Lammas Celebration Children's Activities


Corn Husk Doll
Materials: Corn husks, Corn silk, String, Crayons, markers, or paints,
Glue, And a couple of nuts

When you prepare corn on the cob, save some of the husks and silk. Soak the
husks in warm water for 5-10 minutes, or until pliable. Tie three of them
together in the middle with a piece of string or a strip of husk. Position the
tied part over the top of an acorn or walnut. Pull the husk down so that they
cover the nut, and tie at the bottom, to make a head. There should be lots of
excess husk. Next, make the arms by rolling two husks together. (Roll around a
pipe cleaner if you want arms to pose) Tie at the "wrists". Place the arms
between the husks under the head, and tie again at the waist. Another larger nut
than the head will create a torso effect. Take 6-10 more corn husks and lay
around the doll. Covering up the body. Tie all together at the waist again, then
fold the tops down. This makes the skirt, or if you want pants, tie the husks
into two bundles. Allow to dry overnight. Then glue the corn silk on for hair,
and draw or paint the face. Tell stories of the Corn Goddess and the Grain God.

Harvest Seeds of Art
Materials: Piece of corrugated cardboard, (side of a box) or a piece of thin
plywood, Pencil, White glue, Paintbrush, Assortment of dried beans and peas

Although you use dried beans and peas, if your child helped harvest some of the
vegetables in the garden this year, they will be able to associate these seeds
of art with the ones that they picked. Have your child draw a design on the
cardboard (plywood) with a pencil. Use the paintbrush to cover a portion of the
drawing with a thick coat of white glue. Have the child arrange the beans and
peas on top of the glued area, filling in the different shapes and designs.
Continue applying glue and beans and peas until the entire area is filled. Allow
to dry before standing up or placing on wall. ** Adding macaroni shells or
different shaped pasta allows for variety. Explain that grain seeds are used to
make the pasta.

Nature Hike Cane
Materials: A fallen branch (dried, not green) from a hardwood tree (maple, ash,
oak, hickory, elm) Acrylic paints, String or shoe laces, Beads, Bells, Feathers,
Pinecones, or anything else desired.

When looking for the stick, find one that is comfortable for the child to grip.
It should be a little higher than their waist, standing from the ground, up.
Peel away the bark. If it is still rough, smooth it with some sandpaper. Let the
child paint bold colors and designs all over the stick. Use string or laces to
attach the ornaments to the top of the stick. Let the child make up their own
story of walking through nature and what they see along the way.

Enough For All Feeders
Materials: 4-5 Corn cobs, Vegetable shortening or bacon grease, 1 pound
package wild bird seed, Wire hangers

After eating the kernels away from the cobs, take a knife (adults only, please)
and scrape away the excess membrane from the cobs, but not to where the cob is
smooth. Take a large nail or screwdriver and poke 1" holes in each end of the
cob. Heat up the shortening or grease enough to cover the cobs. Roll the cobs
quickly in the "natural glue" and then roll them on a plate covered with the
wild birdseed. As the child rolls the cobs back and forth through the birdseed,
cut a section out of the straight bottom of the hangers. Make the cut out
section about 2" shorter than the length of the corn cobs.

Allow the cobs covered with wild bird seed to dry for a hour or so. Place the
cob in the cut out section of the hanger, poking the ends of the hanger into the
holes on each end of the cob. Grab the child's walking stick and go out to the
backyard, to a park, or to the woods to hang the feeders. Tell stories of how
the bounty of the Harvest becomes even more special when shared with others,
especially the wild birds and animals.

