Looking for some Autumnal Equinox Celebration Ideas?

Ngahuru / Autumn celebration vibes are calling out… a full moon on Friday is followed by Autumnal Equinox (for us in the Southern Hemisphere) on Monday and has me feeling like it’s time to play.
We are well, we are provided for, the weather is warm, the skies are clear.

Rakaunui / the full moon naturally calls us to celebrate our fortunes, and I see an opportunity to make the most of this and play and dance, before it’s time to again reflect and release what thoughts or attitudes hold us back, as we naturally draw inward back towards the dark moon. It is also known as the Harvest Moon in the Northern Hemisphere, for good reason, look at all nature’s providing right now.

The Autumnal Equinox marks a shift in the seasons, a time when day and night are near equal length, and is celebrated in many cultures throughout the world.

We love to bring celebrations and rituals into our family life, Ngahuru / Autumn is a magic time of year, and celebrating is also learning, as we harvest and notice seasonal changes.

Celebrating is simply an act of gratitude and acknowledgement, and can look any way you want it to! A meal with friends, a wild moonlit dance, an autumn walk, a quiet intentful reflection. We have done all of these, the important thing is the intention and acknowledgement.

Autumn Equinox nature journal for kids

Here are some Autumnal Equinox Celebration Ideas, would love to hear how you celebrate, share here, inspire us all xx

• Moonlight dance party:
  The Harvest Moon is the full moon that falls nearest the Autumn Equinox. Listen or dance along to this playlist we created for our moon party in 2020 when we were locked down at home:.
  View Moon Party Playlist  
• Kai harvest:
  Heading to the garden is so rewarding this time of year. What can you pick to make a meal from tonight? Give thanks for your meal, think where it came from and how long it took to grow.
• Eating seasonally:
  If you don’t have a garden you can still connect to the energy of this time by learning about what is in season right now and buying local produce. Can you visit a farmers market? Research and mindfully purchase what’s in season in Autumn? Have a discussion about what’s in season with your tamariki?
• Shared meal with friends:
  Making food together as a family, couple or group and sharing seasonal kai with intention of coming together, sounds lush to me!
• Autumn walk:
  Walking and noticing the seasonal changes, what feels different? Where does the light sit? What do you see, on the branches, on the ground? What is the water temperature like? The air temperature? What clothing is needed? Take your shoes off! Sit and notice quietly for a moment. Bring awareness to these things, discuss with tamariki.
• Collect and Sow seeds:
  Sowing seeds now before the weather gets colder will allow you to pick greens through winter. If you’ve missed the growing window, don’t worry! Still sow, and harvest in Spring! Notice what is seeding right now.
• Autumn nature hunt:
  Little children are natural treasure hunters, and a nature hunt brings awareness to their observations. We have been doing this for years with our kiddos, and their noticings just deepen with age. Grab some baskets from the op shop and set out with a treasure map in hand. Check out this autumn nature hunt I created and bring this simple, magical act into your children’s learning.
  View Autumn Nature Hunt
• Autumn crafts:
  Once we have collected Autumn treasures, it’s a lovely extension to create with them. Here are some ideas of some Autumn craft makings. Return all treasures to papatuanuku when not needed, giving thanks again. PS: You are never too old to play or create!
  View Autumn craft ideas
• Nature table:
  Setting up a nature table deepens understanding as it visually supports what our tamariki are observing about the seasons. Use silks or scarves in autumn colours, have baskets for placing fruit or  treasures, and some meaningful learning resources such as our Seasonal Wheel Wood Print or Montesorri Seasons.
• Making mandalas:
  Making mandalas is a lovely way to create art using nature’s treasures. Here is a great article from NZ author Juliet Batten.
  View Making Nature Mandalas
• Learn about the Autumn/Spring Equinox:
  Here is an Autumn Equinox nature journal with information and illustrations to help explain the Autumn Equinox for kids, as well as journal pages with prompts to get kids noticing and celebrating Autumn.
  View Autumn Equinox Nature Journal for Kids
• Discuss the cyclic nature of the seasons:
  Children are so much more engaged when learning visually or actively. When they were small, I searched out art to try and represent the seasons, and support our chats. It was difficult to find art relevant to the Southern Hemisphere, so… I painted something! They love it and find themselves in the pictures, telling me stories about what is happening. I created a Seasonal Perpetual Calendar to share this with other tamariki, and have been thrilled to see how many ECE’s it has been going out to in NZ.
• Stories:
  What books can you get out from the library? Or are there stories you can tell or create? There is such a depth to this learning!
• Seasonal Songs:
  Songs help to create a sense of celebration and also cement learning in our tamariki. Autumn songs and Songs of harvest and thanks can be simple inclusion in any activity this season.

What would you add to this list? How do your family celebrate? We’d love to know! Please share xx