Montessori & Nature: An inherent connection

Spending time in nature is such an important aspect of early childhood development. Children have an innate love of nature. As a teacher, I experience that love everyday. When it is time to transition ouside, I see the joy on their faces and the light in their eyes. 

 At school, each child gets a partner to hold hands with as we walk in line, two by two, out to the playground. Without fail, we have to remind them to walk as they start to walk as fast as they can or even run to get to their promised land. Of course, we remind them over and over of the safety of walking on the sidewalk, but I have a deep understanding for their need to run. I too have run to nature out of excitement. Every summer when my family goes to the beach, as soon as I see the shore I can't hold back my excitement. For me, the beach is a place of tranquility, peace, and a treasure trove of seashells just waiting to be collected. I know what spending time in nature does for my soul, so I know how important it is for our children to spend time in nature as well. 

Maria Montessori was a huge proponent of natural experiences. From birth to age 3, the child is unconsciously absorbing everything around them. Dr. Montessori's vision was to have both indoor and outdoor classrooms. She believed in the interconnection of all things and knew children could internalize this through their environment. The original Casa dei Bambini was in the bustling city of Rome, Italy, so Maria sought to bring nature into the classroom for her children a well as offer a beautiful courtyard space. This is why you often see plants and animals present in Montessori classrooms still to this day. 

As Maria said,  "Children have an anxious concern for living beings, and the satisfaction of this instinct fills them with delight. It is therefore easy to interest them in taking care of plants and especially of animals. Nothing awakens foresight in a small child such as this. When he knows that animals have need of him, that little plants will dry up if he does not water them, he binds together with a new thread of love today’s passing moments with those of the morrow."

Regardless of where you live, your child can have opportunities to experience and care for nature. The first school I taught in was in a busy city. As a school, we had to be creative about how we could feasibly include nature into our environments as well as transforming our outdoor environments. With limited green space, we were still able to do gardening, raise caterpillars into butterflies, make bird feeders, and create natural play structures out of organic materials. 

  "From the very beginning of life, it is vital to maintain the link between child and nature. To achieve this, we need to become aware of the importance of nature in our own lives, Only then we will be able to share this wonderful world of miracles with our children."- Maria Teresa Vidales

If we want our children to be able to connect with nature, we must also open ourselves up to the natural world. Our children want to be like us and they want to participate in activities they see us doing. 

Take a moment to consider these thoughts:

• Do I take time to enjoy nature?
• Do I spend time outdoors on a regular basis?
• Do I speak with my child/children about nature?
• Do I still notice the "little things", the tiny miracles present in nature? 
• Do I find my soul being inspired by natural wonders?

If after some reflection you feel like you have some improvement to do, the time to start is now! Begin simply by going for walks in your local park or nearby greenway. Show fascination when your child spots a bird, butterfly, worm, squirrel, and point these natural creatures out when you see them too. Find some books on nature. Encourage your child to collect leaves, flowers, even twigs.

Here's a simple and easy activity you can do with your child. 

All you need are some pinecones, peanut butter (or sun butter if your child has a nut allergy), bird seed, and some string. 

 Steps:

• Tie a string to the top of each pinecone
• Allow your child to spread the peanut butter on the pinecone until it is fully coated.
•  Fill a box with bird seed and allow your child to roll the pinecone into the bird seed until it is fully covered.
• Set the pinecones aside for a day until the peanut butter sets.
• Once the peanut butter has set, go outside with your child and hang the bird feeders.
• Sit back and wait for birds to come eat!  

"There is no description, no image in any book that is capable of replacing the sight of real trees, and all the life to be found around them, in a real forest. Something emanates from those trees which speaks to the soul, something no book, no museum is capable of giving."- Maria Montessori