Autumn comes, the summer is past, winter will come too soon, 
Star will shine clearer, skies seem nearer 
Under the Harvest Moon 

Autumn comes, so let us be glad, singing an autumn tune 
Hearts will be lighter, skies seem brighter 
Under a Harvest Moon



http://thepeacocks.bandcamp.com/track/under-the-harvest-moon 

This link will take you to this amazing song, I have found a nice version, I hope you like it as much as I do!

Autumn term: for homeschoolers and Waldorf parents and anyone else with children




Summer goodbye, Autumn is here!

The mood is a celebration of nature and its abundance with the harvest and our reverence for Mother Earth.

Leaves are falling and the wind is cooler… 



Leaves on the ground are turning, 

Yellow, brown and red. 

Smoke from the bonfire burning, 

Climbing overhead. 

Here comes Autumn to bring the mist and rain. 

Summer has gone for another year, 

Autumn's here again.



Sunflower fairies with her seed children and the mushroom children and the pumpkin fairies….Brother Wind and Sister Rain, blowing cooler winds and washing all the apples…Leaves are dancing in the wind…Mother Earth is full of colour.

Autumn is here, soon the nights will be cooler. Blackberries in the hedgerows and leaves red and gold.

Involve the children picking conkers, cones and leaves to bring for a nature table.



Each parent has a different repertoire of rhymes and songs which are seasonal; we are sure you know plenty too! The subjects are wind, leaves, apples, rain, etc… and they can be found in various books but our favorites are ‘’the Singing Year’ by Candy Verney and ‘’Autumn’’ by Wynstones press.

Here are a few songs and rhymes from a selection of  various resources.



Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater,

Peter, Peter pumpkin eater,

Had a wife but could not keep her.

He put her in a pumpkin shell, 

And there he kept her very well. 






Falling leaves 

All the leaves are falling down, 

Orange, yellow, red and brown. 

Falling softly as they do, 

Over me and over you. 

All the leaves are falling down, 

Orange, yellow, red and brown. 




Father sky, Father sky

Widely loving blue and high

Mother Earth, your warming glow Makes the seeds and apples grow








A farmer once planted some brown pumpkin seeds, 

With a pit-a pat, pit-a-pat…

He watered them often and pulled out the weeds,

With a tug- tug at this , a tug-tug at that…

The pumpkins grew big, and orange and round,

Their green leaves growing all over the ground.

And when they were ready that farmer did make

Riddle-dum-die…delicious pumpkin pie!






Sally goes round the sun

Sally goes round the moon

Sally goes round the pumpkin patch 

On a Saturday afternoon.





A blessing

For the golden corn and the apples on the tree

For the golden butter and the honey in my tea

For fruit and nuts and berries

That grow along the way

For birds and bees and flowers

We give thanks every day











This one is for the grown ups!




To Autumn

John Keats 


Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,


Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;


Conspiring with him how to load and bless


With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;


To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,


And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;


To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells


With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,


And still more, later flowers for the bees,


Until they think warm days will never cease,


For Summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells.




Time to prepare all the jars for a chutney-jam-preserve making session!

Sweet September
Sweet September, golden sky, the acorns falling on to the ground, fresh winds, cooler mornings; a lovely warmth inside my heart when I see all the leaves turning yellow, red and brown...


Autumn gardens, Apple trees, Pears and Plums, Grapes and Squashes...crumbles baking, sweet smelling home!


Grinding Flour, making dough, baking Bread, cooking Soup...The Harvest Time is a Happy Time.


Autumn in my Heart 


listen and watch this video


played often in Asia for the Harvest Moon Festival
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4ZDFwFxchQ&feature=related

The Three Apples

The old apple tree stood in the orchard with the other trees, and all summer long it had stretched out its branches wide to catch the rain and the sun to make its apples grow round and ripe. Now it was fall, and on the old apple tree were three great apples as yellow as gold and larger than any other apples in the whole orchard. The apple tree stretched and reached as far as it could, until the branch on which the three gold apples grew hung over the orchard wall. There were the three great apples, waiting for some one to pick them, and as the wind blew through the leaves of the apple tree it seemed to sing:

"Here in the orchard are apples three,
Who uses one well shall a treasure see."

