When I picked up Lo from school the other day she excitedly showed me the "magic crystals" that she and a friend were playing with in the play yard. Looks like they found some frozen pieces of colored ice -probably discarded from some other class's project- outside the door. It gave me a great idea for improving on the ice crystal idea and making a little surprise for Lo. That night I picked out a few choice crystals from said collection and attempted to make molds for creating our own ice crystals. If anyone has any alternative ideas for making magic ice crystal molds, I'd love to hear them! Here's how I made mine:
What you'll need:
Large well defined crystals
Aluminum foil
Food coloring
Ice cube tray
Tupperware container
Water
Hopefully some snow!
What I did:
*Gently mold a piece of foil over your crystal-be careful not to poke any holes in the foil.
*Fill the mold with colored water. I used food coloring for the ones pictured but I have one made with tempera paint in the ice box freezing right now. If you try anything different, let me know how it goes!
*Place in ice box and freeze solid.
*When frozen, just remove the foil and there's your magic ice crystal!
I also filled an ice cube tray with colored water to freeze and make into smooth gemstones. Once frozen, I ran them under warm water to soften the edges.
I was so hoping to go outside this morning and place the magic crystals and gem stones within Lo's special cluster of trees. How surprised she would be to find them! But, alas, it's 41 friggin degrees today!!! :( Up from 3 degrees on Tuesday. Well, they are back safe in the freezer waiting to be discovered on the next single digit day! They would also be great for a treasure hunt in the snow!
I found these inexpensive cool crystal candle molds which might work well for ice crystals. I think I may order them for next year.
Here are some great websites for those who honor the Earth, it's seasons and rhythms, and/or with a more Pagan leaning then the traditional Christian holiday. We try to incorporate it all into our family's traditions:
School of the Seasons-The School of the Seasons is open to anyone who is weary of the frantic pace of modern life, who wants to slow down, connect with the natural world, and live a life filled with heart and meaning. Each season has its own flavor, captured in the folklore of seasonal holidays, preserved in rituals and recipes, ceremonies and songs.
Inner Christmas-A yearly practice of inner renewal and development for individuals of all beliefs and traditions during the Twelve Holy Nights between December 25 and January 6
Candle Grove- One of the definitive Web resources about the ancient origins of the winter holiday season. Much information on Solstice, Sacaea-Saturnalia, and Yule.
Fabulous onlineToy Stores:
Georgian Wood Toys-Beautiful all wood hand carved Toys and Ornaments Imported from "Georgia" on the Black Sea in Europe
Heartwood Arts- Heartwood Arts was founded in 1981, inspired by the Waldorf School pedagogy and the artistic and architectural indications of Rudolf Steiner. Created with the needs of the child in mind, our toys nourish the imitative and imaginative capacities of the unfolding child. They warm the heart and engage the hands in healthy play and are found in homes and schools throughout the world. Our natural finish is composed of beeswax and linseed oil.
For more holiday ideas, just scroll down!
6 comments:
Oh my! What a blessing you are. For one that is just the cutest thing to surprise Lo with magic crystals! (I can't believe it's 40 degrees there.) and for two, these wonderful sites. I'm taking some time tonight to visit each one.
Noah and I read about an pagan tradition long ago when they put on plays called The Yule Battle, it's a battle between King Holly (cold, winter and darkness) and King Oak (warmth, spring and light)for the throne.
Today we made puppets for The Yule Battle puppet show on the solstice. The puppets are so cute.
Be sure to let us know when Lo's magic happens!
What a great idea! We froze colored ice cubes to paint with in the summer but I would never have thought of that. It would indeed be awesome to walk outside to find the ground littered with a rainbow of magical crystals! Super cool.
41! We are 20-25 below average lately, so have stayed in the single digits with below zero windchills. :)
My kids would love to find magic crystals outside! Thank you so much for the fun idea. Your little gnome scenes are so cute. :)
What a fantastic idea...I love those ice crystals in the snow...beautiful...what a great surprise for LO...i hope you have coldy temps soon, so you can create your magic.
These ice crystals are great!! We have single digits tonight so it might be fun to leave them in the barn yard so Amelia finds them while she is doing chores in the morning! You are never to old for a little magic!! Thanks for sharing this.
I love the crystals. That will be so fun to do in Jan after the excitment of the holidays have past and it is good and cold here. I can't wait, I am going to start thinking of a story now to go with it.
oh - thanks for refrencing my blog. I had forgotten all about the rainbow gnome story! It was so good to re read it. that Will also be a good story to go along with the ice crystals.
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