Corn Print Place Mats
Materials: A couple ears of corn, Kitchen knife, Plastic corn cob holders,
Fabric paints, Paper plates, Cloth place mats

Break or cut (adults only, please) an uncooked ear of corn into 2-1/2 inch
lengths. Firmly attach the corn cob holders at the ends. Pour a couple colors of
fabric paint onto the paper plates. Roll the corn cob through the paint, then
across the place mat. You may want to practice on some newspaper first. Repeat
with different colors and designs. Heat set the painted mats per the
manufacturer's instructions. ** For a little variety, lightly brush leaves with
paint and "stamp" the mats a couple of times with a leaf design. Explain how,
though we are all different, it takes all of us together to make such a
beautiful world. (I use mine for the center cloth on my alter during fall
rituals)

After Ritual Sprout Necklace
Materials: Small screw eye or a piece of wire, Small plastic jar with cap
(spice, vitamins, cake decorations), 3 1-yard long lengths of colored string or
yarn, 3 cotton balls, 3-4 seeds from the fruits or vegetables used in the Lammas
Ritual or 3-4 dried beans

Carefully twist the screw eye into the center of the jar lid (hole can be
started with a pushpin or needle). Have the child braid the colored string,
thread it through the screw eye, and tie ends. If using wire, create 2 holes in
the center of the lid, thread ends of through the holes, twist together in
underside of cap, and thread string through loop left on top side. Make sure the
string easily fits over and off from child's head. Moisten cotton balls until
they are wet, but not dripping. Place them at bottom of jar. Press the seeds or
beans down between the jar and the cotton balls, so that they a visible from the
outside. Screw on the cap. Wear the necklace during the day, avoiding direct
sunlight and overheating. Store in a warm place at night. Sprouts should appear
in about 5 days. When jar becomes crowded, transplant seedlings to a flowerpot,
and start again, if desired. Check cotton occasionally for dryness. Add water if
necessary.

Walnut Wish Boats
Materials: Boxed birthday candles, Halved walnut shells, Pond or large bowl
of water, matches

This is where the children can join into the Lammas Ritual. After you have
gotten to the part when you count your blessings by taking bites of the
cornbread (memories), have the children symbolize the on-going circle, both by
being present and by casting the wishes of prosperity at the next planting and
the harvest yet to come. Adults, cut the birthday candles in half and melt the
bottoms of each candle with a lit match. Place in the center inside the halved
walnut shell. Allow the child to verbalize wishes of good 2nd harvest,
prosperity, and fruitful planting next spring. While the child is doing this,
take a couple seeds from the fruits, vegetables, and grain adorning the alter,
and hand to the child to put around the candle inside the walnut shell. Light
the candle, and let the child set the walnut shell in the water to float like a
boat. Once all the little boats are floating, everybody hold hands and make a
wish. Have the child blow out all the candles, for their smoke will carry the
wishes to the God/dess.

Shrunken Apple Dolls
Materials: An apple, Colored yarn, An empty 16oz plastic bottle, Fabric
scraps, A rubber band, A piece of lace, A bottle cork, Colored markers,
Potato peeler

This is for the older child who can handle a potato peeler. Remember that the
finished head will be about 2/3 the original size of the fresh apple, so start
big. Peel and core, (adults only, please) apple. Show the child how to carve a
face on one side, using potato peeler for deep set eyes and a paring knife for
smile or frown. Nose can be made by incising a triangle that extends from
between the eyes to above the mouth. Additional facial features can be created
by various cuts. Store the carved apple head in a dry place for about 2 weeks
until it dries. A food dehydrator can quicken this process. Once the apple is
dry, the face can be accented with colored markers and water-based paints. Apple
dollies have bad hair days, every day. Have child cut 10 strands of yarn, twice
the desired end length plus 2". Gather the strands together, fold in half, and
tie with another strand of yarn 1" away from fold, to make a loop to stuff into
the top of the head. Let the child braid or trim the wig as desired.

Cut the round base off the 16oz bottle with scissors. Plug the top with a cork
(available at most craft stores) to make the neck. Cut a 10"x16" rectangle of
cloth to wrap around bottle for clothes. Wrap around the bottle, with 2½" excess
at both top and bottom. Use a rubber band to secure the fabric around the bottle
neck, then fold the material down over the rubber band. Tie or glue on a piece
of lace for a collar. Tuck excess cloth at bottom into the bottle. For a shawl,
cut a 3"x12" strip of different designed fabric and wrap loosely around the
neck. Gently push dried apple head down on cork for finished Shrunken Apple
Doll. The seeds from the apple can be used for making the Sprout Necklace, and
this aids in explaining to the children about the birth, death, and rebirth
cycle.