is part of The Small Folk Learning Series: an early years homeschool 

curriculum for children 3-5 inspired by the Charlotte Mason, Waldorf, and Reggio Emilia 

Philosophies. It covers the same material as the first week of the unit “Children of Starlight” 

(the early winter unit of the series). It focuses on evergreens and what they represent in 

this season when the world becomes darker, quieter, and colder. The birds have mostly 

flown away, many animals are snug in their dens, and the trees are bare. But we can bring 

light into the world, and that is what this time of year is all about. Like the evergreen trees 

we use to decorate our winter homes, we can remain steadfast and remember that 

everything has a season and time.

What’s Included in this Mini-Unit

This mini-unit includes a collection of stories and verses, a sample lesson plan, and a 

collection of suggested activities, crafts, and recipes to use to explore and learn about 

evergreens and the season.

● “The Little Fir Tree:” An original fairy tale inspired by Hans Christian Anderson’s

“The Fir Tree”

● Weekly and Daily Lesson Plans and Suggested activities

● An Appendix Including Additional Stories and Poems to Read Together 

● Printables to Go Along With the Activities

You can, of course, use the activities and resources in whatever order you wish. However, it 

is set up with the option of following it in an “open and go” style so that minimal 

preparation is needed on your part. If you would like to go through the activities in a 

different order or pick and choose individual activities, you can simply refer