Last night was Harvest Moon. We set off in eager anticipation, packed up with our read alouds, snacks and science notebooks in which we could record our observations of the Harvest moon.
We have walked under the Harvest Moon every year without fail since the girls were tiny; it is a much anticipated part of our year and never missed.
We were treated to a spectacular sunset as I sat and read to the girls. I brought a poetry book and ‘Hello Harvest Moon by Ralph Fletcher’. I cannot recommend this book highly enough! It is a luxurious, lilting read that hightens the anticipation of small (and not-so-small !) people for the night ahead..
The girls played in the woods, hunting dragons and wood faeries until we headed off to a better spot to view the moon rising in the east.
The Harvest Moon is the full moon closest to the equinox. It is so called because it allowed farmers to continue working on bringing in the harvest after dark, due to it’s wonderful brightness. The Harvest Moon hangs low & full in the late summer sky, ripe like the Harvest named in it’s honour. It’s appearance is due to the seasonal tilt of the earth and therefore the light coming from the moon is passing through a denser atmosphere, than if it were directly overhead.
We made it to a good ‘moon watching’ spot, but sadly the Harvest Moon kept her mystery and remained hidden behind cloud cover. This was the first year we could not see her full glory. We were so disappointed, but thankful for the walk we had, which was so thrilling on the way back – there is nothing quite like being in the woods in the dark!
I fumbled around and managed to pick some Rose Hips – and sustained a few pricked fingers! We headed home to hot chocolate & thick buttered toast. (my not-so-secret hot chocolate tip is to use Nutella – gorgeous!) Then my tired-out girls dropped into bed (always dress children in their pyjamas under the waterproofs for night time walks!!!) And mummy & daddy were not long after…