Pine Cone Gnomes & Storytelling

Gnome King

Good friends, you have more work to do,

For yonder on the earth I know

Summer is fading and the winds do blow.

Your next task is with seeds so small,

To see them safely in this hall,

Away from Jack Frost who would do them harm.

My Queen and I await them.

~S. Jarman Wynstone's "Autumn"

Autumn and Winter gnomes abound as we transition through the seasons. We recently made pine cone gnomes using some natural materials.

We felted a small wool ball and attached the beard and some hair with our needle before securing the head and wool felt cap. Voila - a pine cone gnome!

Here is a picture of two of our winter gnomes with two walnut turtles we made using walnut shells and wool roving that we felted into shape and stuffed into the shell. Both of these crafts can be found in the wonderful book, "All Year Round: A Calendar of Celebrations".

We have been enjoying our gnomes in our storytelling. This past week, in our circle time, we have been telling the classic story of "The Giant Turnip" using our homemade toys. The grandfather and grandmother gnomes were made by us, along with our acorn boy. The three wooden animals were made by Anne Moze, who actually has an adorable Turnip set.

Keep your eyes out for those helpful little gnomes this season and who knows, you just might see one! ;D