Litha Celebration Small Children Activities
New Moon Occult Shop is the best place to source herbs, incense, oils and jewelry associated with Litha. I recommend contacting them directly and asking for help finding just what you need as often they will source things they don't usually carry in stock.
Litha is a Sabbat honoring the Goddess as the Mother, the God as the Father,
and of Their children or the child in all of us. Here are some activities to
help Pagan Parents include their small children in the celebration. Head out
into the back yard and enjoy the day!
Earth Puppets
Materials: Use natural items found in the yard, tape, and glue
The easiest kind of puppets can be made from a twig. Select a twig that forks.
You now have 2 arms and a handle to hold the puppet with. Find a fallen flower,
and tape the stem to the handle for the head. You can also tape the stem of a
fallen leaf to the handle for the head. For clothing, wrap a leaf around the handle,
and your puppet has natural summer wear.
Another puppet can be made with a pine cone. Glue the pine cone to the forked
twig, for the head. Dried and fresh grass make loads of hair styles, beards, and
mustaches. Use seeds or small rocks for eyes, nose, and mouth. Make clothing out
of leaves and bonnets out of flower petals or acorn caps.
Use a large box or table for the stage, and enjoy the show.
Vegetable Tray Puppets
Materials: Large carrots, popsicle sticks, cream cheese, raisins
or olives, celery, parsley, green beans, radishes, cauliflower buds, broccoli
buds, cucumber spears, any other desired vegetable, and cheese slices.
Having trouble getting the younger children to eat their vegetables? Let them
play with their food! Peel several large carrots and cut off both ends. With a
paring knife (adults only) cut a slit in the bottom of the larger end. Place several
carrots on a plate. On a serving tray, in the middle place a small bowl of cream
cheese, and surround with "garnishing vegetables". Cut cheese slices
lengthwise to strips of hair.
Insert popsicle stick in the slit in a carrot. Using the cream cheese as glue,
attach raisins or olives as eyes, and other assorted vegetables as arms, legs,
hair, etc. Let the child(ren) put on a mealtime play before eating the characters.
Lots of fun for the whole family!
Treasure Boxes
Materials: Sturdy cardboard box, natural items for decoration,
white glue, med-size paint brush.
This little box is for the youngster to collect "treasured" memories
from summer. Start with a large shoe box and lid. Let the child collect some
items from the yard, the park, and/or the beach. Glue flat items to the box,
and place the non-flat items inside. To give the box a more durable finish,
brush on a coat of white glue diluted with water. Encourage the child to tell
stories of where the different items came from, or make up stories about the
contents.
Wheelbarrow Planter
Materials: 1 plastic detergent scoop, 2 large brightly colored
buttons, white glue, 1 cup potting soil, seeds.
Take the plastic detergent scoop and poke a couple of small holes in the bottom
(adults only!) with a nail or a needle. Let each child pick out two brightly
colored buttons for the wheels. Glue wheels onto the sides of the scoop so that
it sits at an angle. Once the glue has dried, let the child pour ½ cup
of potting soil in the scoop, place in a couple of seeds around the sides of
the scoop, and pour in the rest of the soil. Slowly add water to the soil until
soaked through. Place on small dish in sunny spot. Watch the new life grow from
the seeds and spring forth from the soil just as life springs forth from the
Goddess.
Litha Spiral Candles
Materials: Decorating wax strips or preprinted wax logs, plain
ball or short pillar candle(s), craft or butter knife.
Have your child choose a couple of colored wax strip combinations. Cut each
strip into 2 pieces 2¾" long and on piece that is 2" long.
Lay a short length of one color over a longer length of another color and roll
them into a tight spiral log, ½" in diameter by 1½"
long. When you've got eight logs use the knife (adults or older children) to
cut each log into as many slices as you can. Firmly press the wax slices all
around the outside of the candle, starting at the base and working up. Continue
placing the slices as close together as possible until the whole candle is covered.
Stained Glass Sun Catchers
Materials: Wax paper, crayon shavings, colored string, yarn, or
thread, lace, leaves, flower petals.
To begin, have the child empty crayon shavings from their sharpener, or (adults
only!) use a paring knife to create shavings. A cheese grater works great for
large crayons. Arrange shavings, and any of the accessory items the child chooses
and sandwich between two sheets of wax paper. Iron (adults, of course) the whole
package on low setting, just until the shavings melt. Cut the "stained
glass" into shapes and hang them with string, in a sunny window.
Fairies' Feathered Friend Feeder
Materials: An empty milk carton, nontoxic paint, glitter, white
glue, popsicle sticks, 10" wooden dowel w/ ¼" diameter, wire
hanger (cut bottom of hanger for inserting into milk carton), birdseed.
Rinse out milk carton thoroughly. Do not completely open top, rather glue open
spout back together. Cut 3" wide by 4" long arched openings on "spout"
side and opposite side of carton, with base of opening approx. 3" from
bottom of carton. Let the child paint the outside of the carton in Litha colors
of red, yellow, orange, white, green. Before the paint dries let child sprinkle
colored glitter all over the carton, (birds are attracted to shiny objects).
Let carton dry. Glue painted or non-painted popsicle stick shingles onto the
top of the carton as a roof. For the perches, poke holes in the carton just
below the openings, and slip the wooden dowel through the holes. Poke two holes
in the top of the carton just under the roof, insert one end of the cut hanger
into each hole. Fill the bottom of the carton with wild birdseed. Hang in a
spot that is easy to view, but far enough away from fences or other objects
to thwart predators. Tell child how fairies, brownies, and sprites ride on the
backs of birds to get from one place to another if it is too far to walk.
Summer Invocation
by Trish Telesco
For the little children to participate in the Litha ritual, have them call quarters!
Fireflies and summer sun
in circles round
we become as one
Singing songs at magick's hour
we bring the winds
and timeless powers
Turning inward, hand in hand Chant While Sun is Setting
we dance the hearth Hail fair Sun
to heal the land Ruler of the day;
Rise on the morn
Standing silent beneath the sky To light my way.
we catch the fire
from our God's eye Chant While Moon Gazing
Hail fair Moon
Swaying breathless, beside the sea Ruler of the night;
we call the Goddess Guard me and mine
So mote it be! Until the light
Adapted by Akasha Ap Emrys
To share with all her friends and those who are of like mind
Copyright remains with the original author of the work.
