Michaelmas Stars - Project of the Month

It’s almost time for the first festival of the school year. Michaelmas is just around the corner! Festivals are the heart of Waldorf education. They bring the whole community together and help the children live into the rhythm of the seasons and the year. In the Northern Hemisphere, the cool autumn air, meteor showers at night, the bounty of harvest, and the image of Archangel Michael come together to form this wonderful celebration. Many schools celebrate with games of courage, strength, and teamwork. The day often ends with a picnic where beautiful dragon bread is shared amongst the community.

Handwork is a great way to support the festival life. Short 1 to 3 day projects are often a welcome break from larger projects. They can be especially supportive for children who may be struggling with learning a new skill. By bringing small seasonal projects children can take a breath and work on something they can easily feel successful with. This can boost confidence and help them be ready to jump back into longer, more challenging projects.

These hand-stitched shooting stars can be made in any grade level and are a wonderful example of spiraling handwork skills throughout grades 1-8. Here at WHE, we like to say we are always either building a foundation or building ON a foundation. To help children reach their fullest potential, the skills we teach should not be confined to a single grade level. Hand sewing in the early grades sets children up for success in the upper grades. Building on a foundation and continuing to advance our skills over many years sets the stage for lifelong learning.

Prepping Shooting Stars:

1. Pre-cut the stars out of felt, 2 star pieces per child – feel free to use different colors!

2. 6” (15 cm) across is a good manageable size star for any age 1st grade and up

3. Pre-cut 3 ribbons per star to at least 15” (38 cm) long

4. Two fabric clips per star works well for small fingers but straight pins can be used too

5. Prepare wool stuffing for each star

Optional: Some teachers like to use a small rock inside each star to add weight and increase flying distance. Consider taking the children for a walk to select a special rock. Just be sure they are small! We don’t want our shooting stars to be too heavy or they could hurt someone if they fly in an unintended direction. Wrap the rock thoroughly in wool before inserting it into the star to ensure it is well padded.

Classroom Tips:

• Be sure to sew the tails on with extra reinforcing stitches! Many children will enjoy throwing their stars by swinging them by the tails, so we want to be sure they hold fast. Tie the ends of the 3 ribbons together with an overhand knot. Then place the knot inside the star so there’s something solid to hold it in.

• Use small bits of wool at a time to stuff. A little pinky finger can help to pack the tiny bits of wool into the points of the star. Begin by stuffing all 5 points. Once the points are nice and firm, go on to stuff the body of the star.

• Allow 4 class periods to complete these stars. Most children will only need 2 classes, but we want to avoid anyone feeling stressed about finishing “in time”. Having them ready ahead of the festival will allow you time to play with the stars and enjoy them before the big day.

Accommodations and Accelerations:

This project can be easily modified either for different grade levels or for different skill levels and needs within one classroom. They can also be made as gifts to another class. Perhaps the 8th grade class might like to make a star for their 1st grade buddies. Or maybe the 3rd grade class might make a set for the kindergarten children to play with. There are so many options to explore with this simple but fun project. Here are just a few ideas.

A.       The simplest way to complete a star would be to whip stitch around the edges.

B.       The next level could be to blanket stitch the edges

C.      Children can embroider their initials onto the star before sewing it together

D.      Faster workers or older grades can create elaborate designs using a wide variety of embroidery stitches.

 Once your stars are complete head out to the play yard and have a meteor shower!

Catch a Falling Star - Have children work in pairs or a team of 4. One child throws the star and their partner (or team of 3 other children) must try and catch it.

Dragon’s Cave – Hang a hula hoop from a tree branch using a few pieces of twine. Let children take turns trying to toss their star into the dragon’s cave.

Constellations – Create groups of 4 children standing in a square. Begin with only 2 stars. The children standing across from each other must throw the star across and catch it. Take it to the next level by using 4 stars! All 4 stars fly across the square. Can your team catch all 4 stars?

Festivals are a beautiful opportunity to bring together students across the grades in celebration and community. They help children connect with the natural world, its cycles, and spiritual rhythms. And handwork is the perfect way for children to feel engaged as they anticipate the special day and contribute to the festive atmosphere. These shooting stars are a wonderful way for children to create something special as a part of the community while also giving them freedom of personal expression through their stitches.

We hope you and your children enjoy this project. Happy Michaelmas season!