OSTARA CRAFTS

Seed Eggs

By Pat & family
We poke a tiny hole in both ends of an egg & very gently blow out the "stuffings". We then decorate the egg with symbols or write our hopes, etc on them.( A listing of colors and their meanings can be found in "The Sabbats" by Edain McCoy if you wish to use it.) We make one of the holes a little bigger & into it we place herb seeds. Along with the seeds we place our intentions of what we would like to see grow in our lives. We then go outside, cast a circle, dig a hole & place our eggs into the hole. Hence we have planted the seeds of growth! Another brief little ceremony we have done in the past is to place a candle in each room & as a family go from room to room chanting "banish winter, welcome spring" & each family member takes a turn lighting a candle to welcome back the light of spring.

Wheel of the Year~ Michelle
2 pieces of heavy paper per child
old magazines or catalogs
glue, crayons, markers, glitter, any materials to decorate wheels Wing Backed push pins (one per child)
To start introducing young children to the Wheel of the Year.
Adultpremake
Cut out two circles (per child) of the same size ( about the size of a dinner plate) on heavy paper (I use manila paper) Fold one circle into 8 equal size pie pieces On the outer edge of each pie piece write each Sabbat name in order of occurrence (I started with Samhain on top). Second Circle, cut one pie piece shape out of the circle
Childready
Give each child the circle with Sabbats written on it along with old magazines, and/or catalogs. Talk about what each holiday means, and let the children pick pictures out of the magazines/catalogs that they feel represent each Sabbat. Cut out the pictures and glue them underneath each Sabbat.
Second circle allow the children to decorate it however they want. When children are done decorating and glue/paint ( or whatever you used to decorate with) is dry. Push winged back push pin through the center with holiday wheel in the back. Spin the wheel.. your all done now.. Enjoy :)
My Notes
We hung ours on the fridge, the children love to spin the wheels to display the next Sabbat. I have found that these wheels, often spark children to ask many questions. They talk about what there picture representation means and it gives them a chance to talk about the Sabbats. I do these once a year with my children, as they grow it's interesting to see how there interpretation of the Sabbats change each year. With my younger sons, we use this as a game wheel, spin the wheel, and what ever Sabbat it lands on, we read a story or poem about it, or just talk about it. There are tons of uses for this :)Enjoy

Egg Candles
Use the bottom half of egg shells to hold mini tapers or other small candles. To anchor the candles in the shell, drop hot wax into the bottom of shell and press candle into wax. Set these candles in and becasue they can get hot!

Decorated Eggs
Here are some ideas for decorating hollowed out eggs to bring out each year for Ostara�?BR>-Paint the eggs with any kind of paint (tempera, acrylic, watercolor, spray, or nail polish). -Coat eggs with glue and roll in glitter.
-Cover egg with decoupage and apply small squares of multi-colored tissue paper. Cover with decoupage and let dry between each layer. With each layer come new color combinations and a stronger, more durable egg.
-Make speckled eggs by dipping toothbrush in paint then running your fingers across bristles to spatter the paint on the eggs.

Ostara Chicks
Supplies: 2 Cotton Balls, Orange and Black Construction Paper Dry, Yellow tempera Paint, Glue, Empty, Clean Egg Shell.
Put some of the paint in a Ziploc Bag, put in the 2 cotton balls and shake until they are yellow. Feet, eyes, and beaks can be cut from orange and black construction paper and glued on. Then you can glue the chick into half of the egg shell.

A protective egg Charm
Take an egg and, by poking small holes at each end of it, empty it out. Fill the egg with Cinquefoil leaf and Dogwood, then tape the holes shut. You can decorate the egg with Runes or symbols of protection, or you can leave it natural. Your home and property will be protected.

Growing Ostara/Easter Baskets
Supplies:
Empty 1/2 gal. Milk Cartons
Potting Soil
Grass Seed (fast growing if you have it)
Stuff to Decorate Carton
Take empty milk cartons, cut down to 4-5" high. You can cover this with contact paper or construction paper and decorate. Fill 2/3 full with potting soil, the generously cover with grass seed. Have children water daily; grass should grow in about 4-7 days. With remaining carton, cut a handle to staple to the basket. Fill with decorated eggs.