In the season of ghosts and ghouls, haunted houses and horror shows, the High Mowing Storybook walk, which has been running for over 10 years, is a gentle Halloween activity for young children.
“This is a way to celebrate some Halloween traditions for little children in a way that is not scary,” said Emma Hamlin, director of admissions at High Mowing School. “Our ‘Story Walk’ has been a wonderful way for us to show the role imagination plays in a Waldorf education; it is a way to bring imagination to life.”
The event is free and open to the public. Soup and cider will be available for purchase.
Designed by High Mowing’s preschool teachers, the Storybook Walk is intended for children aged 8 and younger and features “subtle surprises along a forested path.”
“We have this extraordinarily beautiful campus, and we really make the most of our forest setting, inviting children in to explore and experience nature,” Hamlin said.
The Storybook Walk will include a hayride to the start of the walk and free crafts such as leaf dipping, where children can preserve a fall leaf in beeswax.
Hamlin says the event reflects the “role of seasonality” in Waldorf education.
“Celebrations need to be age-appropriate, and they really showcase imagination, which is really what we are known for, ” Hamlin said. “Halloween does not have to be about running around collecting candy; it can also be about stories and creativity.”
According to Hamlin, children who take part in the walk can expect to encounter “storybook scenes” in High Mowing’s forest, including fairies, gnomes, animals, jugglers and gentle storybook characters. High Mowing’s preschool teachers and older students will play familiar characters on the trail.
“Children will see a lot of characters from the old fairy tales–Old Mother Hubbard, Little Bo Peep, and we’ll have familiar roles from stories such as a blacksmith, a baker, a musician,” Hamlin said. “Children will get to see little vignettes as they walk through the forest, get little treats, and meet the characters.”
Karen Nadeau of Greenfield, who works part-time at High Mowing, will be performing at “Betty Baker.”
“We have been doing this very sweet outreach event for many years, and children really enjoy it.” Nadeau said.” It is age-appropriate, and it is not scary. Each child will get a song and a cookie from me; they will get all kinds of little surprises along the trail.”
Children are welcome to wear their own costumes as part of High Mowing’s “Halloween in good cheer” celebration.
“We encourage homemade costumes, and all the creativity which goes with that,” Hamlin said. “Halloween should not be about having to purchase something; Waldorf beliefs are about being creative and resourceful, re-using, re-purposing and not wasting,'” Hamlin said.
High Mowing and Pine Hill follow the Waldorf philosophy in encouraging a non-commercialized version of Halloween. The school suggests characters from literature, mythology, and fairy tales, costumes demonstrating real-life community roles and real people at work, animals and living things or household objects.
A preschool classroom at the Pine Hill School on High Mowing’s campus will be open for display on Saturday. Visitors are invited to tour the classroom to learn more about the philosophy of a Waldorf education. For information about High Mowing School, visit highmowing.org.
