Winter has arrived in Wellington, and the Lōemis Winter Solstice Festival is back again, in it’s forth year, during the week of the 14th to the 22nd of June, and there’s heaps of exciting events happening in the Capital!
What is the Lōemis Winter Solstice Festival?: For seven days, the Lōemis Winter Solstice Festival observes the longest nights of the year with a hearty mix of feasting, theatre, music, monstrous creatures and a fiery waterfront procession, based around the winter solstice, which falls on 22 June.
For more information on what events are on, check out the Lōemis website and Facebook page.
In the mean time, why not get into the “festival” season with:
Festival folk : an atlas of carnival customs and costumes.
A beautifully illustrated compedium of weird and wonderful festival costumes around the world. All around the world there are festivals that reach back through the sands of time to the very roots of civilisation; to agrarian rites and pagan traditions. The festivals in this book are often little known outside their locale and they are all characterised by the most radical and bizarre costumes imaginable. The Kukeri in Bulgaria wear enormous headpieces made of goatskin. Burryman festival in Edinburgh features a man covered from head to toe with burrs and thorns. Paraders in Switzerland’s Silvesterklausen wear vast wood- en doll-masks and hats carved with peasant scenes. Each costume is brought to life in Rob Flower’s joyous, surrealist, urban illustra- tions. Brief, engaging texts describe the festival, its history and the traditions that surround it.
Take a trip around the world, looking at the many different ways that people celebrate special days, holidays, religious festivals and traditional celebrations. Comparing Countries is a ground breaking non-fiction dual-language series which compares and contrasts ways of life in different countries around the world. Presented in two different languages, each title explores a topic common to all children, from homes to festivals, highlighting what makes us different and what we all have in common. This series provides great support to geography learning, as well as helping young language learners improve their reading skills.
Learn about the diverse and vibrant festivals that are celebrated around the world.
Learn more about what happens in winter, as well the other seasons, why not head on down to your local library and grab some books about seasons, such as:
Finding out about the four seasons has never been so engaging. This book is full of exciting experiments, fun puzzles, quirky humour and science facts to make you saw WOW … it’s science with a BOOM!
Introduces weather and the seasons, describing what is a cloud, why rainbows form, and how animals migrate for the winter, and includes four weather-related science projects.
Weather and seasons : questions & answers.
Have you ever wondered why we have seasons, where the wind comes from or how we predict the weather? Read this book to find out about weather and how our planet changes throughout the year.
Follow the wonderful changes that each season brings! From bright spring blossoms to dazzling summer sunshine, vibrant autumn leaves, and sparkling winter snow. Look and Wonder is a fresh, bold, and bright narrative nonfiction series introducing children to the natural world
Also, why not join in on “the Lōemis workshop fun”, in the comfort of your own home… or library by creating your masterpieces, with some help from the following books:
Easy origami decorations : an augmented reality crafting experience.
Handcrafted decorations are just a few folds away! Learn how to turn origami butterflies, swans, and tulips into locker magnets, table decorations, and more.
Now make this : 24 DIY projects by designers for kids.
25 of the world’s leading designers contribute one object each for kids to make themselves.
51 things to make with paper plates.
51 things to make with paper plates is perfect for those with a creative, crafty streak eager to put their skills to task on recyclable materials in the home. Perfect activities for parent and child to create together. The 51 projects feature a well-balanced mix of techniques, materials, colours and styles for a range of ages. With the easy-to-follow guidance in this book, you can make: a dragon, a hot-air balloon, a lion mask, a snowman and a barking dog hand puppet.
Making masks is easy with these creative projects which are explained with illustrated step-by-step instructions. I love Craft Masks features instructions for making fantastic masks. You could be a fairy, a pirate, a dragon or a cat. You could even make crazy glasses or a carnival mask!
Amazing masks to make yourself : 25 projects for funny and frightening faces to wear!
From papier-mache to everyday objects like leaves or even a kitchen sieve, Masks can be made for all sorts of uses, such as going to a costume party, for a school drama production or even just to hang as decorations on a wall.