Sol

Though we receive the longest sunlight now, the hottest days of summer aren’t in June. We have a "lag" of the seasons while the oceans and Earth warm up from wintertime.

What's your favourite season? You already know mine - Spring, but Summer brings it's own magic and fun.

Summer Solstice or the longest day, when the sun (sol) is at a stand still. It also marks the sun start of it's journey back to the dark night. Days start to get shorter, although the latest sunsets are found toward the end of June. It gives us a really good reasons to celebrate summer though and brings some old traditions to our childrens' attention. Some know this fascinating astronomical event as MidSummer, but the celebrations of MidSummer took place preceding and after the Solstice celebrations. This is a time when abundance is great. Many traditions throughout time have celebrated the Solstices, Ancient Egypt, and Aztecs of Mexico, Chinese, Chumash Indians of California, Indigenous Europeans. In present time you will find the Solstices celebrated by neo-pagan, Western Mystery tradition, Wiccan, Native American and the Catholic tradition as the Nativity of St. John the Baptist.

So you didn't leap about playing instruments at Stonehenge this year...you can certainly celebrate in other simple ways with your children.

• Watch a sunset and then paint an inspired one
• Dry summer flowers into a journal and write a summer story
• Read sun stories from other ancient civilizations
• Dye fabric, yarn and silk with flowers from your garden
• Make a firey sun doll for your nature table
  
• Use the sun and a magnifying glass to create woodburning art