

It was H-O-T all week.



So, on the solstice we managed a few fun activities. Finally.

Being a season-lover for some strange reason (strange only because I was born and raised in San Diego, land of no clear or drastic seasons), I've honestly been wanting to celebrate the solstice for a really long time now, but each year it somehow slips by in our beginning-of-the-season-busy-ness without our being able to welcome it properly. It's also not a tradition I was raised with, so reading up on it, establishing our own new favorites, and getting a feel for it is...well, a little more daunting.

But this year we were actually able to catch our breath and slow down enough to decide on some specific ways to honor summer. Magic wands being on the top of the list. I mean, what better way to celebrate the end of a full school-year cycle (our first year home-un-schooling) than to remind ourselves of the magic that we each bring to the picture.

And I'm always interested in simple, green, frugal activities for the kids that enter the realm of meaningful. Strengthening. Empowering.

So, how can you add a little summer magic to your day? Simply read on.


All ages

* Ribbons, yarn, string, scarves, strips of fabric, thread, magazine or paper strips
* Stick, small tree branch, dowel rod
* Thumb tack, nail, tape, string, thread
* Other decoration-ideas for the wand: herbs, paint, glitter, stickers, you-name-it...

What We Did:

1. We pilfered the ribbon boxes I have tucked away upstairs for colorful, inspiring swirly-wave action. (Yarn, string, scarves, strips of fabric, thread, and/or magazine or paper strips would work just as well. Explore what you have on hand.)

2. We then found a dowel rod they'd found and painted the day before and cut it in half, one for each of them. To increase the magical quality, try to make your wand approximately the length of your child's arm from underarm to fingers. My kids loved using the rod to measure this part. Made it feel more formal and official.

3. Take a thumb tack (or nail, tape or string) to adhere the color strips to the stick. I literally pushed a tack right down center of the dowel rod through the ribbon ends.

4. Now discuss with your children a way you can activate their wand. We made a little impromptu celebration by collecting lemon balm (which is all over our porch) and rubbing our wands with it. Nice fragrance, a little more careful attention to detail, and a bit of imagination activation to get things going.

5. Now celebrate! And remind your little person that magic adheres to a few rules:
* It comes from you as an individual and travels through your wand to the outside world.
* It must never be used to hurt others, by physical means (e.g. hitting your baby brother), emotional (e.g. I'll turn you into a monster!), or otherwise.

Cheers! And happy magic making!


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Tags: activities, activity, and, arts, child, children, crafts, imagination, inspiration, kid, More…kids, magic, magical, summer



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