Encouraging your childs imagination and including them in Sabbat rituals will help your child connect to the cycle of life so that they may always talk to the flowers. Wiccan rituals may not be interesting for many children, and thats ok, however there are many other ways you can introduce a simple concept to children. Playing is learning, and rituals don't always have to be sitting infront of an altar. They can be dancing, singing, playing music, or doing something meaningful. Including your child in crafts and games can help them connect with nature, the cycles of the earth, and the god and goddess, and understand each celebration more clearly. Learning should always be fun!!! I have tried to include different activities to do, themed for each sabbat with its coresponding season which teach a varriety of lessons, but some of these could easily be used for different sabbats.       During each craft discuss what you are doing and why, what it means or how it helps. I have also included a short list of traditional foods for each sabbat, looks at the recipies page for specific foods you can make with your family. Make a simple calander to count down the days with an anxious child. Make one with just a calander or decorate it and add flaps with a traditional picture underneath. Another calander idea is to collect empty match boxes for how ever many days you want to count (be sure its an even number). Glue them together in square (or rectangle) and with markers or paint color a picture on the front. put a suprise in each "drawer". I have included  rhymes for many of the sabat calander I have read from other resources. For more seasonal rhymes and poems see the poems page. Most importantly remember to choose age appropriate activities to be safe in all you do.

	YULE - String popcorn or make other ornaments with craft materials at home. - Make paper snowflakes to hang on the celieng or in windows. - Cut out star and moon ornaments from pie tins or make ornaments from tin foil. - Compliment chain: A nice twist of the traditional paper chain decorations, to do as a family/group. cut out your stips from consturction paper, sit in a circle and give equal strips to everyone have everyone write a compliment/postive attribute about the person on their right on the first strip. then everone goes around the circle writing a compliment for each person, and dont forget yourself when you reach the end, then go around again if you have enough paper until you are out. 1 on each strip. Then make your chain and decorate. - Let your child participate in decorate your own yule tide tree. Every ornament you add let the child state a wish they desire for the new year, not just for presents, but for the world. - String 'O' type cereals on yarn or pipe cleaners and hang on trees for the birds. - make bird seed biscuits (see recipies) - Make paper crowns out of yellow construction paper. let your child color candles or holly on them or decorate them like the sun. (cut them out and tape them in a loop) - Go out and play in the snow or take a walk together - make home-made wrapping paper on brown paper groccery bags with stamps, markers, crayons, stencils, and glitter. - have the child pick one of their toys or buy one new one to donate to charity. (my child is spoiled by his grandparents so i have him pick one he recieved new) - Decorate a yule log together - Family cooking is always fun - buy clear ornaments (sold at craft stores) save their box, take off the top and rinse with vinegar water and let dry overnight. Squirt a little acrilyc paint inside (pick 2-3 colors for each) cover the hole with your finger and shaked them around untill the inside is coated. Put back in their box carton upside down (with lid off) so they can drip out any extra paint and let dry over night. Put the tops back on when dry. Advent: How many more days until the yuletide? How many more nights to go? How many more days until the presents and the yule logs fragrent glow? 'Til God is born of Goddess, Oh its so awfully hard to count So let this freindly calander tell you the exact amount. Seasonal song: Deck the halls Foods: Nuts and dried fruits, cakes of caraway soaked in cider, hibiscus or ginger tea, potato pancakes, egg nog, red cabbage, fruit cakes, plum or rice pudding, beans, Imbolc - Take snow from outside and add it to a bath. - Go for a walk outside. - Cover pine cones in peanut butter and roll in bird seed for the squirrles and birds. - Southern states: start rearing seeds for your outdoor garden, indoors. - Burn bows that you kept/decorated with during yule in the fire. - As a family take turns acting out changes in the earth (such as a seed in the earth.) - Make a sun on paperplates and construction paper..be sure to hang them up. - Make your own