Lammas or Lughnasadh

August 1

Bready bears Turtle bread
Go on a field trip to a bakery. Buy a fresh loaf of bread.
Make you own loaf of bread with your children.
Buy wheat at a floral or crafts supply store. Let the children dip the wheat in yellow or gold paint and print it down on paper, or use it as a paint brush.
Buy wheat at the craft store, soak for 10 minutes. Tie three together just bellow the seed end, and braid. Tie at end into a circle. Make another braid, and link it to the first circle. Repeat again. Tie a red bow on each and hang up in your house. (From "Spell Crafts, Creating Magical Objects" by Scot Cunningham and David Harrington p.168.)
Eat sunflower seeds for snack.
Have the children make marigold pictures. Cut sponges into small circles. Squirt yellow and orange and red paint in a dish. Let them dip the sponge in the unmixed paint and print to make the blooms. Let them paint or color the steams and leaves.
Make "Catherine Wheels." A long time ago, for Lammas, people in villages went to the top of a hill and poured tar over a wagon wheel, set it on fire, and let it roll down the hill. Rather then setting fire to anything... Let children make a picture of this after you tell them the story using wheel-shaped pasta, paints, and crayons.
Make a booklet about when you made bread. Fold several sheets of white paper in half. Fold a piece of construction paper in half for the cover. Staple together. Have your child draw the pictures for each step of the recipe. If they can, have them write on each page. If they can't, write what they tell you to about each step
Breaddy Bears by Marjike Baker

1 stick butter, 4 teaspoons salt, 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, 1/4 cup oats, 1/4 cup honey, 3 1/2 cups boiling water, 1 cup lukewarm water, 2 packages yeast, 6 cups whole wheat flour, 6-8 cups unbleached or bread flour, 1 beaten egg, 1 tablespoon water, 2 raisins per bear, 1. Put kettle of water on to boil. Meanwhile, in a huge bowl, put butter, salt,oats and sunflower seeds. 2. In 4-cup glass cup, mix honey and boiling water. Pour this over the ingredients in huge bowl, but do not rinse out glass cup. Fill it with lukewarm water and yeast. Let this stand until it has grown considerably, about 10 minutes (the yeast dissolves more quickly when dissolved with dregs of honey.) 3. Meanwhile, to the main ingredients, add whole wheat flour. Stir well, adding dissolved yeast. Finally, add the unbleaches flour. 4. Knead on a large floured surface until dough is dry and smoooth. Return to a large bowl. Cover with a dish towel and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour. 5. Grease loaf pans or trays. After the dough has risen for an hour, it should be double in bulk. On the same floured surface, punch down and form into 4 big or 8 small loaves, bears, or other shape. Let rise again until double, about an hour. 6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush with a loaves, bears or other shapes with mixture of beaten egg and tablesppon of water. Bake 25-30 minutes. To shape the Bears: Take about as much as for a small loaf. Cut in half. Cut one of the halves in half again. The half becomes the body. Smooth one of the quarters and place on the sheet for the head. Break off a piece of the body dough for the nose, then center it on the head. Take the last quarter and cut it into 8 pieces. Two are rolled into thin strips and arrangesd over the body to make a cross. Place body under head and use the six other pieces to make arms, legs and ears. Allow to rise again as loves. Brush egg & water mixture before and after placing raisin eyes to hold them in place.
Turtle Bread

The Turtle represents Mother Earth and creativity. 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 pkg. quick acting dry yeast, 1 Tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup water, 1/3 cup milk, 1 Tablespoon butter, 1 egg, 2 raisins, Mix 1 1/2 cups of the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Heat water, milk, and butter to around 125 degrees. Pour into yeast mixture, add egg, and stir. Stir in enough of the remaining flour to make the dough easy to handle. Put dough on a lightly floured surface. Knead for five minutes, until smooth. Cover and let sit for 10 minutes. Lightly grease a cookie sheet. Tear off a piece of dough and shape into a 2 inch ball for the head. Make five 1 inch size balls for the 4 feet and the tail. Shape the remaining dough into the body, and put together on the cookie sheet, Put raisins on the head and push down on them a little bit. Cover the turtle and let it rise for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut a square grid design on the back of the turtle. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown.
Click here for a cornstalk coloring page.