PaganParentsUSA - Fun Stuff

Pagan Parents USA

Fun Stuff

This section is for ideas, crafts and various submissions from members.
Enjoy and share...and make sure you give credit where it is due!
Oh, and, if I didn't say it before...HAVE FUN!

Monster Be Gone
God's Eyes
Homemade Wand
Dream Pillows
Corn Husk Dolls
Harvest Hope Cards
Corn Necklaces
Apple Candlesticks

I came across this many years ago in San Francisco, and just the other week, I found another version of this old favorite. Here is my version…Oh, and it is also a great bath sachet, and circle cleansing mixture…Children are able to and enjoy assisting in magic and encompass the whole idea behind magic in and of themselves. Making Monster Be Gone will also help your child prepare for cleansing rituals later on in their life. We hope you like this, and remember, have fun!

Materials:

     * Large, clear plastic or glass container with a cover  
     * Spring Water (you can get this by the gallon at any grocery store)
     * One part each of these herbs: Rosemary, St. John’s Wort, Angelica, Star Anise, Thyme, and Valerian
     * Funnel
     * Small spray bottle
     * Blank address labels
     * Crayon or markers 
     * A magic wand that you and your child have made

In the morning of a full moon, take the container, herb, and spring water out into the sun. Have your child (with your help, if necessary) pour the spring water into the container filling at half way. Lay out the herbs for your child and as he places each of the herbs into the spring water have him say these words:

               I add Rosemary to purify my room and protect my sleep from any monsters

               I add St. John’s Wort to protect me and keep me calm when I hear scary sounds

               I add Angelica for protection of my things so that the monsters won’t borrow them

               I add Star Anise for protection of my family so that the monsters can’t bother them

               I add Thyme for cleansing my room, helping me sleep and giving me courage to tell
               the monsters to go play somewhere else.

               I add Valerian for the peace and calm I need in my room once the monsters leave,
               so that I can sleep.

Waving wand over container say:

               Together, we ask the Lady and Lord to mix these herbs together with the water
               to be used as a purifying spray to help the monsters know their place.

Cover the container and let it sit in the sun all day. During the day, make "Monster Be-Gone!" labels and tape securely to the spray bottle. In the evening, under the full moon, take the steeped herbs and pour the liquid off into the sprayer. Close the sprayer and have your child wave the wand over it while saying:

             Lady and Lord, I charge this Monster Be-Gone to your works. So mote it be.

At bedtime, create a ritual where he mists his room lightly to drive the monsters away. The strongest spells come from within. Let his creativity flow.

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God's Eyes

A God’s Eye is a design made by two sticks and colored yarn or embroidery floss. Made in elemental colors, they can edge a ritual circle. My son, Dracohawk and I made one each for the Goddess and God on our family alter. A God's Eye can also be use as a decoration, hung almost anywhere. At Yule you can even hang them on your tree. They can also be made in miniature with the floss wound on toothpicks, but these are delicate and much harder to handle.

Materials:
~2 or more sticks (popsicle sticks, dowels or long cotton swab sticks (from the doctor), or go foraging in the woods for some straight sticks.
~Scissors and a pencil
~1-3 skeins each of Embroidery Floss in desired colors, or yarn can also be used for larger projects.
~Small Bells for Decoration (optional)

Instructions:
1. Cross the sticks at the center. Tie them together with the end of a piece of yarn, making an X, but don't cut the yarn off its skein. Tie the yarn IN BACK of the 2 crossed sticks.
2. With the pencil, number the sticks at the ends, in the center.

3. Bring the yarn to the front between sticks #3 and #4. Pull the yarn over stick #3 and the next one too (stick #2), and bring it to the back between sticks #2 and #1. Wrap it behind stick #2 and bring it to the front again between sticks #2 and #3. Pull it over stick #2 and the next one too (stick #1), and wrap it behind stick #1. See Picture ---->
4. Pull the yarn over stick #1 and the next one too (stick #4) and wrap it behind stick #4. Pull it over stick #4 and the next one too (stick 3) and wrap it behind stick #3. This is one complete round. Always lay the yarn next to, NOT on top of the yarn already in place.

