May Festival

Celebrate the halfway point between Spring and Summer with a May Festival.
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We encourage families to recognize the passage of time and the seasonal rhythms through festival celebrations.  Festivals provide an opportunity for your community to unite and share wonder, reverence and gratitude.  May Festival celebrates the awakening of the earth, the lengthening of days, and the rebirth of nature around us.  We celebrate this time of growth with joyous song and dance, playful games and a community picnic.

Traditionally May Festivals are celebrated on May 1st, but we have always found that using the early weeks of May to prepare and then holding the festival later in the month works too.  And if you're homeschooling, you can be as flexible as you like.

Here are some ways you can bring a May Festival to your homeschooling community.

• Connect with others in your area if possible, but if it's just your family, that's fine too.
• You can celebrate in your own back yard or at a local park.​
• For extra fun, you can include a picnic lunch as part of your festivities and perhaps you might want to make a May Festival Cake such as this one:

• Make May crowns like these ones out of daisies, or these out of dandelions, or these ones out of ​fabric scraps and flowers.

• Read springtime stories.  Here's one - Bird of Fire, A May Faire inspired story by Paul van Meur.
• Play traditional games like potato sack races, three legged races, wheelbarrow races, egg and spoon races, skipping, hopscotch etc.

• Make a May Day basket.
• Make a Maypole to dance around.
• Learn May Festival songs and/or dances.

By celebrating the passage of the seasons through art, music and story, we strengthen our connection to the rhythms of nature. Wherever you are, and however you celebrate, we wish you a happy, May Festival. We’d love to have you share a short video clip or a few photos of how your family celebrates the season! Please feel free to tag our Facebook or Instagram account, or send us an email to [email protected]