And one morning Gerald came down the lane that passed by the orchard wall. He looked longingly at the three gold apples, wishing, wishing that he might have one. Just then the wind sang its song again in the leaves of the apple tree and, plump, down to the ground, right at Gerald's feet, fell one of the three gold apples.He picked it up and turned it round and round in his hands. How sweet it smelled, and how mellow and juicy it was! Gerald could think of nothing so good to do with such a beautiful ripe apple as to eat it. He put it to his mouth and took a great bite of it, then another bite, and another. Soon there was nothing left of the apple but the core, which Gerald threw away. He smacked his lips and went on his way, but the wind in the apple trees sang, sorrowfully, after him:

"Here in the orchard are apples two,
But gone is the treasure that fell for you."

And after a while Hilda came down the lane that passed by the orchard wall. She looked up at the two beautiful gold apples that hung on the branch of the old apple tree, and she listened to the wind as it sang in the branches to her:

"Here in the orchard are apples two,
A treasure they hold for a child like you."

Then the wind blew harder and, plump, an apple fell in the lane right in front of Hilda.She picked it up joyfully. She had never seen so large and so golden an apple. She held it carefully in her clasped hands and thought what a pity it would be to eat it, because then it would be gone.

"I will keep this gold apple always," Hilda said, and she wrapped it up in the clean handkerchief that was in her pocket. Then Hilda went home, and there she laid away in a drawer the gold apple that the old apple tree had given her, closing the drawer tightly. The apple lay inside, in the dark, and all wrapped up, for many days, until it spoiled. And when Hilda next went down the lane and past the orchard, the wind in the apple tree sang to her:

"Only one apple where once there were two,
Gone is the treasure I gave to you."

Last of all, Rudolph went down the lane one fine fall morning when the sun was shining warm and the wind was out. There, hanging over the orchard wall, he saw just one great gold apple that seemed to him the most beautiful apple that he had ever seen. As he stood looking up at it, the wind in the apple tree sang to him, and it said:

"Round and gold on the apple tree,
A wonderful treasure, hanging, see!"

Then the wind blew harder, and down fell the last gold apple of the three into Rudolph's waiting hands.

He held it a long time and looked at it as Gerald and Hilda had, thinking how good it would be to eat, and how pretty it would be to look at if he were to save it. Then he decided not to do either of these things. He took his jack-knife out of his pocket and cut the gold apple in half, straight across, and exactly in the middle between the blossom and the stem.

Oh, the surprise that waited for Rudolph inside the apple! There was a star, and in each point of the star lay a small black seed. Rudolph carefully took out all the seeds and climbed over the orchard wall, holding them in his hand. The earth in the orchard was still soft, for the frost had not yet come. Rudolph made holes in the earth and in each hole he dropped an apple seed. Then he covered up the seeds and climbed back over the wall to eat his apple, and then go on his way.But as Rudolph walked down the lane, the orchard wind followed him, singing to him from every tree and bush,

"A planted seed is a treasure won.
The work of the apple is now well done."

A lovely story for this time of the year I like to share with you.


The Little Seed’s Journey


Once there was a lovely green meadow high up in the distant mountains. In summer the meadow was filled with every kind of beautiful flower—yellow and white daisies, blue cornflowers, purple lupines, orange and red paintbrushes, and pink and white

wild orchids. This meadow was filled with abundant life! The fairies came to play and dance day and night. Allkinds of birds, big and little, swooped over and through the trees, singing all manner of songs.

Butterflies and bees visited the flowers every day and chased the golden sunbeams dancing through the meadow.

In the midst of this field of flowers there stood alone sunflower. She had grown from a seed spilled by a young boy early in the springtime while he hiked through the meadow with his family.

The sunflower was by far the tallest flower in the meadow! Baby seeds were just starting to grow inside her blossom, but they were still sleeping.

One day, towards the end of summer, the bees came visiting. On the back of every bee there rode a fire fairy, sending warm light all around. On this day one especially fuzzy bee flew atop the sunflower and sat down quietly. The fire fairy on that bee was wearing a fiery red dress and she glowed with a sparkling halo. She stepped down onto the sunflower’s yellow petal and bowed very gracefully,

as fairies always do. She noticed that one of the little seeds was waking up, standing very straight and tall.

