I love the look of a Waldorf and Montessori style room. They are so warm and welcoming. The rooms are designed not just for the sake of design, but for the exploration of the child who lives in the space.
The amazing autumn that we’ve been having, combined with my love for the look of these naturally styled rooms had me planning a nature table. You know, just like the ones that Waldorf and Montessori mom’s do.
This is what a nature table looks like. It’s just what it sounds like. A small table or tray with bits and pieces of the outside brought in and placed at the perfect height for a child to explore.
Source: montessorimum.com
Source: http://discoverymoments.com/nature-walk/fall-nature-tray-and-lots-of-questions/
I mean, really, that can’t be too hard at all right? That’s what I thought too.
I collected a few little pine cones and some fallen acorns along with some pretty leaves and placed them oh-so-neatly in a little tray and put it on a low cabinet so the Littles could see and play and touch.
It lasted for about 5 minutes. As soon as Silas saw them, he began to use the pine cones as a hammer. Banging and banging them until they were shattered all over the cabinet and floor. Not too bad, I thought. He is, of course, touching and playing. Right? Well, the next morning my older son, Zach walked by our little nature tray. Mom? He says. What are these little white crawly things? What! Yuck!! Yes. Our acorns had little stowaways that hatched out in our nice warm house. Fortunately the didn’t wander far from the acorn, and they were easily disposed of.
The weevil larvae that had burrowed inside the acorns were a little too much nature inside my home, so the rest of the contents of the tray were promptly tossed back outside. I am not a Waldorf Mom. I am not a Montessori Mom. And from now on, we’ll be exploring nature outside. Where it belongs.