Embracing the Light: Our Summer Solstice Celebration

As the longest day of the year approaches and the golden sun lingers a little longer in the sky, our family begins preparing for one of our most cherished seasonal rhythms: the summer solstice. It’s a time when nature seems to hum with life, and we lean into that energy with open hearts.

There’s something deeply grounding about honouring the wheel of the year - slowing down long enough to notice the light, the warmth, the abundance all around us. 

Count down to the Summer Solstice 

We cherish the tradition of using our Grimm’s Celebration Spiral to count down the days to the summer solstice, creating a ritual that brings warmth and light to our home. 

To enrich the experience, we incorporate Ostheimer figures, selecting characters that align with the solstice story we read each year, their gentle colours and simple forms, help bring the narrative to life, allowing our children to engage deeply with the story.

Our summer solstice countdown takes many forms, varying from year to year depending on our mood and the busyness of life.

 Sometimes it’s a portable tray, easy to move from room to room.

Other years, it becomes a more permanent shrine—an intentional space on a mantle or shelf.

And occasionally, it’s something much simpler: a quiet row of small figures at the end of the table, or a simple celebration ring.

No matter the form it takes, it’s a grounding tradition that returns to us each year - rooting our family in connection, reflection, and the gentle rhythm of the season.

Waldorf Window Stars: Catching the Light

In the days leading up to the summer solstice, we begin crafting Waldorf window stars. These delicate creations feel like stained glass spun from sunshine. This is an activity that the little ones love to join in with, there’s a gentle rhythm to it, a meditative hush as little hands fold and press.

When the stars are done, we stick them up on our windows and watch as the sunlight streams through, it’s like the sun is playing along with us, dancing through the colours we’ve made to honour its return.

Gathering Wildflowers: Nature’s Offering

Every year, around the summer solstice, we head out to the beautiful fields, woods and canal pathways which surround our home, and collect wild flowers. What we do with them varies from year to year.

We’ve made flower crowns….

Dandi-Lions…

Magic flower potions…

Flower playdough…

Or just frolicked in the flowers in awe of nature’s beauty.

And then there are always the vases full of wilded flowers dotted around the house around the summer solstice.

What ever it is we do, I can say in all honesty that wild flowers fill my heart with such joy and our summer solstice celebrations wouldn’t be complete without them (and yes I do have a camera roll full of photos of every wild flower bouquet we have ever picked!)

Sun Bread: Warm from the Heart

By far, our children’s most beloved summer solstice ritual is baking sun bread - our little way of honouring the radiant energy of the longest day.

The recipe we follow comes from Sun Bread by Elisa Kleven. Though it’s technically a winter solstice tale, the magic of shaping golden dough into a beaming sun has become such a joyful tradition in our home that we’ve brought it into our summer celebrations as well. There’s something so grounding and beautiful about baking together, and the smell of warm bread filling the kitchen.

 Sunset Walk: A Closing of the Circle

We’re incredibly lucky to live among the beauty of the English countryside, surrounded by a vast network of footpaths, bridleways and towpaths.

After a shared meal in the garden - we mark the summer solstice in the simplest way: by heading out together for an evening walk through the fields. 

Celebrating the solstice this way helps me connect deeper with the Earth. It’s not about perfection, but presence. Not performance, but connection.

Here’s to long days, full hearts, and the sacred rhythm of the sun.

With warmth and wildflower love,
 Mama Oak