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Festivals
A family workday
A festival of "strong will." Based on the story of the Archangel Michael, the champion of goodness, courage and strength overpowering the dragon.
Parents are invited to come in for a part of the morning to help us with tasks in the garden. For this festival we bring gifts of vegetables, fruit and flowers to celebrate the bounty of Mother Earth. We make butter with our butter churn, to go with the harvest loaf and soup, ending the day with a story about Michael.
A festival for children and parents
The Lantern walk, is a festival celebrating brotherliness and sharing. We make root lanterns with our families and all go for a walk at dusk bringing our light out into the darkness, singing songs before returning to the kindergarten to share biscuits and warm apple juice around the fire bowl.
A festival for children and parents
The Advent Spiral is a quiet reflective festival. It is a time to ponder what we have learnt from the year and what we hope for in the months to come. Sitting in silence with gentle music playing, each child takes a candle and quietly walks the spiral of moss and evergreen branches to light it in the centre and place it on the path. Slowly the spiral will fill with each child's light. Celebrating our 'inner light' and how we offer the best of ourselves in service to others.
A festival for the children
Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of children, speaks of an archetypal figure of heavenly wisdom. Around the world children leave their shoes out in the hope of receiving a small gift from St Nicholas. In kindergarten we will think of how we have cared for one another and leave our slippers out for Saint Nicholas’ visit, usually to find our slippers filled with little treats and sparkling with glitter.
A festival for children and parents
And finally it is Christmas! A time to share good cheer and gather together with families. It is a magical time that the children have been preparing for. Parents are welcomed into the kindergarten to watch the children perform songs and a play. We share food and christmas carols all together before we say good bye for the holiday, each child leaving with a special project they have been making throughout advent.
A festival for the Children
Celebrated by making crowns and singing songs about the journey these wise men made to find the Christ Child and Babushka the little old lady who was too busy cleaning to join them in their quest. Sometimes Babushka may even leave us star biscuits in her search for the Christmas child.
A festival for the children
The days are beginning to lengthen and now it is time for us to make earth candles to light around the garden. Warming the earth and helping to wake up the seed babies who have been sleeping through the winter, telling them 'spring is coming soon!'
“If Candelmas day be fair and bright than winter will have another fight, but if Candelmas day is clouds and rain winter is gone and will not come again.”
A festival for children and parents
Sharing our circle time with the parents and a festive snack of fruit and hot cross buns. The children go home with an Easter basket with the wheat grass they have grown and the eggs they have decorated. The egg is a symbol of new life, reminding us that the Earth is waking and that with spring new life will come again.
A festival for the children
For mayday we sing and dance around the maypole, ringing bells, celebrating with beautiful flowers and the promise of summer.
A festival for the children
This is a festival to remind us of the message from the white dove “to speak kind words and to take care of one another.” We make little doves as symbols of peace, wear white clothes and light candles. Whitsun is a quiet festival where we can appreciate our difference yet more importantly the things we share and have in common.
A festival for the children
The longest day’s of the year. On this day we wear fire colours and play games outside, singing songs and having a story around the fire bowl.
A festival for children and parents
This is a festival to celebrate the whole year. Having a tea party in the garden with our families, sharing a circle time all together and ending with our leavers story to say goodbye to all those who will be moving on.
Celebrating festivals is central to kindergarten life. They help children connect to the changing seasons and the world around them and invite a sense of awe and wonder. Through these celebrations we encourage diversity, acceptance and community. In addition to the festivals mentioned here, we invite families to share with us the festivals that are important to them and that they celebrate at home.