Celebrating Ostara with Your Family

The height of Spring is upon us! Granted, in many places, there is still several feet of snow blanketing the Earth, but the signs of returning life are there none-the-less and Ostara, the Vernal Equinox, is just around the corner.

This is a great holiday for children and the possibilities of things to do with them to celebrate are endless!

So, here are a few great ideas for the holiday, suitable for children of all ages. 

Nature Walk
It’s finally warm! Get your kids outside and in the woods. Keep your eyes open for the Greenman, who is sure to be out, and faeries. See how many flowers you can find (but no picking!) Try to identify them as a family. Small children can try to find as many different colored flowers as they can or spot which kinds of trees have the most leaves.

Family Meal
Cooking and eating together are great things to do as a family! Even very young children can help pour and mix ingredients. Make cupcakes and decorate them with edible flowers like carnations or seeds. 

Depending on how warm it is where you are, you could gather greens for a salad and make a Springtime salad dressing to go with it. Simply place equal parts of vinegar, oil, and sugar into a jar; add some dill, onion, a bit of salt, and pepper; then, hand it to your kid to shake to mix (hand it to the most impatient or antsy child.) 

For a main meal, quiche is a great choice. Add a couple of handfuls of fresh spinach, some spring onions, and garnish with Dandelion blossoms (sure to amuse your kids, but they’re edible, too.)

Crafts
Decorate eggs the night before and hide them before your kids wake up.  After they’ve found all of the eggs, have an easy breakfast outside of hardboiled eggs!

Make a prosperity charm by layering different kinds of seeds in a jar and cork it. Choose the seeds based upon magickal correspondences. Or, use flower seeds and give the jar to a friend or loved one as a gift. They can then plant the seeds and have your well wishes bloom around them!

Ritual Ideas
Cast the Circle together by sprinkling seeds or flowers. Mark the Quarters with an egg dyed the appropriate color. Make shakers by placing seeds in between two paper plates. Punch holes along the edges of the plates and thread them together with ribbons or yarn; use these shakers to call the Quarters.