Happy January and a happy new year too! We are now in full-fledged winter. It is currently snowing and 30 degrees as I write this. With all this being said I am currently reading There’s No Such Thing as Bad Weather by Linda Åkeson McGurk. I began this during our winter break so the winter blues would not set in. I am excited to explore the winter outdoors with my children this year so I felt it was important to go all out for our nature table this season. I always try to do a nature table but life lately hasn’t allowed it. Today, I will be sharing what is on our winter nature table.
What is a nature table?
What is a nature table? In Waldorf education, a nature table is a way to display the different seasons indoors and allow the children to connect with nature. This is one of the simple ways I like to incorporate more nature into our home. For winter we went on a pinecone hunt and used other materials we already had lying around the house.
What to display?
What to display on your winter nature table is really up to you. We are using pinecones, log blocks we made from a fallen tree branch, a play silk, a wooden stage we built for our puppets/toys, our weekly story, and our daily rhythm displayed. These are all very simple and just stuff we have around the house. I am using all winter books to interchange throughout winter on our nature table. We will be using these stories for my kindergartener in her homeschool. I believe that less is the best approach. I try to keep the nature table with some wonder for the kids to play with and help their imaginations soar.
Do you have a winter nature table? What do you display? Thank you, friends! Until next time.