candles. - Make a candle crown out of a strip of constuction paper big enough to go around your childs head and taped. then color and cut about 7 candles on some paper and tape/glue them on. - make an Ice Ornament: fill up a pie tin with small natural objects (pine cones, leaves, sticks, pebbles, acorns ect.) and water, fold a rope in half and put the folded end half in the pan and the rest of it out. freeze it then take it out of the pan and hang it outside on a tree. - Make Potpourri Pies (see insructions on recipie page) - Make your own bath salts. take an air tight container with lid. put in epsom salts, a few drops of food coloring and some essential oil  put the lid on and shake them up until well coated. (Add as much of either you need for good color and scent) then leave open for a bit so they can dry. Seel when done or put into little baby food jars wrapped in tulle and tied with a bow for gifts. - Make Your own butter (this is very simple to make and children love it, see recipies page.) - Being cold outside I always like to do indoor crafts so here is a craft to help familierize children with runes. You'll need tin foil or Reynolds Wrap Bright Ideas Foil Sheets. (sold at craft stores, get some ahead of time at yule to make ornaments and save a little over for now. Its great for shinny ornaments) Cut a strip of  foil for bracelet top layer (measure your childs wrist to see how long you want it). with double sided tape, tape the strip to a second color sheet. Cut around the 2nd strip 1/8 larger all around and fold it over making it smooth and sharp. Punch holes in each end of bracelet. Cut two 6" lengths of yarn. Secure threads in each hole with a knot. Refer to your Runic alphabets. Using black marker, write name or message on bracelet. Instead of runes you could also draw sabbat themed symbols as decorations. Advent: In the bitter cold of winter spring seems so far away, How long until the imbolg candles urge the sun to come and stay? To help you count the nights so long is a little calander right, and soon it will be Imbolg night. Food: Dairy, sour cream dishes, milk, spicy or curried foods, onions, peppers, leeks, shallots, and  garlic. Raisins, pumpkin/sesame seeds. poppyseed breads and cakes. herbal teas, warm milk with honey. Ostara - Take a walk outdoors - Rid your garden of old debri - Decorate flower pots (if for outdoor plants make sure the paint is weather resistant) - Give children cotton balls to glue on paperboard to makean image (ie: fluffy clouds, chicks, lambs, flowers, ect.) for older children let them color the cotton balls by shaking them in a bag with powdered tempra paints. - Throw open the windows and do some spring cleaning - Northern states: Plant seeds indoors. (including ones you may wish to transplant outdoors) - Paint eggs, hide them in your yard (Weather permiting) or around a few rooms inside. - Fill a basket with flower petals, later make a path with them around the yard/park to the basket with petals to play with and a special treat. - Make a collage of all the things that emerge as the snow melts (animals, flowers, buds, ect.) - Make animal hats: cut out a stip of construction paper about 1"-2" wide and long enough to go around your childs head. let them make & color their own animal ears and tape them on the sides of the strip and tape it in a ring around their head - Eggshell mosaic: take half egg shells and wash them out (or boil them to be sure) and dye them as you would eggs, with food coloring and vinegar. Let them dry and crack them in different size pieces. Take a piece of paperboard or construction paper and cut out spring or pagan shapes and glue the egg shell pieces on the paper. - Take those green strawberry baskets (or something similar as the baskets are becoming harder to find) and let your child weave them in and out with colored ribbons. Tie a long ribbon on 2 of the sides parallel from each other for the handle. let them use this basket to collect nature items on a walk together. - Decorate styrafoam eggs (at craft stores) and cut small triangles and squares of different fabrics. Put a drop of craft glue on the center of them as you add them all over the the egg and push straight push pins into the fabrics corners into the egg. over lap the pieces and cover the eggs. Glue trim (lace, rick rack, ect.) and buttons on the seems and a ribbon on the top. Advent: The light will soon be coming to lighten the dark skies But how long must we wait to see the sun rise triumphantly on high? Untie a button everynight when the sandman weaves his spell and Ostara morn will be here in the tinkling of a bell. Food: Pumpkin/sesame/pine nut seeds, Sprouts, lettuce, and flower dishes. Eggs, Honeycakes, waffles. Beltane - Make and dance around a maypole - Buy some