We have long had a nature box on the little table where the radio also resides. We do not have an elaborate, or necessarily planned, nature tables that many Waldorf (and other nature loving families) have. I don’t do much to change it for the seasons or make it pretty (although I might start trying). Our box isn’t even pretty. But it is filled with the wonder of my children. This is their space to place all the special things that they are able to discover in our backyard and beyond…
This is our box and some of its belongings.
For a great example of something pretty, check out Sara Sophia’s absolutely gorgeous nature table that she and her kids have created. I do love how amazingly sweet her table is and may even draw some inspiration of my own, how about you? Are your kids more messy or more artistic in their arrangements?
Sara Sophia blogs about lovely things at tout-est-des-roses.
But I love ours too, even if I do want to make changes. Ours has it’s own feel. It’s own sense of place. Each of my children have contributed in their own way and each visits our nature box often. Carefully pick up a smooth rock discovered in joy. Lightly touching the very tip of sea star found on an island journey. Holding a prized shell from great-Nana up to the ear to listen to the ocean. Crunching the leaves that have dried and become brittle. All with the love and respect that children can and do give to found objects, particularly when they are found in nature.
Some contributions.
My oldest boy decided the other day to make a nature village with whatever he could use from our nature box. We have sea glass, wood, shells, rocks, a piece of concrete, sticks, petrified wood, leaves, and more in ours. He spent nearly two hours creating a village for his newfound friend Pooh, a toy given to him as a baby. Baby girl was luckily down for a nap and was not around to bother the process.
The nature village.
Imagination, design, foresight, thoughtfulness, resourcefulness, calm, captivation, and heartfelt delight over what he was able to create. All of this I saw in him, and some does not always come so easily. This is one child that loves everything about the natural world and always curious to know more. It grounds him.
A dwelling created of magic and nature.
I think inviting nature into your home is so good for kids, even if it isn’t always pretty. Start small, but have a dedicated place. Let it grow and decide how much you want to help and how much is your child’s own. Decide if there are objects within your home already that could complement the natural finds. Decide how a nature box, table, or spot can fit into your life.
Rocks, sea stars and a pine branch combine.
Then let the imagination go…. The great thing about using our nature box to create a village? After we were done, it went right back in the box ready for another day and another experience.
Will you have a nature box, table, spot in your home? Come back and share yours once you do!
You calmed my heart today! Thank you mama and grandbabies :). This has been the most stressful year of my life, and "feel good" moments are few and far between. When I saw and read your post, I felt transported back to my own strolls through the woods and the beaches of my childhood and my children's childhoods. I still have all the "beachy" things they gathered for me around the world sitting in a ginger jar in the bathroom. I'll have to look at it a little longer at the beginning of the day. It just might be the "deep breath" I need every morning, to look at that jar and go back to all those beaches with my kids.
We're sending A to a little co-op preschool this year that follows the Emilio Reggio principles and the outdoor play area is all nature and imagination and NO pre-set play equipment (slides, swings, etc…). There's sand and dirt and leaves and trees and running water and bricks. I'm so excited to see what the kids come up with! They have to keep rain boots and a slicker at school for the whole year because they play outside, rain or shine. Hooray for kids using their imagination and nature!