15/12/2025
Our third week of Advent turns our attention to the Animal Kingdom. How might a child connect with and celebrate this kingdom?
At Kindergarten the other morning, I was picking apricots from the tree with a few children. One of the apricots held a tiny caterpillar wriggling inside, and the children gathered around, captivated by this creature so much smaller than themselves. Our instinct as adults might be to flick it away and move on with the task at hand. But watching the children - seeing their wonder, their careful observing - reminded me how important it is to pause and let these moments unfold.
Because it’s not just curiosity. Children observe the world around them to help make sense of it, and by watching this little caterpillar and witnessing its aliveness, children sense their own aliveness. These encounters help them understand the world, the cycles of life, and their place within it.
For your family, honouring the Animal Kingdom might look like placing a found butterfly or beetle on your Advent table, or a felted bumblebee - something that reminds us of all the gifts this kingdom offers. If your family eats meat, this can also be acknowledged with gratitude. You might place a chicken egg, real or felted, on the table as a gesture of thanks. Or perhaps you choose to honour the insects whose unseen work supports the rhythms of life itself.
In this Waldorf playgroup display, there is a small knitted bunny and a knitted duck because this felt appropriate for this age. Many songs and stories we tell young children often have a bunny or a duck, something small, cute, friendly. Your display may look different depending on the age of your students or children, or if you're doing a display for yourself as an adult. There is no one way to create an Advent display. As long as it speaks to you in a way that brings you back to presence and gratitude.
Our third candle represents Love. The gesture of love is very present in my surroundings at the moment as we end the year - many thank yous, gifts, heartfelt cards. A beautiful reminder of what this word really means and how it feels to give and receive. And how much we all need love, for ourselves and everyone else.