beads and charms and make necklaces and braclets - Gather morning dew to wash your face - Go for a walk outside - Go for an herb hunt in the woods and pick up early spring plants, hawthorn, and flowers. - plant a tree - Make a floating flowers bowl with fresh flowers - Dress up as wizards and faeries. - Make crowns out of flowers that you weave together. - Clean your garden/yard of debri - Go into your yard or garden and make faerie homes with sticks, rocks (and any other yard debri if you cleaned up) - Tie ribbons around trees - make mini maypoles out of paper towel tubes, markers, and ribbons. Staple or glue the ribbons to the top. - Fly A Kite or play frisby. - Make anklets or braclets out of ribbons and silver jingle bells for the kids to wear and dance in. -visit a farm to see the baby animals - Make a windchime. (for large ones use a pie tin, string, and spoons. for a small one use a flat plastic lid, strings, and old keys) - make green man masks. cut holes for the eyes and mouth in paper plates. Gather leaves from outside and glue them to the plate. - Make hand print flowers: trace the childs hand, color it and cut it out. using the palm, roll it into a cone and staple the bottom to a straw. use a pencil to curl the fingers (petals) outwards. Make some leaves and staple it to the straw too. - make a sit-upon: these are great as knee pads when gardening or to sit on. take a few old magazines of the same size (Length & Height) and stack them together with a little glue between the covers so they look like 1 thick one. (or use a thick catalog) use some vinyl or plastic fabric (like the kind used for table clothes with the fuzzy white stuff underneath) cut 2 pieces to fit around the magazines with about 1.5 inches longer then would cover the side. Sew the pieces together on 3 sides, slide in the magazines and pull very tight and sew the 4th side closed. Add a little batting to the top above the magazines before sewing closed if you prefer. Seasonal song: Coming through the rye Food: Dariy, flower dishes, vanilla ice cream, oatmeal, honey, eggs, red fruits, salads, cakes, juice.   Midsummer - Go for a herb walk and gather herbs/plants. - Make Lavander pillow pouches: buy or sew small cloth bags (I prefer 3"x5") If they are plain colored children can decorte them with glitter fabric glue. fill them with lavander for them to sleep with under their pillow. - Take nets to a field and catch butterflies then let them go, or go to a stream to catch frogs to let go. - Go for a walk in the woods and look for faces in the trees - fold your own paper fans, color them with seasonal images, and tie with ribbon at the bottom - Go outside and blow bubbles or play frisby. -Make flower necklaces, crowns, or chains - Have a picnic or grill outside (corn in the husk, kebabs, or portabela mushrooms are great on the grill or fire.) - draw a large horizontal scene of the sun rise on the sidewalk with chalk together. - Make a Dandelion Sun bowl. I got this idea as I was trying to find organic ways to prevent dandelions from flourishing in my lawn. To prevent them from spreading its recomended to pop all the yellow flower heads off before they can go to seed. I thought of a great way to make this fun and meaningful. Take a basket and spend time collection all the dandelion flowers in your yard. Fill a bowl, pan, tray (or anything you think is pretty thats over 1" deep) with water and add all the flower heads too it. These floating flower displays look wonderful as a centerpeice, bring natural beauty to your room, cut back on "weeds" in your lawn, and are beautiful bright yellow like the sun shining above the water. You can also gather the greens (if they dont grow too near to exaust) for a salad. Food: Fresh Fruits and vegetables, smoothies, lemon pies/tarts/lemonade, Pumpernickle bread, custards, puddings, flower dishes, fruit teas,   Lughnasadh - Make home-made bread. - Go for a walk outside. - String/braid bulbs of garlic to hang in your kitchen. - Make a bird house or bird feeder together to hang during winter. - Make a grain doll out of stalks of wheat or a corn husk doll. - Put on the water sprinker and have the children pretend to be horses as they play in the water. - Sun Painting: take black construction paper, arange objects like leaves, sticks and rocks on it and leave it out in the direct sun. check it in a few hours to see what was 'painted' by the sun light. - Take some flowers and fruit outside and return it to the earth by burrying it. - Decorate mason jars: smooth ones are best. Paint the jars or glue cut out fabric to jars with seasonal and pagan images. Use paints, fabric, and tissue paper to decorate the lid. Use them to store noodles, poutpouri, as a candy jar, keep sea shells or other nick-nacks kids have collected. (also try baby food jars for smaller versions.) -Make a grape vine pentacle (any vines could be used for this activity). Gather 10 long fresh vines, remove all leaves. Make a circle with one vine and staple them together at the top. Take a second vine and twist it around the first and then weave a 3rd vine in and out of the second. Weave a 4th vine also in and out in the circle.  