Seasonal table

The seasonal table

The seasonal table helps us and the children to experience the change of the seasons in a different way. If the design is not too kitschy, the children's aesthetic sense can be trained and refined through the colours and shapes and through the entire design. A true contact with the elemental beings touches them deeply in soul and spirit. The seasonal table can be so much more than just a decorative element. In this sense, it can have a stimulating, harmonising and supportive effect on the children.

The places for the seasonal table can be manifold: a table, a small corner, a chest of drawers, the window sill - any place that we decorate with different materials and thus bring a piece of nature from outside into the house.

An understanding of the connections and processes of human beings, the spiritual world and the elemental beings as well as creativity and a connection to nature are helpful for the construction of the seasonal table. It is most beautiful when the design is individually different and suitable for the children and the respective area.

The structure of a seasonal table

The seasonal table can be taken up and designed in a completely new way with each change of seasons, with each celebration, or it can be supported throughout the year by certain things, such as a root or the candle, which are always in the same place.

The basic elements of the seasonal table are:

• Cloths made of organic cotton, wool and silk in colours corresponding to the seasons.
• Natural materials such as bark, sticks, roots, moss, fruits of the trees.
• Candles
• Pictures
• Gemstones
• Figures / dolls made of wood and felt. Elemental beings on the seasons in the form of flower children, dwarfs or even angels should be used very consciously and with an understanding of the laws that apply in their world. There is also something beautiful about a family, people and/or animals, living on the seasons table throughout the year and leading as a constant element through the seasons and festivals.
• Plants and flowers - here too, nature offers a wide range of beautiful things and it is completely unnecessary to buy flowers in a flower shop!
• Wooden toys, if the seasonal table may be played with by children / toddlers.
• Wooden toys such as the rainbow from Grimms, wooden building blocks or the imaginative toys from Grapat are also excellent for design and construction.

Festivities on the seasonal table

A separate table can be designed for each of the festivals throughout the year or the mood of the existing table can be varied. The following elements can emphasise the mood of the festivals:

Spring festivals

• Easter: A bush with coloured eggs is a classic element. It is also customary in the Waldorf area to hang another red egg on the bush every day from Easter until Ascension Day.
• Ascension: For Ascension Day, butterflies can appear all over the seasonal table. Like the dandelion, these beautifully show the transformation that can be experienced everywhere at this time!

Summer festivals

• Pentecost: At Pentecost, white doves find their place on the table as a symbol of the pure and spiritual. The seasonal table is kept all in white, a new candle shines brightly.
• St. John's Day: A St. John's fire on the seasonal table made of sticks and some felt wool is a beautiful element here, for example.

Festivities in autumn

• Michaelmas: Here, of course, the symbols of Michael are possible as elements: a pair of scales, a postcard with St. George and the dragon, a sword, etc.
• Harvest Thanks Festival: For the Harvest Thanks Festival, each child can bring a basket full of the fruits of autumn into the kindergarten. These are collected on and around the seasonal table and thus allow the fullness of this season to be experienced.
• St. Martin: The story of the lantern girl can appear on the seasonal table and be acted out by the children.

Festivals in winter

• Advent and Christmas: During Advent, the seasonal table can undergo a very special transformation and become the centre of the action. Instead of the regular table, the path Mary and Joseph take to Bethlehem is set up.
• Three Magi: Depending on when the new year begins in the kindergarten, the children can still experience the Magi going to the manger. The insignia of the three kings - gold, myrrh and frankincense - on a very plain table decorated in the colours of the kings - blue, red, green - can also have a beautiful effect.
• Shrovetide: At Shrovetide, the seasonal table can be colourful, with garlands, bright colours and a bit of nonsense.

Enjoy browsing through the beautiful and varied accessories from Grimms and other manufacturers for the seasonal table!

You can find inspiration for decorating such a table on our Instagram channel!