The Midnight Sun and Children

Still lake, evening

In Finland, June is a month without shadows. As Juhannus approaches, the sun refuses to leave. The world stays open, and the children stay up.

Nordic summer asks us to loosen the bedtimes that hold through the dark months. We let children stay up to watch the sun skim the horizon at midnight. Once a year. Worth a tired morning after.

Night dip, lake

A few things that help.

In the North, blackout curtains do not hide the sun. They tell the body the day is closing, even when the sky is still pale. Drawing them is part of the bedtime, as much as the dark.

A late swim in a still lake before bed is a Finnish tradition that works. Cold water quiets the body in a way nothing else does. The day ends in the water.

And if the children are awake at ten in the evening and the light is gold through the trees, go outside. Do not fight the light; these long evenings do not last.

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From the Seasonal PlayBooks

Companions for each turn of the year. Nature invitations,

simple recipes, slow projects for the rhythm of the season.

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