Take 5 of your 6 remaining vines and cut them about 3 inches longer then the circle, use these to form straight lines inside the circle for the star part of the pentacle. Weave the ends of each vine into the circle and secure them with wire or a needle and thread (sew right threw them.) The 10th vine is a replacment incase you mess up with one along the way. Hook thread, wire or even a tie wrap around the top to hang it with. Food: bread, berries like blackberries, acorns and nuts, apples, all grains, cider, barley, and tea.         Mabon - Gather leaves and press them in wax paper or a book. - Harvest from your garden. - Gather acorns to store and feed to squirles during the winter. - Visit a pick your own farm - go on a nature scavanger hunt, finding things on a list (an orange leaf, a long stick, ect.) - Gather leaves with long stems and tie them together for a leaf bouquet - make your own potpouri with dried flowers, cinnimon sticks, acorns, and some essential oils. - make a centerpiece for the table together (such as a cornucopias) - Dry herbs. - Branch Weavings: Gather some small branches/twigs all different shapes with little branches sticking out. Rubber band the ends where they are most straight all together at the base (secure with glue if it seems loose.} Weave yarn, thread, or fabric scraps in between the tops of the sticks all around each one in any pattern you wish. Tuck other natural objects or miniature drawings into the weave. Display by hanging or standing in a container. - Make your own "mr. potato head" take large potatoes, paint faces on them or glue on craft items. use different colored potaoes for different skin tones or even try carrots. - Make apple lantern votives: get a tea light and a steady apple that stands, taking the apple cut out the top center only as wide and deep as the tea light candle. Squeeze lemon juice into the white cut open part of the apple and then place in the tea light. - Let children make their own place mats. Buy white paper ones and let them decorate them for the season. - Make a fall leaf vine using brown or green yarn. cut out different leaves from constuction paper, with big stems. fold the stems over the string so the leafs hang down and glue or tape the stem onto itself. - With a group of kids play hot potato, or try a variation using a gourd or small squash. - This is a perfect season to do gourd activities. Start drying or if already dried, decorate them. To dry gourds, wash them in a bleach/water solution and hang them by their stem or place them on a board, not touching anything, in a cool dry place. Every few days turn them and wipe them dry. If they start to mold thats OK. wipe away with bleach solution whenever you feel.  Small ones take about a month big ones much longer. when dried you can ~ paint them any way you like. ~ small ones: can be used as maracas ~ flat bottom ones with long necks: cut the top off and empty them. use as a display vase. ~ small and medium with flat bottoms: cut them low in half. cut stars, a jack-o-lantern face, etc. in them and use as votive candle holders.  ~ any size: cut a hole in the bottom front and glue a small stick to it as a bird house. -Make a felt book: this can be made at any time but its a good indoor activity. Decide what your book will be about :a specific celebration, celebrations of different religions around the world during this month, the 4 seasons, the moon cycles, ect. Take large felt pieces and cut as many pages as you like 17" x 7.5" Fold each piece in half and crease again and again until well creased. Decorate only 1 side, the 'inside' of the pages, with felt cut outs glued on, sew decorations and buttons, add pockets or attach small objects with ribbon. Or cut small images out (Like each moon phase) and add a large pocket on the last page to store them in, the felt will cling to itself so the children can arange the cut out pieces whereever they like over and over again. Glue the backs of the pages together. (you should be doing 1 page, to the crease, at a time) then cut another piece of felt, 1/4 inch larger on each side then the pages, for the cover. wrap around and glue on. Decorate, sew the binding with a nice stich to reinforce it.   