Red, use beets. Combine 2 cups of grated raw beets with one tablespoon vinegar and 2 cups of water, boil for 15 minutes. For Yellow, use cumin or turmeric. Boil three tablespoons turmeric or cumin the more you add the yellower it is and add one tablespoon vinegar to the dye. For Blue, use purple or red cabbage. Dice ¼ head of cabbage and add to 4 cups boiling water with 2 tablespoons vinegar then strain. For Green, use parsley and/or spinach 1 cup of spinach to boiling water with 1 teaspoon vinegar. Strain and let cool. For Brown use cocoa powder. add 1 cup cocoa powder to boiling water with 1 teaspoon vinegar. The egg you use determines how dark the dye will be white-light, bright brown-darker, duller Before placing the eggs into the coloring mixture say a blessing: Turn the wheel yet again
colors changing all around transformation is abound We are starting our twenty-one day countdown to Ostara, the spring equinox. This day marks the first official day of Spring, and is named after the Teutonic Goddess of the Spring Eostre. This is the time that we celebrate the growth and fertility is that surrounded us at this time of year. The sun has warmed the Earth to the point that the flowers and trees have begun to bud. Animals have just had their babies after a long winter from chicks, lambs to fouls. Which is why a common decoration during Ostara is eggs, ducklings, and tulips. To begin our Ostara countdown we are going to be creating an egg tree. What is an egg tree you ask it is a tree that you hang eggs on obviously. Since there are 21 days of Ostara we hang 21 eggs and you can hang certain colors to symbolize special things you would like to bring into the magick of the season. Supplies:
Plastic eggs pin string trees Open the plastic egg and push the pin through the top so that it makes a little hole. Take your string poke it thru so you can create a loop so you can hang it on the tree. As you hang the tree you can say "We focus on _____ coming into our life this season." If it is a green egg you could be bringing wealth into your life, or purple, spiritual awareness. |
As a mom of three boys who go to public school I started to notice that some things were not being taught in detail so I decided to create lessons for them. Many of these lessons cover science, history and of information about Paganism. I share crafts for the all different holidays and cultures as ways that they can learn and have fun at the same time.
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