RESOURCES FOR CHILDREN
ACTIVITIES
Here are some fun activities for the little ones!
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Pixie Catching
What you need: Vacuum or carpet bat and rope (or clothes line)
Pixies like to hide in carpets! If the child vacuums the carpet they can catch a big bag full of fairies. You can also put rugs over the clothes line and give the child the bat. As they hit the carpet, the pixies fall out with the dust.
Fairy Viewers
What you need: Lawn shears or garden snips.
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As the child snips along walk ways, they are cutting the foliage where the fairies like to hide when they are running along the path. The younger the child the more like they are to see a fairy. Make sure you’re careful with the shears; depending on the age of the child, you might want to use kid-friendly scissors instead.
Wish Stoppers
When the bud of a flower dies, the old dry part blocks wishes. The child can get rid of the wish stoppers by pulling or snipping off the old buds. (This works especially well on roses.)
Clover Hunt
Great with the wee ones. Show them a clover or other weed, and then let them go hunting and pulling. Make sure to remind them not to put any plants in their mouths!
Fairy calling
What you need: a large stick
Let the child walk around the grass while thumping the stick. If they are older, you could put a nail at the end of the stick and let them do it in the garden, which will aerate the soil.
Remember, always supervise your children!
ARTICLES
SOME BELIEFS ABOUT FAIRIES
Dave said; “Ellen let me answer this as ma granny or mam would”;
1: Pixie catching;
Needed; Hoover or carpet bat and rope (cloths line).
A: Pixies hide in the carpets so if the child hoovers the carpet they can catch a big bag full of fairies.
B: Put the rugs over the cloths line and give the child the bat. As they hit the carpet the pixies fall out with the dust.
2: Fairy viewers;
Needed lawn sheers; (Garden snips)
A: As child snips along the paths, (walk ways) they are cutting the foliage where the fairies hide when they are running along the path. The younger the child the more like they are to see a fairy. Use the heid, dunna gee a wee bairn something sharp. (Use your head – don’t give a small child something sharp)
3: Wish stoppers;
When the bud of a flower dies, the old rotting part blocks wishes. The child should be pulling, snipping, off the old buds. Works especially well on roses.
4: Clover Hunt;
Great with the wee ones. Show them a clover or other weed, and then let them go hunting and pulling. REMBER little ones put everything in their mouths including weeds, stones, and dog dirt.
5: Fairy calling;
Get the child/children a large stick and let them walk around the grass thumping the stick. If they are older put a nail at the end of the stick this will aerate your garden. Parents block the wishes also so they should be on a lawn chair supervising with a good book. I know it works very well the wonderful on grandchildren, not so sure about that other lot.
Dave from Radio Scotland
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Making Fairy Houses
A couple years ago I was in Portsmouth NH for a Fairy Garden walk at
Strawberry Banks. The houses that were made by children and adults alike were awesome.
So, to do this with children: Collect pieces of bark, moss, berries, stones,
shells, I think you get my drift.
Walk along a stone wall or a tree or even a wood pile and find a little or
big hole that you think Faeries would like to live. Adorn the hole with
moss, berries, pine needles, anything you think the Faeries would love to
sleep and sit on. You can create paths leading to the entrance with stones
or sea shells. You and the children are only limited by your imagination.
Judith Crow
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BU THE ELF
By Margo Fallis
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There was an elf, an elf named Bu.
There were many things he could not do.
He couldn’t stick his toe in his left ear.
He couldn’t sing when any frogs were near.
He couldn’t count all the stars at night.
He couldn’t eat an egg in just one bite.
He couldn’t reach behind his head,
Or pick dead leaves up off his bed.
He couldn’t jump over ten feet high.
He couldn’t scratch above his eye.
He couldn’t old ten pigs in his hand,
Or kill a dinosaur with a rubber band.
But there were some things that Bu could do.
He could make delicious Irish stew.
He could shoot an arrow high in the air.
He could spot any rabbit or any hare.
He could help a lame duck fix its wing.
He could cure an awful sore bee sting.
Bu could be the best friend you’d ever had.
The things he couldn’t do just didn’t seem so bad.
The things he couldn't do just didn't seem so bad.
HALLOWE'EN IN THE HIGHLANDS
Man oh man I was looking at the cutesy wee baskets the kids use today to put their sweeties in when they go door to door. Not that many are allowed to do that any more. All the costumes are bought now a days thqat must take a lot of the fun out of it for the kids.,
We used pillow cases, greedy little baskets that we were. And we made our own costumes. I had a WW I German helmet with a spike and stuff, I dragged out every year and every year the adults made the same stupid jokes….Jesus Christ its the Kyser at the door, I always laughed at their fine humor I wanted sweeties. I would of kissed their great tartan arses.