5. Keep on wrapping the yarn behind each stick, over that stick and the next, and around behind that one, then over that stick and the next and behind that one. As you continue making the rounds, always be sure that the yarn lies next to, but never on top of the yarn in the previous round. After the first few rounds, you will see the woven pattern of the "eye" beginning to form.
6. When you have an "eye" in one color of yarn, you can cut the yarn and tie on another color, and continue weaving. Make sure that the knot that you joined the 2 colors with, stays in the back.
7. Keep weaving the "God's Eye" until you are about 1/2 inch from the ends of the sticks. Cut the yarn, leaving approximately a 7-8" tail. Tie the tail in a knot in back .If you have bells for decoration, attach one to each of the 4 ends.

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Homemade Wand

I am still working out the kinks of this one...making it child friendly :)

Coming soon...check back

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Dream Pillow

Combine together in a bowl:
     1 cup mugwort
     1/2 cup rose petals
     1/2 cup german chamomile
     1/2 cup of sweet hops
     1/3 cup lavender buds
     1/3 cup catnip crushed
     1/4 cup peppermint

Mix the ingredients together. Make cloth bags from a 5x12" piece of material and fill the bags with your mixture. Sew the top of the bag shut. Sweet dreams!

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Corn Husk Dolls

Material:
Corn husks (available at craft stores, or from a dinner feast!)
Large bowl of water
Twine, String, or Raffia
Scissors
Construction paper
Watercolors or markers
Glue

Instructions:

Soak your corn husks in warm water for about an hour until they become pliable.

	Gather several damp husks (5-7) and tie them together tightly with twine, about 1/2 inch from one end.
	Trim and round the top edges with scissors.
	To make the head, hold the knotted end in one fist, then fold the husks down (as though you were peeling a banana) so that they cover the knotted end. Smooth out the husks to make a face, then secure them with a piece of twine around the doll's neck.
	To make the arms, roll up a single husk and tie it off at both ends.
	Position the arms up between the husks, under the doll's neck.
	Smooth the husks over the arms to form the chest and back, then cinch in the waist with twine.
	Drape a husk around the arms and upper body in a criss-cross pattern to form "shoulders."
	For a skirt or legs, arrange several husks, inverted (like a skirt that has blown up over the doll's head) around the waist. Secure with twine, then fold the skirt down.
	For legs, divide the husks into two parts, tying each bunch at the knees and ankles. Your kids can also use markers and watercolors to give the illusion of clothes or to add on facial features, or small scraps of cloth may be used to dress the doll.

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Harvest Hope Cards

This is best done with a group of children. However, as a family tradition, it might be fun.

Materials:
Blank index cards
Old magazines, cards or calendars
scissors (use with care)
Glue sticks or school glue
Crayons and/or markers

Ask your child to think about what they hope to harvest, literally or symbolically and help them make cards that represent those hopes. They can draw pictures, or create collages from magazines, greeting cards, and old calendars. All the cards are put into a basket and shuffled. Then each child or family member draws a card. The card each receives becomes a symbol of luck and blessing for the harvest. And by giving away our hopes we are asking for the Goddess to help them be fulfilled.

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Corn Necklaces

Directions:
1. Snap fresh corncob in half.
2. Push whole kernels off from the broken ends. It's easier this way.
3. Once you've enough kernels, use a thick needle and string. Thread the needle and push the needle through each kernel.
4. Hang in a warm dry place such as a closet and allow to dry.
Once the kernel necklace is dried, you can restring the kernels or keep them on the original string. Wear around your neck for harvest celebrations.
This can also be done with beans and peas.

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Apple Candlesticks

MATERIALS:

Apple corer
Large Apples (try to pick apples that will stand straight on the table)                    
Candles
Cloves
Waxed paper
Potato peeler and lemon juice>
Stickers, paint or autumn leaves

INSTRUCTIONS:
Using an apple corer, make a hole about halfway through the middle of an apple. Make the hole as straight as possible and remove the core piece. The candle should fit tightly; if the hole is too large, wrap waxed paper around the candle end. Repeat this process for as many apples as you'd like in your centerpiece. Older kids can decorate the apples by carefully carving designs in the skins with the tip of a potato peeler (to prevent the designs from turning brown, rub them with lemon juice). Younger kids and use paints and stickers to decorate theirs. For a base, use a plate or cutting board.

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