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Midsummer madness

June 19, 2014 By Lisa

hay in sunshine of midsummerHere we are in midsummer and there’s a global event which happens to us all this weekend.

Midsummer and the Summer Solstice

June 21st brings the Summer Solstice of midsummer in the northern hemisphere. Right now we are experiencing long daylight hours and barmy summer evenings. (at least I hope we are!) the dark days of the winter seem long forgotten.

girl and beads in midsummer woodsSolstice comes from Latin words for ‘sun’ and ‘to stop’ Sol and Stitium creating SOLSTICE. The sun actually seems to stop because of the increased hours of daylight (or darkness for the winter solstice). The earth is still moving around the sun but because of the earth’s axial tilt – it’s lean- the northern hemisphere is now closest to the sun benefitting from the longer hours of daylight. In some northern areas, darkness doesn’t come at all. Make an easy model to show the earth’s movement around the sun and how we get to experience different seasons.

earth's rotation around sun causing summer and winter
illustration showing the earth axial tilt and the rotation of the seasons in the Northern Hemisphere

 

What is Summer Solstice?

Midsummer can be seen as the general time whereas the Summer Solstice takes place on a particular day, June 21st which is often seen as being the midpoint of the summer. For an easy model to make to demonstrate the position of the sun and earth on this day go to the what is an equinox? post which demos the earth’s tilt and the passage around the sun throughout the year. Place your ping-pong ball on the summer solstice position with the tilt of the earth and see how the sun shines mainly around the top part of the ball, the northern hemisphere.

Midsummer and the Solstice

This whole time seems a bit barmy, with late nights and eating outdoors. June the 24th has often been known as the feast of St. John the Baptist and June 21st is traditionally the summer solstice.
It’s Midsummer Day
And they’re cutting the hay
Down in the meadow just over the way,
The children all run
For a frolic and fun –
For haytime is playtime out in the sun.
 
It’s Midsummer Day,
And they’re making the hay
Down in the meadow all golden and gay,
They’re tossing it high
Beneath the June sky
And the rakes are spreading it out to dry.
 
by Irene Pawsey

Fairy house in rineen woods in the midsummerFairies at this time of year hold a magical place in midsummer maybe thanks to a Waldorf philosophy and  also Shakespeare’s Midsummer Nights’ Dream.

“…We fairies that do run…. following darkness like a dream”  
Puck from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Nights’ Dream

fairy house in rineen woods in midsummerIn ancient times bonfires were lit on the solstice to encourage sunshine to ripen crops. One activity that can be done with kids that doesn’t involve flames is a walk in a woods to deliver gifts of beads or shells for midsummer fairies.
We are lucky enough to have a woods near us with a trail of fairy houses crafted into trees. The local children love following the trail to find each fairy front door and leave trinkets on the doorsteps.
You can do it in you local park or garden with nuts or shiny stones for the fairies at the foot of trees.
children in rineen fairy woods in midsummer
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Thank you.
enjoy your midsummer madness!
Lisa

Filed Under: children's activity, field trip parenting, parent interest, seasons, Steiner Waldorf, World geometry Tagged With: 2-4 years, 4-8 years, earth and the solar system, fairies, family, midsummer, play, solstice, summer

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