A Simple Spiral at Home

We invite you to create a quiet space to facilitate the Winter Spiral experience.

Here are some suggestions for forming a simple spiral, as well as creating a calming mood at home to support your children.

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Outdoors

  • Rake those autumn leaves into a small spiral! Put votives in mason jars to light the path and center.

  • Cut or trim evergreen boughs and place them in a small spiral (use clear or tissue paper-covered jars to block the flame from the elements).

  • Have the children draw a spiral in colored chalk on a driveway or sidewalk.

  • Place stones in a spiral (helps to have quite a few).

  • If there’s snow, get out the shovel and dig out a spiral pathway to walk (for families with mountain retreats).

Indoors

  • Create a cloth path on the floor: blankets or sheets can make a spiral in a pinch. The children can place treasures on the spiral along with candles (LED, real, or other).

  • String lights can make an instant, beautiful spiral pathway with cloth, silks, etc. ‘Tis the season for lights, so this should be easy to do!

  • Fake evergreen boughs (garlands) can be placed on the floor in a spiral.

  • I have a friend who has a labyrinth painted on a canvas tarp that she travels with; more artistic families could paint a winter spiral to lay on the floor!

How to Engage with the Spiral

  • In the early years, walking with quiet music playing is wonderful. A story before or afterward is also quite nice.

  • As the children age (maybe middle school?), they can sing carols or holiday tunes as family and/or friends walk the spiral. Sharing warm beverages and food afterward creates more of a social mood, but it’s still special!

  • Older students (high school) and parents can reflect on their year and share what they are grateful for and what they’re ready to release prior to entering the spiral. As they come out of the spiral, they can be encouraged to think of all that they’d like to invite into the next year.

I love to encourage families to find ways to bring the spiral to life at home, whether in a detailed, extravagant way or very simply. I love to think of the community walking a spiral even when socially distanced.


Mende Coblentz is Cedarwood’s first grade teacher.

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