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Tips & tools to support your homeschooling program.

Waldorf Paper Star Lanterns

11/23/2022

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Learn how to make beautiful paper star lanterns. These are perfect for your winter nature tables, for a lantern walk, or to decorate your advent spirals. They are also an excellent way to use up watercolour paintings. You can even coat the paper in olive oil and let it dry before folding it into a lantern. The oiled paper creates a beautiful translucent effect when lit up.

​Remember to never leave your candle unattended.

Things You'll Need

  • Square paper of your choosing.  We used a piece that was 30cm by 30cm which worked well, but you may want to make yours smaller or larger.
  • Scissors
  • Olive or Vegetable oil (optional)
  • A tea-light (you can use battery operated tea-lights too)

How to Make Your Lantern

  • Oil Paper: First off, if you choose to oil your paper, you will want to do that right away and allow it to dry first. I put mine near a heater with a fan and it took about an hour to fully dry.  
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  • Step 1: Fold paper in half lengthwise, open, rotate and fold in half again.
  • Step 2: Turn paper over and fold in half diagonally, open, rotate and fold in half diagonally again.
  • Step 3: Using the fold lines, manipulate the paper and fold into a flat square.
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  • Step 4: Lift up a "wing"
  • Step 5: Flatten the "wing" down making sure the centre lines align. Repeat until all the "wings" are flat. When all the "wings" are flat, you will have a kite-like shape.​
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  • Step 7: Cut off the ends of your kite so you know have a triangle.
  • Step 8: Fold the corner of the right side of your triangle to the centre line and repeat until all the right hand corners are folded toward the centre. You now have a kite shape again - tada!
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  • Step 9: Take one of the corners you just folded, straighten it back out and tuck it inside using the creases you just made as a guide. Repeat until all corners are tucked in.
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  • Step 10: Fold down the top edge of your kite and repeat until all the top edges are folded down and you have a triangle again - like magic!
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  • Step 11: Hold the pointed end of your triangle down toward the table and gently pull apart the top which should now resemble a star!
  • Step 12: Run your fingers along the inside fold lines, pushing out as you go around forming the bowl/bottom of your lantern.
  • Step 13: Gently push down on the top of your lantern to flatten the bottom.
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  • Step 14: Add your tea-light, call your friends, throw a party - you did it - you made a gorgeous star lantern, entertained your kids and recycled some art work - you're a champ!
  • Step 15: Watch our DIY video tutorial if you need more guidance ;-) 
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Martinmas - The Festival of Compassion

11/1/2022

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Felted Artwork by Mimi Hirsch
The Meaning of Martinmas
Throughout the year, Waldorf education celebrates festivals to connect with the cycle of nature, establish a yearly rhythm for the children, and strengthen the community. The Festival of Compassion (Martinmas) is celebrated around November 11, between Michaelmas - the Festival of Courage's fiery out-breath and the winter holidays' deep in-breath. Universally, it honours St. Martin's story, patron saint of beggars and outcasts, who was known for his gentleness and his ability to bring warmth and light to those in need. He is best known for his act of kindness toward a poor beggar freezing outside in the cold. Martin used his sword to cut his cloak in two and gave one half to the beggar. This act of compassion, which gave the beggar warmth and hope, is why this festival is also called the Festival of Compassion. Waldorf education celebrates this festival by making lanterns with the children and gathering together for an evening Lantern Walk.

The essence of this festival is to acknowledge the light that shines forth from each of us. This light needs to be protected, just as the lights inside our lanterns do, so they don’t blow out.

Autumn is a time to reflect on our inner selves, to find the inner light that will carry us through this time of darkness. It can be an opportunity to know ourselves more deeply. Waldorf education marks this season of inner searching with three fall festivals to help guide us on this introspection path. In September, the Festival of Courage (Michaelmas) and St. Michael urges us to battle with courage to face and conquer our “dragons”. In early November, there is the Festival of Compassion (Martinmas), where we observe St. Martin’s compassion for others. In December, St. Nicholas brings the gifts of wisdom, reflection, and review upon the year's events. These three figures model strength in the qualities of willing, feeling and thinking.

As we journey into the darkest time of the year, it is increasingly important for each of us to kindle warmth and light in our hearts. The gently glowing lanterns of the Festival of Compassion will give way to the candles of the Festival of Wisdom (Advent Spiral) as we draw nearer to the Solstice, showing how our inner light must shine ever brighter against the cold. As nature sleeps, we must be wakeful!

How can you bring this festival to your homeschooling family?

You Could Tell Stories
  • Here's the story of St. Martin and the Beggar as told by Cerdiwen Anya Coit
  • Here's a story called 'The Lantern Prince,' by David Sewell McCann. It is not a story about Saint Martin, but a story in his honour with the theme sacrifice and service.
  • Here's another story in the theme of Martinmas: 'The Golden Lantern'  by Stephen Spitalny
  • A Lantern Tale - from Twelve Little Stories
You could make some lanterns:
There are many ways to make lanterns, all of them fun and easy. The simplest way is to take a glass jar and, using some white glue mixed with a bit of water and a paint brush, glue bits of coloured tissue paper to the outside of the jar. You can glue at random or make pictures and shapes with the tissue paper, whatever works for your family and your children's age level. Adding a handle can be done in various ways, from pipe cleaners to flexible wire; you can even add beads to the handle.
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If you have access to beeswax, another way to spend an afternoon with your children is to make a beeswax lantern. You can melt beeswax in a double boiler and dip an inflated balloon halfway into the wax. Let the first layer dry and then dip again and repeat. You can add leaves between layers as well. Once finished, carefully pop the balloon add some sand to the lantern's bottom, then place a tea-light on top of the sand to stop the candle from melting the bottom of your lantern.
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There are many other ways to make lanterns.  Get creative and have fun!

You could plan a lantern walk:
With your family and perhaps with some other families, you could plan to meet in a park or at some local trails in the early evening when the sun is just setting. With your lanterns lit, you can take a quiet meditative walk while singing some lantern songs.


Here are some lantern songs which are short and easy to learn.  
These are meant to be sung 4-8 times over before switching to the next lantern song.

The Sunlight Fast is Dwindling
The sunlight fast is dwindling.
My little lamp needs kindling.
It’s beam shines far in darkest night,
Dear lantern guard me with your light.
Glimmer, Lantern, Glimmer
Glimmer lantern glimmer, little stars a-shimmer
Over meadow, moor and dale
Flitter-flutter, elfin veil
Pee-wit, pee-wit, tic a tic a tic, roo-coo, roo-coo
Glimmer lantern glimmer, little stars a-shimmer
Over rock and stock and stone
Wander tripping little gnome
Pee-wit, pee-wit, tic a tic a tic, roo-coo, roo-coo
I Go with My Bright Little Lantern
I go with my bright little lantern
My lantern is going with me
In heaven the stars are shining
On Earth shines my lantern with me
My light shines bright, through darkest night
La bimba, la bamba, la bim (repeat last 2 lines)
Bring Forth Your Light
Bring forth you gentle spark
Illuminate the dark
Those trembling in the night
Receive your shining light

You could donate to the Food Bank:
As this festival is about compassion, you could follow St. Martin's footsteps and make a donation to the food bank or think of some other way to bring warmth and hope to others.

In this time of turning inward, may you find your light shining brightly and remember that even the tiniest flame can dispel the darkness.

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  • Home
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