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This time of year we celebrate the Harvest and Michaelmas. We hear and tell stories about Saint Michael helping the people of the village tame the dragon. Saint Michael is a symbol of good triumphing over evil, courage over cowardice. The celebration of this holiday teaches the importance of facing fears and strengthening resolve. The most important thing to keep in mind is that we all face difficulties in life, both external and internal, and somehow we must find the courage and strength to prevail. The school my son goes to (and where I've taught both Handwork and Kindergarten), Mountain Sage Community School, is a public charter inspired by Waldorf Education so while we do not bring christianity into our festivals, we do celebrate the deep meaning of this time of year. Visit our website to hear the Dragon Pageant written by the amazing Aleah Black (recorded last year in the midst of not being at school together) and listen to songs sung by our wonderful music teacher Sharon Docherty. You will also find offerings from other special teachers to make star crowns, harvest soup, a dragon, dragon bread and more. Below is a story I wrote about a little mouse named Arnold who must call upon his own courage and bravery. I hope you enjoy it. And see the tutorial for Mama's Marigold Dye Bath in the next post!  share with friends and download and print - for personal use only please :) 
visit the storytelling page to download and print the story-starters to continue telling this Tale OR download the Spanish and French versions (titled September). Happy Autumn!
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 First collect the marigold flowers. You may not have quite the adventure that Arnold had, but you never know!  Second, find something to dye and prepare it if necessary. Here is a link to mordant information: www.earthhues.com/aboutmordants.html I did not mordant my cotton since I do not plan to wash it and I knew it would accept the marigold dye.  Simmer the flowers over medium heat for at least a half hour. Arnold's mom let him stir and mash the flowers while they were heating.  Find cheesecloth or something else to strain the dye from the flowers with. Another fabric or a mesh strainer will work. There may be some pieces of flowers if you use a metal strainer. Arnold's mom doesn't like that so she makes sure she has cheesecloth on hand. Arnold likes to use cheesecloth because it has the word cheese in it and well, he is a mouse after all.  Place fabric in dye. This looks to be a beautiful color of golden brown. Stir and let sit until the fabric stops absorbing color. I left mine for a couple of hours. Arnold and his mom went to pick apples while their fabric was dyeing.  Perfect! |
AuthorTwelve Little Tales is a project to spread the art of storytelling far and wide. Archives
November 2021
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marna widom • marna@twelvelittletales.com
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