We did not say trick or treat, we were what are called geysers and we entered the home. All the adults stood or sat round and we each had to sing a song, do a dance or recite a poem, and the adults clapped or sang along if the singer needed a wee bit help when the wee ones forgot the words it held us all back from the next house. My 3 cousins, all lassies, did a song and we had it to an art form as we got older they sang and I swung the sword to Scots Wha Hae .Then we dunked for apples, got our sweeties and not a lot of them as sugar was still rationed for a few more years and off we went to the next house.
Remember, a lot of this was done while we were wet from the rain and frozen from the wind. The expression Hey you dunna drip all over ma new rugs was often heard. This was good because they gave us our sweeties and sent us packing. Sort of like the express line at the grocers.
Dave
(via email with Eleen Evert Hopman)
CRAFTS
LEARNING OGHAM
Here is a marvelous set of rhymes about Ogham, that would be very useful for kids
and grownups to learn their Oghams. As you study the positions of the letters you
will quickly see why it is believed the letters were originally derived from sign language.
We know that the Druids had three kinds of Ogham; “Shin Ogham”, “Nose Ogham”
and “Palm Ogham”. You can learn more about Ogham by reading this book:
“A Druid’s Herbal of Sacred Tree Medicine” by Ellen Evert Hopman
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Ogham
By Anita Greg ( Marcellavee )
who asks that her name stay attached to her work
First - the Ogham - you should know
In four groups of Five do Grow
Two above and Two Below
Each a finger - Each a Toe
Hold on Tight ...and Here we Go!
B for BETH, the Birch is singing
Of a Birth, a new beginning
L is LUIS, Rowan tree
Keeps us safe from Sorcerie
F for FEARN, the Alder, wisest
SAILLIE, Willow, see-both-sidesest
N for NUIN, the Ash, you'll feel
Caught up in a Bigger Wheel -----
Those the First Hand - one to Five
And a break now --- to revive
To the Right, the first five facing-
Second Five go Left - like Lacing-
HUATHE, the Hawthorne, holds us back
DUIRE the Oak, safe from attack
T for TINNE, the Holly, grey
Says that Help is on its Way
C for COLL, the Hazel, giving
Nuts for all Intent on Living
Q for QUERT, the Apple's voice
Says we'll have to Make a Choice
MUIN, the Vine, just says " Relax "
GORT, the Ivy Look Inside
have a Think and change Your Tracks!
NG for NGETAL, the Reed...
Upsets, Suprises ...eeeek indeed!
ST for STRAIFE, the Blackthorn, bony
Road ahead is likely stoney
R for RUIS, the Elder, blessed
With the voice of peace and rest
That's both Hands and first Five Toes
The other Five are Vowels - here goes --
A for AILIM, silver Fir
Learn from Error then take care
O for ORHM, the golden furze
Says " take heed to what we hears "
It may important changes bring -
UpEnd yourLife - that kind of thing.
UR for Heath and Mistletoe
Up and Round and Up we Go
E for EATHER, Poplar, shaking,
Bringing Fear and courage breaking-
Doubts about the Undertaking
I for IOHO - that's the Yew
Like the Turn it sends you to -
That's the End of Ogham proper
The other Five are Filed as Other
(Note- the last five letters were added later by Celtic monks! – Ellen)
first is KOAD - that's the Grove
Looks like a cross upon the road
Sounds like CH and KH and EA
says " Don’t be Fooled by What's not There "
second, OIR, the Spindle tree
Looks just like a lump to me
Sounds like TH and also OI
" Finish things -or stick like Gloi "
third is UILLEAD, Honeysuckle
says Take Care - or come unstuckle
Two crosses to the Right ensuey
for letter P, and also UI
fourth is PHAGOS -that’s the Beech
Tells of new things within reach
Sounds like PH - it’s also IO
Says a letter's on its wayo
Wonder what this one will bring!
- Looks like a feather from the wing -
fifth is MOR - the boundless Sea
Sounds like AE and X and XI
Across four strokes and down are three
Means to Travel
Hopefully 😊
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Birds Like Feeding Sunday Night
All those five go to the Right
Henry Drove To Castle Quay
These five go the Other Way
M and N, NG, ST and R
Seem to spell out
MorNiNG STaR
All these letters, slanted are.
A and O and U and E
Vowels go Horizontally
And the fifth is I/J/Y
Above the Earth and under Sky
Like leaves upon the Turf they lie
That’s the end of simple ones - next five look like Fancy Buns
AE and EA and OI and UI
These are funny shapes its true
Manannán's Runes from Crane Bag taken
Also, X, CH, TH are shaken
P and IO and the rest
they seem to change by the Context
No surprise from such as HE
King of Mann - and also Sea
Not to mention PH for feather
These last five are the Forfedha
Hope these in your mind will stay
Light your path and show your way -
Though the rhymes are slightly iffy
You'll be writing in a jiffy!
The letters are read from the bottom up! When Ogham is written on stones it is also read from the bottom up.
