Light & Shadows of Chalandor

Activities for Mabon

Do a thanksgiving circle, offering thanks as you face each direction -- for home, finances, and physical health (North); for gifts of knowledge (East); for accomplishments in career and hobbies (South); for relationships (West); and for spiritual insights and messages (Center).
Dip colorful leaves in melted paraffin wax for altar decorations that may be enjoyed even after the celebration or attach to a wreath for your head
Make a dried leaf mobile
Make wine
Take a walk in a wild place with your family or circle members; Sing songs and talk about all the things you've done over the summer and spend time discussing other things you've done together in the last year; gather wild seeds and seed pods to decorate your circle for ritual.
Gather dried leaves, herbs, plants, seeds and seed pods
Scatter offerings in harvested fields
Offer libations to trees
Have a potluck feast with a group of friends and loved ones to celebrate the abundance of the season. **see our recipe section for a great Pot Roast recipe!**
Adopt someone in a nursing home. As a family, take your special person baked goodies and colored pictures. Read them books or tell them stories.
Walk around your neighborhood picking up garbage. Do what you can to improve your home and prepare for winter.
Pick a subject that interests the whole family. Go to the library or find other resources and study that subject. Together, share what you've learned.
Cut an apple in half to show the star inside. This is a reminder that all life is renewed in some way. ***see our craft section below for a printing project!***
Bake cored apples filled with butter and cinnamon as a special treat.
Create decorations for your front door out of colored leaves, pine cones, nuts, acorns and Indian
Corn bundles.
Honor the birds and small animals in the wilderness or by your home by making a bird feeder filled with seeds and grain. **see our craft section!**
Make rattles out of empty gourds and sunflower seeds or seeds collected from nature walks. Use the rattles to make music or scare away bad dreams.
Look at your family habits and figure out what you can do to improve your conservation habits. Can you use less water or recycle more of your garbage?
Go through your garden, tending it, thanking the plants and flowers for their abundance, harvesting whatever is ready-try collecting seeds of non-hybridized plants for next year
Make a mandala of seeds and grains on the ground, an offering of the Mother's gifts to the animals and birds; infuse it with specific magick that will be released as the seeds are consumed or scattered- **see out pagan kids coloring pages for some wonderful Madala coloring pages that will give you wonderful ideas! ***
Share your abundance...collect a basket of goodies from your garden or pick up a few extras when shopping at a local farmer's market to share with a neighbor who has no garden, or who has had a rough year; gather donations of food and/or clothing for a favorite charity.
Arrange baskets of fresh fruit and baked goods for friends or family
Fill a basket with pine cones, fruits, colorful dried leaves, wheat, acorns, and fallen pine branches and leave it by your altar or door
Cook up a Mabon soup with carrots, onions, potatoes, radishes, and/or corn

Crafts

Easy Bird Feeders

Pine Cones rolled in peanut butter and then in bird seed or sunflower seeds

Animal Brethren

Materials:

An apple,
paring knife, l
emon juice,
whole cloves,
pencil,
jar,
glove,
felt scraps,
glue.

Peel the apple and remove some of the core from the bottom. (Parents) To carve the animal's face, cut two holes for the eyes, slice two triangle flaps for the ears, cut a deep "X" for the nose and mouth, and some shallow slits for whiskers. Soak the apple in the lemon juice for about 15 minutes, then remove to a paper towel to dry. Insert cloves into the eye holes. Push the pencil into the bottom of the apple, and set it in a jar to dry. To hasten drying process, a food dehydrator works great! As the apple dries, lift the ears so they dry upright. When the head has dried, use the glove and felt scraps to make the body. Glue on markings and paws. Cut off the middle finger of the glove, and drop the pencil through it, with the head attached. Have the child grab the pencil with their 3 middle fingers, while using the thumb and pinkie for the animal's forelegs. ( Discuss the habits of different animals during the winter months. Explain why we leave bird food and other tidbits out for our winged and furry brothers.)

Woodsy Flower Vase

Materials:

¼ inch diameter sticks,
scissors,
an empty plastic (p-butter) jar,
2 thick rubber bands,
ribbon,
glue,
pine cones.

Break or snip sticks to about 1in. longer than jar. Place rubber bands around jar, 1in. from top and 1in. from bottom. Tuck the sticks under the rubber bands, placing them together as close as possible. Once the jar is surrounded by sticks, push the rubber bands to the center of the jar and cover with autumn colored ribbon. Ribbon can be tied into a bow. Glue on a few pine cones and fill the vase with flowers. (While hiking and looking for sticks, explain why fallen sticks are more Earth friendly, but if live branches are needed, to take only what is needed and thank tree for gift.)

Harm None Paper Bouquets

Materials:

Autumn colored tissue paper,
scissors,
crayons,
pipe cleaners.

For each flower cut eight 3-1/2 in. squares. With side of crayon color down 2 opposite sides on each square. Lay on flat surface with colored sides at top and bottom. Start folding from the top, like a paper fan. Each pleat should be approx. 1/2in wide. For the stems, bend a pipe cleaner 1-1/2in. from one end to form a hook. Place the pleated squares in a stack, and place the stack in the hook. Twist the hook around the stem. To open flower to full bloom, twist the petals a half-turn near the stem. (Thank children for beautiful vase of flowers that can be used on your alter for the Mabon ritual, and later a table center piece.)

Make Leaf Prints

Gather fresh leaves together. Have the children paint one side, then print that side down on paper. You may also wish to have them make leaf rubbings with the leaves-you can make it a dual activity by using the leaves for rubbings first and then painting and printing with them afterward. If you use large sheets of paper or newspaper roll ends (available in almost every newspaper office) the children can make wrapping paper. Another great item to print with is an apple that is cut to show the star inside. Printing can be done with any tempera paint.

Make Wax Paper Leaf "Sun Catchers"

Have the children sprinkle crayon shavings between two pieces of wax paper. Put this between two brown bags. Have an adult iron on a very low temp. to melt wax paper together. Make a construction paper frame. Hang in window.

Make a Place Mat

Materials:

Dried Leaves,
flowers
seeds that are flattened
Clear contact paper
large sheet of construction paper or poster board cut to approx. 12x18 inches
white or stick glue

Have children place leaves, flowers and seeds on the paper of choice and glue into place with a very small amount of glue. Use only as much as is necessary to hold items in place. Help them to cut contact paper to the same size as the paper used and cover by placing over the top of design. These are very long lasting-especially if you coat the back of the place mat as well. Children may wish to also decorate the back in the same manner or perhaps draw a picture and incorporate the dried items into it. Let their imaginations take flight!

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