Michaelmas to Martinmas: gentle courage & lantern-light—how we mark the turning of the year
As summer’s brightness softens into the burnished golds of fall, the children at Village Playgarden begin to notice changes everywhere: cooler mornings, earlier twilights, wind-tumbled leaves, and seeds tucked into soil for a long rest. From late September to mid-November, we walk a beautiful arc of the year together—from Michaelmas to Martinmas—that helps young children meet these changes with warmth, courage, and a steady inner light.
This season is not about hurrying children toward holidays. It’s about giving them living pictures—through story, song, and simple deeds—of bravery, kindness, and glowing goodness. In a world that can feel loud and fast, this quiet, rhythmic journey invites families to breathe, to slow down, and to discover how small, soulful traditions can shape big hearts.
Michaelmas: courage for changing seasons
In late September, when the sun lowers and the days shorten, our classrooms begin to hum with the mood of Michaelmas: the courage to face “dragons” big and small. For preschoolers, dragons are not monsters; they are feelings and challenges—trying a new task, making space for a friend, using gentle hands, taking a deep breath when something is hard. We meet these moments through circle songs, stories told with simple puppetry, and outdoor work that strengthens the will: raking, sweeping, carrying, chopping soft vegetables for soup.
Courage for young children is wonderfully practical. It looks like tying an apron even if the knot wobbles, asking for a turn instead of grabbing, or helping a friend rebuild a toppled tower. These are not small things. They are the very foundations of self-trust and community life. In our mixed-age program, older children model these gestures every day, and younger ones take them up naturally through imitation. If you’re new to how we structure our days and why, explore our Programs to see how rhythm, outdoor time, and purposeful work support healthy, whole-child growth.
Work of the hands, warmth of the heart
As autumn deepens, the children’s work of the hands becomes especially meaningful. We knead dough, sand small wooden forms, dip beeswax, and card wool. These quiet activities soothe the senses, invite concentration, and kindle pride in completed tasks. They also offer simple ways for families to bring the season home: a little bread baked together on a Sunday, a candle rolled from a beeswax sheet, a nature table refreshed with acorns, seed pods, and a single leaf found on the walk to school.
The key is not perfection—it’s presence. When adults slow down to do real work beside children, we tell them, “You belong here. Your hands matter.” That message is braver than any dragon tale.
From outer sunlight to inner lantern-light
The weeks after Michaelmas carry us toward Martinmas in early November, when we celebrate the image of a small, steady light shining in darkness. Children make simple lanterns—often from watercolor-painted paper or glass jars—and we sing lantern songs in the dusky afternoon. As the sun sets, we walk together and let the warm glow guide our steps.
The lantern walk is not a performance or a parade. It is a feeling—a shared hush, the sound of soft voices and small feet, the wonder of seeing one’s own light and a friend’s light move along side by side. For the youngest children, it’s also a sensory anchor for the season: a ritual that says, “The days are darker now, and that is alright. We carry the light within.”
Families often ask how to make this part of home life. Keep it simple: dim the lights at dinner and use a candle; tell a short story about a traveler who shares warmth; hum a lantern song on your evening walk. What matters is the mood of tenderness and care.
Kindness in action: the Martin story
Waldorf communities often connect Martinmas with the story of St. Martin, a kind soldier who cut his cloak in two to share warmth with a stranger on a cold night. For young children, we translate this into everyday deeds: sharing bread, helping set the table, bringing soup to a neighbor, choosing a toy to give. When children do goodness with their hands, they feel its warmth in their hearts—and that is the lantern-light we most hope to kindle.
At school, we might bake extra muffins for our friends, gather leaves from the play yard so the gardeners have an easier morning, or prepare a “thank you” drawing for someone who helped us. At home, your family might decorate a small basket and fill it with mandarins or persimmons to leave (quietly and joyfully) on a friend’s doorstep.
Meeting Arcadia’s autumn with awe
Here in Arcadia, fall doesn’t always look like storybook forests—but it has its own gentle drama. Children notice the first brisk mornings, the long shadows on afternoon walks, the sound of dry leaves skittering along the ground, and the way the mountains change color near sunset. When Santa Ana winds visit, we slow down and offer extra water, cool cloths, and soothing sensory play with scooping, pouring, and kneading. These nature experiences are not just “breaks” from learning; they are the learning—building observation, vocabulary, and a felt sense of place.
To see how our seasonal approach unfolds across the year—and how it supports families from Arcadia, East Pasadena, Sierra Madre, and Monrovia—have a look at Our Neighborhood and the nearby community pages.
Simple ways to join us from home
Here are a few gentle practices your family can try between Michaelmas and Martinmas:
● Start a “courage list.” At bedtime, invite your child to name one brave thing they did that day (asked for help, tried a new food, comforted a friend). Keep it light and celebratory.
● Make a lantern. Paint a sheet of watercolor paper in autumn shades, oil it lightly with a swipe of vegetable oil for translucence, then roll and glue it into a cylinder. Add a handle made from sturdy yarn. (For glass-jar lanterns, use battery tea lights.)
● Bake and share. Stir a simple batter for muffins or bread and bring a few to a neighbor. Let your child carry the basket and knock.
● Evening hush. Choose one night each week to lower lights early, light a candle, and sing a lullaby or lantern song.
● Gratitude stones. On a walk, collect three small stones. At dinner, each family member names one thing they’re thankful for and moves a stone to the center of the table.
These rituals are small, but their rhythm is mighty. Children grow when they can count on what comes next.
Held by teachers, strengthened by community
Seasons feel safe when caring adults hold them with intention. Our experienced, heart-centered teachers bring decades of early childhood wisdom to this time of year—observing carefully, guiding gently, and creating a mood of reverence that children can feel. If you’d like to meet the humans behind our work, visit our Staff page and say hello when you’re on campus.
Our wider community supports this arc of the year, too. Parents join us in making lanterns, preparing snacks, and walking together at dusk. We’ll share dates for seasonal gatherings on our Events page—keep an eye there for family education offerings and ways to visit.
A season that shapes the whole year
Why devote so much care to a few autumn weeks? Because “how” we do things becomes “who” we are. When children practice steady breathing, careful hands, and kind words during this darker season, those habits travel with them into winter’s quiet and spring’s exuberance. When they feel the warm weight of a lantern handle and see their light dancing on a friend’s lantern, they sense—without any lecture—that we belong to one another.
This is the heart of our Waldorf-inspired approach: educating head, heart, and hands so that learning is lived, not merely taught. If you’d like to read more about how these values flow through our days, find recent reflections on our Blog.
Walk with us
If this way of marking the turning of the year resonates with your family, we’d love to welcome you. Explore our Programs to see how rhythm, nature, and play shape our days, and when you’re ready, begin your child’s journey on our Apply page. We can’t wait to share bread, songs, and lantern-light with you in the season ahead.
P.S. If you live nearby—in Arcadia or the surrounding communities—our Our Neighborhood pages can help you plan an easy visit. See you in the garden, where courage grows and lanterns glow.