She bowed to the little seed and her halo sparkled all over her. The little seed had never seen a fire-

fairy before, let alone a fairy bowing to him, but he was sure that he should bow to her too and so he did. He bowed so far down that his head touched the very tips of his feet and he thought he might fall over!

The fairy spoke to the seed. “On this day I have brought you a special gift. I have made this gift especially for you. You will need it very soon, for soon you are going on a very long journey.” The seed stood up even straighter—even though he did not know what it meant to go on a long journey.

The fairy had wrapped her present in the finest of silks, one for every colour of the rainbow. Since the seed was still quite young, the fairy unwrapped the silks to show him what was inside. What a wondrous sight he did behold! Underneath the silk wrapping there glowed the most radiant golden blanket! It was woven of golden threads filled with light from the stars, moon and sun. The seed was filled with wonder and said, ever so respectfully, “Oh, thank you dear fairy for this beautiful gift,” and bowed his head down to his toes. Then the fire fairy bowed to the seed, climbed back on the fuzzy bee and they flew away. The sunflower told the little seed of the great long journey he would be taking one day when Brother Wind began to blow his cold winds across the land.

Mother Earth was very busy deep down underground. She was making tiny beds to welcome all the seeds for winter, for flower seeds are oh so tender and do not like the cold. Soon Brother Wind would blow his gusty winds through the meadow, and then the little seeds would pack their bags and travel the long path down to Mother Earth’s underground garden.

Brother Wind began to blow his cold breath through the land. All the little seeds packed their bags and started down the steps to find the land where Mother Earth was waiting for them. The little seed went with them. He carried his golden blanket wrapped in the fairy’s rainbow silks. He walked and walked. Soon he found the door to a long, dark tunnel. A friendly gnome working there told him that this was the way to go.

As the little seed made his way through the tunnel he saw many gnomes inside. They were hacking and cracking the rocks and the stones, finding sparkling crystals and beautiful shining ores. It seemed that the gnomes never slept, they just kept working all the time! They scooted the little seed along his way whenever he felt

drowsy, and so he kept on going through the long tunnel.

Then he came to the end of the tunnel and there was Mother Earth waiting for him. She had lit some fires in fire rings to keep her land underground toasty warm. The little seed loved this warm and cosy world. Mother Earth showed him to the little bed she had made especially for him and helped him settle into it. For he and all the other seeds were going to sleep a very long time while Old King Winter stormed about in the meadow high above. So the little seed carefully unwrapped his golden blanket from the layers of rainbow silk that were wrapped around it. Then he snuggled up into his bed.

Mother Earth tucked his golden blanket carefully around him so that he would be toasty warm. Then she sang the sweetest lullaby he had ever heard.

Soon he was fast asleep. High above, King Winter reigned supreme. He blew his icy winds hither and yon and sent his frost boys and snowflake girls dancing all around. The grasses were frozen stiff; long icicles hung from the branches of the trees; not one bird, flower, butterfly or bee was anywhere to be seen.

The little seed lay peacefully in his warm winter bed, wrapped in the sparkling warmth of his golden blanket and tended oh so lovingly by Mother Earth. He dreamed of flower meadows, sunny days, fairy dances and bird songs. Mother Earth hummed sweet lullabies as the little seed slept snuggled in his bed. And the little seed’s golden blanket shone with the light of heaven all winter long.


Deep Mid-Winter drawing near,

Darkness in our Garden here - -

One small flame yet bravely burns

To show a path which ever turns.

Earth, please bear us as we go,

Seeking Light to send a-glow:

Branches green and moss and fern,

Mark our path to trace each turn.

Brother animals, teach us too

To serve with patience as you do.

We walk with candle toward the Light

While Earth awaits with hope so bright:

In the Light which finds new birth

Love may spread o'er all the Earth.

Deep Mid-Winter drawing near - -

May Light arise in our Garden here.

Michaelmas is Coming!Posted on September 6, 2009 by Carriehttp://theparentingpassageway.com/2009/09/06/michaelmas-is-coming/


Michaelmas has long turned into one of my very favorite holidays!! If this festival is new or unfamiliar to you, please read on about this day.  September 29th is the special day!

