Summer vacations have officially started in many parts of North India and our children's homestay gets further extended. Let's find screen- free alternatives for our young ones to engage in and let's try to get some fresh air outside!
Next time when you step out near your house with your child, find time to gather elements from nature as you walk-by. Carry a basket and fill it up with feathers stones, fallen flowers, dried leaves, twigs, some grass perhaps or a broken branch. And as you go along your path hum & sing with your child, they will love to hear you sing but they will also be very glad to see you so care-free & relaxed!
Nature table is a space that we, teachers at a Waldorf learning community in Delhi would set up in our kindergarten every month to reflect the mood of nature. It would be a visual symbolic mark for the nature transitions taking place around us.
Nature table acts a connector between the two worlds we have come to live in & rather unconnected at that- the outside world & our homes contained within the four walls of our house. It can be set up in any corner of your house, or over a shelf, where you can put together all the things brought back from your nature walks of the week.
The nature table can become our creative corners that we design with our children over a few days or weeks. We can add some craftwork too with this... add elements like moon & stars for Eid & Christmas or change the background (made from our old dupattas or saris!) to depict changing colors of the sky from summer to monsoons! May be making some atta-dough/clay pots and pans or diyas during Diwali. Some of you might be staying closer to beaches and coasts, what a wonderful place to collect shells & pretty stones! And if you are surrounded by forests- don't forget to gather the pine cones and beautiful dried leaves and needles fallen on the ground.
You can make a nest with your child at home by collecting twigs & grass from outside & use kulhads to make the tree trunk. I have also used a simple glass jar at home for making the tree trunk & covered it with a brown cloth. You can add your creativity to each little element on this nature table with your child!
The birds & humans can be simple hand knotted puppets made out of handkerchiefs or clothes available at home. These can also be given to children to play with. The best toys are indeed hand-made & simple toys made by own parents, children will surely cherish them a lot.
I began to make this nature table in my room some days back. Every morning when I would go for my cycling or long walks I would stop by the corners of the road or parks and collect a few things. Yesterday a child, who would often see me in the morning time, slowly walked up to me and gave me a pigeon feather to add to my nature bag :).
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