Food: Corn, cornbread,and other fruits and veggies. Beans, baked squash, wheat products, bread, nuts, root veggies (ie potatoes, onions, carrots) Soy, pomegranates, cider, and grape juice. Advent:The crispy nip of Autumn is starting to chill the air How long is it until Mabon, when the harvest we will share. Find out here everynight when home and hearth call and soon Mabon eve will be here- The blessed season of Fall       Samhain - Carve a pumpkin, but don't stop there. Carve other squash and even turnips and apples. - Let the child carry the turnip they carved with them for protection. - Cook food together and set an extra plate outside. - Roast/bake the pumpkin seeds from your pumpkin - clean pumpkin seeds and then let your child glue them on contruction paper to make images with pumpkin seed art. - Trick or treat for unicef - go out for a walk - Go to a pumkin patch (these usually have many fun things to do like corn mazes) - Let your child donate part of their candy to charities or a local shelter - Decorate your house - Lay mulch down in your flower beds. Talk about how this is a blanket to keep the plants warm as they sleep through the winter. ( this is good if you plant fall bulbs, plant them aprox. 2 weeks earlier and mulch them today or the 1st) - Look at old photos/photobooks and talk about what you remember growing up. Share your memories. - Gather fallen leaves and glue them to a large piece of paper. Get a big marker and turnthem into animals. do those 2 leaves look like butterfly wings? or a fish body perhaps? - Make your own costumes instead of buying them. - Craft pumpkin pies: Cut out Pie shapes from orange construction paper. Spread a thin layer of glue on them and sprinkle with cinnimon, ginger, nutmeg or other pie seasoning, as well glue a few cloves onto it. let dry and shake off extra for a yummy smelling pumpkin pie. - put candles in the windows or let the child put a battery powered lantern or flashlight in thier window) discuss why you do this. - Buy an empty wreath (the undecorated kind) and decorate with live plants (branches, flowers) that represent virtues and changes your child wants to bring into the new year. For younger children, cut out a paper wreath on white paperboard and decorate it with cut out plant images from magazines you both picked which represent the new year in a similar way. (do this whenever you celebrate the new year with your child.) Food: anything pumpkin (try making different things then just pie like cookies, shakes and veggie pumpkin burgers.) seeds and nuts. Eggnog, corn, beets, apples, gingerbread, cider, cranberry muffins and breads, herbal teas, tofu. Samhain advent: The lights are in the window The jack-O-Lantern Smiles How long must it be untill Samhain- a long or little while Come here every night before you go to bed October 1st-Samhain Eve Good night you sleepy head. Esabat and Everyday At home. Let children have their own Altar: this can be a small table, desk top, or even shelf or a tall stool. whatever you feel best suitable for their age. They can decorate it with ribbons, dried flowers, sea shells, feathers, rocks, leaves, pictures they drew, and more. Let children have their own Shadow Journal. This can be like their own book of shadows for younger children, but instead of containing spells it will be more like a scrapbook containing experiences. Each holiday, full moon, or other special family occasions let them write what they did that day and how they felt (or if they are to young to write, you can for them.) This is a great opportunity to improve communication and memory, discuss feelings, and make the day last. Let the child decorate the page with seasonal stickers, draw pictures, or glue items (such as leaves or feathers) onto the pages. Make a moon phases book or calander. this is great to help children learn the phases of the moon. Staple the pages or tie them together with ribbon when done. they can use this as a reference as well. Many people make their own candles, though many people choose to do them at different times. If you never have many varrious kits are avalible with different difficulties, though this is best suited for older children. Decorating a house, yard, and altar for any celebration can be lots of fun and puts everyone in the mood for the season. Make a season tree. take a large piece of poster board and draw a leafless tree on  it. Let the children each season cut out the appropriate leaves from construction paper and stick them on with either that white tacky stuff or with double sided tape As well they could add flowers under it, clouds or sun over it etc.. Make Pentacles: These can be made from any materials and for any celebration. Paperplates with yarn glued in shape is a great start. string buttons, glue glitter, draw with markers ect.. Make small ones for decorations to hang on tress or large ones to hang in windows. String them on yarn to make a necklace or braclet.