September Seasonal Plans

I mentioned in my last post that I had been doing a bit of seasonal planning for September and that I would post my plans. Well here they are. These I put together on a Word document and then printed out so that I have them on hand every day – lots of lovely plans but I don’t want to forget them which I am apt to do if they are left on my computer 🙂

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness.

This month marks the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. Towards the end of the month the
leaves of deciduous trees begin to change colour. Children go back to school, and life returns to humdrum normality. For the farming community this is the climax of the grain harvest, a time of hard work followed by the celebrations of Harvest.

Folklaw

Saying: If St Michael brings many acorns, Christmas will cover
the fields with snow

Chambers Book of Days

• Country lore predicts a hard winter if spiders are plentiful in September
• Full Moon this month – Harvest or Corn Moon (Closest to equinox)
• Gem: Sapphire
• Flower: Aster
• Conkers – a traditional game played by children with the fruit of the horse-chestnut tree
  (Eng. Trad.)

Nature

• Hedgerows full of ripe blackberries
• Apple Season – go pick apples and process at home
• Start of misty mornings
• Autumn Equinox (23)
• Shortening days
• Smell of wood smoke in the air
• Birds migrating
• Leaves changing colour
• Busy squirrels
• Harvest time
• Rutting deer
• Conkers
• Creepy Crawlies are on the move!
• Snails are laying eggs this month. See garden notes

Garden Jobs This Month

• Dig over veggie beds and compost
• Plan and plant out spring bulbs (not tulips yet, that’s for October)
• Sow lamb’s lettuce and spinach for winter harvesting by no later than mid-Sept.
• Put out a few boards for snails to lay their eggs on – dispose of eggs later on
• Buy a few Hellebores (Christmas and Lenten Rose) and plant out.

 

Home

• Sort out clothing – cupboards, donate clothes that no longer fit
• Make a list of winter – clothing needs
• Add Autumn touches to decorate home mid-September
• Have boiler and central heating system serviced
• Preserve garden harvest
• Deep clean kitchen cupboards – ready for winter pantry stockpile

Food

• Apple and Blackberry pies
• Homemade soups
• Cook and bake with apples
• One-pot wonders – It’s crockpot season!
• Rosehip Jam

Life

• Blackberry picking – Countryside Nature Walk
• Rosehip picking – Countryside Nature Walk – make rosehip jam
• Apple and Sunflower picking – Visit a Pick-Your-Own farm

Faith

• Holy Rood (cross) day (14) – traditionally children let off school to gather nuts
• Michaelmas Day (29)

In the Schoolroom

• Nature Topics:  House Sparrow, Seasonal Tree Study Begins, Chestnut, Leaves in Autumn, Insects
• Field Trips: Apple Picking, Autumn Colour Woodland (late Sept), (check out NT events in our area)
• Schoolroom Display: Seasonal book basket, Autumn displays, World Affairs Board,

• Poetry:  We are going to focus on autumnal
• poetry over the next two months. Add to nature journals and enjoy reading together. 

Arts, Crafts and Nature Study

• Leaf covered candle’s/holders to mark the start of Autumn
• Make a nature’s bounty mobile for the schoolroom. See Landlove 2014 page 80
• Start an Autumn Leaf collection – identify the tree and label.
• Weave a basket from gathered materials
• Michaelmas craft off Pinterest
• Build a Bug Hotel for the insects to overwinter in
• Explore an autumn forest/woodland

Seasonal Decorating Ideas

• Nature-Walk Wreath
• Jars of leaves and seeds (Fill glass jars with fall leaves and seeds to display)
• Autumn leaf Garlands
• Sew up some fabric corncobs
• Mums at the front door
• Cross Stitch Autumn cushions for decoration
• Collect Conkers and display
• Autumnal wreath on the front door.

That’s it from me today friends. See you back here very soon.