Michaelmas is an autumn festival that to me really opens up the season for the awakening of our souls as the weather gets colder, the light recedes, and we look toward strengthening our own inner reserves, our own inner strength.  I LOVE this time of year!  After the expansiveness of summer (which I personally often find exhausting, LOL), I am so happy to have the cooler weather return and to be more meditative and inward.

Michaelmas, as you can probably guess, is named for Saint Michael.  Michael was one of the four archangels, and is the angel who threw Lucifer out of Heaven.  He is the Angel of Courage, the Angel of the Fight Against Evil.  Take courage for the long, cold winter from Saint Michael!  Saint Michael usually is painted as riding a white steer, carrying a heavenly sword, and slaying a dragon.  Sometimes he is portrayed as carrying scales, because he also has the task of weighing the souls of men. 

The Wikipedia definition cites where Michael fits into Christianity, Islam and the Jewish religions (and more,) here: 

“Michael (Hebrew: מִיכָאֵל‎, Micha’el or Mîkhā’ēl; Greek: Μιχαήλ, Mikhaḗl; Latin: Michael or Míchaël; Arabic: میکائیل‎, Mikā’īl) is an archangel in Jewish, Christian and Islamic tradition. He is viewed as the field commander of the Army of God. He is mentioned by name in theBook of Daniel,[1] the Book of Jude[2] and the Book of Revelation.[3] In the book of Daniel, Michael appears as “one of the chief princes”[1] who in Daniel‘s vision comes to the angelGabriel‘s aid in his contest with the angel of Persia (Dobiel), and is also described there as the advocate of Israel and “great prince who stands up for the children of your [Daniel's] people”.[4]

The Talmudic tradition rendered Michael’s name as meaning “who is like El?”, – so Michael could consequently mean “One who is like God.” But its being a question is alternatively understood as a rhetorical question, implying that no one is like God.”

If you would like to read more, here is the link to the full entry:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_%28archangel%29

There are all sorts of things one can look at for this time to celebrate.  We would never explain to small children all I just wrote about Saint Michael, the joy of the festivals with a small child is the DOING, not the explaining!

Some ways to celebrate and lead up to the festival:

• Start learning Michaelmas songs and verses.  Try Autumn Wynstones and many other traditional Waldorf books for ideas.  You may also have hymns or music within your own religious path.
• Look for Michaelmas Daisies.  Here is a picture: http://www.bestgarden.net/Photo_Album/Pages/Aster_novi-belgii.htm
• Have Harvest Foods. (This used to include roasting a goose – tell me, my European readers, does it still??)
• Tell stories about Saint Michael  or St. George.  St. George is  the Earthly counterpart to Saint Michael – you could make Saint George tunics (white pillowcases with red crosses sewn on).  Swords and shields are also customary, which makes some Waldorf teachers and parents nervous.    Here is a link of how one Waldorf Kindergarten teacher dealt with this in her classroom:  http://www.waldorflibrary.org/Journal_Articles/GW4007.pdf
• Stories could include “The Kite” from “Festivals, Families and Food”, any number of Kindergarten Stories from that pink book “An Overview of the Waldorf Kindergarten.”  For younger children, Melisa Nielsen has a story in her “Before the Journey” book and Suzanne Down has a lovely story called “Little Boy Knight” in her book “Autumn Tales.”   Reg Down has put his Michaelmas story from the Tiptoes Lightly stories on his website here: http://www.tiptoes-lightly.net/DOWNLOADS/tales_FESTIVAL/The%20Most%20Beautiful%20Dragon%20in%20the%20Whole%20World.pdf
•   I believe there is also a story of St. George on-line at Main Lesson that would be lovely for the Second Grader studying Saints and Heroes. There are also two stories by Irene Johanson in the book “Stories for the Festivals of the Year”, available from Bob and Nancy’s Bookshop or Rudolf Steiner College Bookstore.    If you are religious, perhaps you could read from your own religious texts.
• You could dye capes from marigolds for the big day.
• You could make a Courage Salve from Calendulas.
• You could do something that requires bravery that day – a hike, an obstacle course?   How about a scavenger hunt for Dragon Tears? 
• Making dragon bread is very traditional. There is a lovely bread recipe and  corresponding story in the festival book “All Year Round”.
• You can make Michaelmas Candles, see page 143 of “All Year Round”
• Crafting “shooting stars” and dragons are also traditional.  Try this link: http://www.waldorflibrary.org/Journal_Articles/GW3211.pdf 
• You could make a mobile with a dragon and an angel representation on it. 

