ideas — News — Grove of Nova Scotia Druids

Summer is just around the corner and you know what that means—NO SCHOOL!

This means all the kiddies are going to be in need of more attention and fun activities. Here are a few Druid inspired ideas you can do as a family or that you can help your younglings do.

Meditate: Start small and just breathe. Meditation is important throughout our lives and instilling these skills and values early can help with a great many of life’s little challenges. Sit with your kid(s) and try it together. Perhaps make it part of a bedtime routine before stories to quiet the mind, body, and spirit.
Build or Redecorate your alter: If they don’t already have a sacred space, let them explore and make one that feels good to them. If they already have one, why not encourage some seasonal decoration? They can dry flowers or leaves, paint rocks, or braid their own herbs and grasses.
Singing and Chanting: Who doesn’t love to sing? You can sing with them and teach them lessons though song. You can sing together as you tidy. Check out the ADF Ritual Songs section for sheet music as well as videos and sound clips for new tunes. https://www.adf.org/rituals/chants/index.html
Hiking and Nature Walks: This is one of my favourites. Communing with nature is a fantastic way to spend time with your family. Turn off the tablets and cell phones and head out to enjoy a park or walking path. You can make it even more fun by keeping nature clippings or a journal. Look for early signs of spring. What is the first flower to make its way through the thawing soil? What kinds of birds and other wildlife do you see? If your child is artistically inclined, invite them to draw the plants and animals they see on your walks.
Crafts: There are so many! Drying your own herbs, making your own oils, making leaf and flower prints, making your own ogham/runes out of sticks, or painting rocks. Check your local craft supplier for beeswax sheets and have the children make their own ritual candles (to be used only with adult supervision). Check out https://tressabelle.wordpress.com/ for tons of other crafting ideas!
Make a Family Tree: Respect for the elders and knowing your history and heritage is important. Why not have the kids draw out or find pictures of their family and arrange them into a family tree?
Gardening: This can be helpful and a great learning experience. Arrange for the kids to either have specific tasks or maybe a small plot of their own. Gardening and horticulture skills are valuable and practical.

There are many things you can do as a family and showing an interest in your children’s projects will help them develop and build confidence and a diverse range of skills.

Good luck, Druid Mommas and Papas!

Illustration Credit: Kiyary Dominguez

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“Spring Cleaning” started as a matter of practicality. In the winter, it is too cold, too wet, and the days are too short to get much of the housework done. You wouldn’t want to air your quilts or carpets in the snow, and you couldn’t re-thatch bedding or furniture, so it all stayed inside and everyone simply did their best to keep the mess at bay.
As soon as Spring comes, cleaning strikes like an uncontrollable urge. The days are longer and, suddenly, that extra bit of light helps you see the dust bunnies in that corner you never sweep or the cobwebs that have suddenly appeared. For a couple of days, there is intense planning and all our mayhem to get the house, and maybe even the yard, in shape.

With all that motivation and pent up cleaning energy in mind, here are a few things to think about…

“One man’s garbage…”: The old saying still holds true. Something may be worthless to you but priceless to someone else. Try putting items on a local trading/selling website, barring that you can also donate many gently used things to local charities. Make it easy for yourself. Create piles and give yourself time limits on selling your “junk”, so you can avoid the same situation next year. Less in the landfill is always the right answer.

“Clean house, clear head”: There is a deep sense of reward when the house is tidy, and it will make your daily routines much easier! Clean out the junk, reorganize a few spaces, and voila! You may find yourself letting go of the tension you didn’t even realize you had. Besides, cleaning up and having a fresh slate makes room for new and exciting projects.

“Style is an option, clean is not”: I’m not fear mongering. Well, I’m not trying to… But here it is… A dirty home can affect your health and the health of your family in many ways, so if for some reason you are resisting the urge to dust, vacuum, and de-clutter, STOP IT! Cleaning up is well worth the extra effort.

When you’ve finished your physical cleanse, it may be a nice idea to tie in something spiritual as well. Try sweeping from the back to the front of your house, straight out the door. Or more generally clean from the back to the front of the house. This way, you can push all your dust and dirt right out the door for a renewed living space. If you would like to try something more formal, click here for a basic “House Cleansing Ritual”.