 Waldorf-Inspired February ActivitiesThe shortest month of the year is brimming with opportunities to embrace the magic of winter, prepare for spring, and bring warmth into your home through meaningful, seasonal activities. Whether you’re crafting, baking, or exploring nature, February is the perfect time to nurture connection and creativity.
Here’s a daily guide to inspire you throughout the month, filled with crafts, recipes, and activities that align with the rhythms of the season.
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 Waldorf Felt Gnomes TutorialHere is an easy sewing project that's perfect for younger children. These Waldorf felt gnomes are enchanting in their simplicity and children adore playing with them. They also make excellent gifts, tree ornaments or decorations for your winter nature or advent table. Materials Needed
 The Waldorf Advent FestivalSeasonal festivals serve to connect humanity with the rhythms of nature. For children, these festivals mark the seasons with joy and anticipation for preparing for these celebrations.
No matter what your faith, this is a guide to celebrating Advent. Advent takes place on the four Sundays that lead up to Christmas. Many people celebrate Advent and do not celebrate Christmas at all. The two need not be linked.  Waldorf Window Stars Winter Craft TutorialThese beautiful eight-pointed stars are easy to make and it's fun to decorate your windows with them during the winter months. What You Need:
How to Make: 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
How to Make Your Lantern What are the Holy Nights?Anthroposophist, mystic, and teacher, Claudia McLaren Lainson explains the Holy Nights:
"In the darkness of Winter’s night, when the great breath of the Earth Mother finds its greatest point of inhalation, human beings are afforded the grace to touch into both magic and miracle. In the pause between her mighty in-breath and out-breath there is a still-point of rest. This still-point has long been known as the Holy Nights. In these blessed Nights, the angels circle the globe as if in a great cosmic dance. They long to speak to listening human hearts. Throughout the ages the ‘listening ones’ on earth have heard the angelic choir; they have received messages of Peace and Love. What is received during these sacred days and nights, resounds a thousand-fold in the year that follows. In this year before us, a great light is striving to find willing human hearts. May we each be the ‘listening ones’ during these Holy Nights. May we work with angels." For the most part, the temperature where we live stays above freezing. But occasionally, it dips below. And when this happens, making ice crafts helps us gain an appreciation for cold weather. Ice Ornaments
There's no right or wrong way to make these ice ornaments. We used a muffin tray, but you could use any size container. We've used large bowls, ice cream buckets and tin pie plates. Place flower petals, sliced fruits, cranberries, ferns, sprigs of pine - really anything you like, into your chosen container. Fill with water and lay some twine or yarn in to become the handle. Place them outside overnight, and in the morning, pop your ornaments out and hang them around your yard. Ice Candle
Just like the ornaments, you can make these in whatever container you have. We used an oven-safe thick glass bowl and a glass vase. We placed the glass vase into the centre of the bowl (to make the space for the candle) and filled it with water to weigh it down. Then we placed sprigs of pine, a fern and cranberries in the bowl and filled the bowl with water. We placed it outside overnight. We had to run some warm water over everything the following day, and then the candle holder popped right out. Ice Globes
For these, we filled balloons up with water and let them freeze overnight outside. In the morning, we cut the balloon off, drilled a hole in the bottom and added battery-operated lights. Honestly, these are the most beautiful things to light a path with, and they bring so much light and joy to the frozen world outside. Flowers and blossoms are right around the corner, but ice ornaments, candle holders and globes are a lovely way to spruce up the bare trees and bring colour back to your yard until Spring arrives!
 What is Candlemas?Did you know that Candlemas has been celebrated for centuries under different names? As with many festivals today, it has its roots in pagan culture. For example, today, we are more familiar with references to Groundhog Day as a way to mark the coming of spring. However, way before Groundhog Day, this marking of the year was referred to as Candlemas, part of the Christian tradition. But, of course, before the Christian tradition, this day was celebrated by the Celtic people and known as Imbolc, which celebrates Brigid, the Goddess of the Dawn.
 Anthroposophist, mystic, and teacher, Claudia McLaren Lainson explains the Holy Nights:
"In the darkness of Winter’s night, when the great breath of the Earth Mother finds its greatest point of inhalation, human beings are afforded the grace to touch into both magic and miracle. In the pause between her mighty in-breath and out-breath there is a still-point of rest. This still-point has long been known as the Holy Nights. In these blessed Nights, the angels circle the globe as if in a great cosmic dance. They long to speak to listening human hearts. Throughout the ages the ‘listening ones’ on earth have heard the angelic choir; they have received messages of Peace and Love. What is received during these sacred days and nights, resounds a thousand-fold in the year that follows. In this year before us, a great light is striving to find willing human hearts. May we each be the ‘listening ones’ during these Holy Nights. May we work with angels." |
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