Start early, go slow and add things year by year – it does not all have to happen this year!  There should plenty of preparation and work leading up to a festival as well, festivals are not a one-day celebration!

Use this time for your own inner work, what do you need to strengthen?  What resolve will you need as you head into fall?

Much love,

Carrie

Michaelmas Circle


You can say and sing these verses and songs to your children at this time of the year; powerful words, bringing the energy of Michaelmas.

Songs and verses compiled from the Wynstones Autumn book, the oral tradition, and other sources


The autumn wind blows open the gate,

O Michael, you, you we await.

We follow you, show us the way.

With joy we greet the autumn day,


Good morning, good morning

And I wonder who is this Michael? And I hear the wind sing:

Michael, God’s great knight,

Strong and pure and shining bright.


I’ll be a knight of Michael, too,

And polish my crown to a golden hue.

Ask the gnomes the iron to mine,

Iron from the stars, from the earth, so fine,

To bring to the blacksmith, who with his might

Will make me a sword, so strong, so bright.


And we follow the falling stars to the mountain cave where the gnomes are working.


And the gnomes say:


With fire and stone, we work with a will

With our strength and our skill.

The iron we soften and then we bend

Into hammers, swords, and nails to mend.


Dear gnomes, may I have some iron?


Are you noble? Oh, yes.

Are you good? Oh, yes.


And do you hear the singing of the stars? Oh yes.


Then you may have some iron.


(Song) Thank you little gnomes, in your crystal homes.


Oh bring me a galloping horse for to ride,

A crown on my head, the iron by my side.

Off to the blacksmith we must go.

Galloping, galloping, off we go.


Dear blacksmith, will you make me a sword?

Of course! for:


I am a blacksmith, strong and true, Best of work I always do.

All day long my hammers go, slinging, clanging, clanging, so,

A rickety, tickity, tickity, tick,

A rickety, tickity, tickity, tick.


Thank you, kind blacksmith, for your might.

I’ll polish my sword, so fine, so bright.

I will use it for the right,

Not for some silly quarrel or fight,

But to drive away evil, I will try

And protect those who are weaker than I.


Oh bring me a galloping horse for to ride,

A crown on my head, my sword by my side,

For it’s off the to castle we will go.

Galloping, galloping, here we go.


The knights came together and proclaimed

No fear here! Michael, be my guide and stand by my side.

And they knew that Michael was always ready to help.

Michael, God’s great knight,

Strong and pure and shining bright.

The Most Beautiful Dragon in the Whole World

That evening Farmer John lit the first fire of fall in the living room. He sat down in his armchair, put his feet on the grate, and told his children about Chiron.

“You should have seen him this morning,” he said. “He was so full of energy he raced about the paddock with his tail held high.”

“That’s how I feel at Michaelmas too,” said Tom Nutcracker. “Bursting with energy and ready for brave deeds.”

“Me too,” chimed in June Berry. She was tired and already had her thumb in her mouth.

“Then he charged towards the fence and leapt right over it,” continued Farmer John. “He galloped down the meadow and followed Running River towards the mountains. He didn’t come back for a long time.”

“Where did he go?” asked Tom Nutcracker.

“I don’t know,” replied Farmer John. “But when he came back his eyes were burning like fire.”

June Berry came over and settled on Farmer John’s lap. “Story time,” she said, and snuggled up. Her brother came over and wiggled his way onto his dad’s lap too.

Farmer John scratched his beard and thought for a minute. “Hmmm,” he said at last. “Today is Michaelmas Day, and I will tell you a dragon story. It’s called: The Most Beautiful Dragon in the Whole World.”

“Once, a very long time ago, there lived a dragon. He lived in the air like a bird, but never came down to earth. He was a beautiful dragon, with wide, golden wings and a fiery red body. As he flew, the sun glistened and shone from his scales as if they were jewels. And when he breathed, his fiery breath burst forth in yellow and orange flames and burned brightly in the air. Then the flames changed to violet and lilac clouds.

“I am the most beautiful one in all the world,” thought the Dragon. “Nothing can compare to me!”

And it was true. There was nothing in the world as beautiful or more gorgeous than him.