Nature: Growth of Child’s mind, body and spirit

“When children come into contact with nature, they reveal their strength”- Maria Montessori

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According to the Montessori philosophy, nature and the outdoor environment are considered an extension of the indoor classroom. Being in and about nature helps support the growth of the child’s mind, body and spirit.

“There must be provision for the child to have contact with nature; to understand and appreciate the order, the harmony and the beauty of nature”-Maria Montessori

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Nature and the outdoor environment help provide countless opportunities for discovery, creativity, problem solving, exploration and STEM education. Interaction with nature encourages child to ask questions, which in turn helps build the inquisitive mind.

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Being out in nature and outdoors can seem like a big task and may not be feasible sometimes.  Even if getting ready and driving “out” to someplace fancy is not possible, its important for the child to step out in the patio or backyard to feel the sun, sit on the sidewalk to draw with chalk or build a mandala, go for a walk within the neighborhood etc.  A few minutes out in the nature can help calm and rejuvenate the child. 

 Having nature safe items inside the home to create a “nature table” preferably by the window for the child to observe is a simple way to bring “nature inside” when going out is not an option.

Similarly, there is no such thing as “bad weather” – as long as it’s safe for the child and is not extreme weather conditions, child should be provided some outdoor time everyday.

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Here are some suggestions for activities to do while out in nature:

1. Get children involved in gardening. It is a great purposeful practical life activity.
2. Child led walks: Select a safe area that you are comfortable with your child walking and exploring independently, with minimal adult interactions.
3. Have a conversation about being respectful and kind to the environment, in turn to the Earth.
4. Carry a magnifying glass to observe things closely.
5. Provide opportunities to explore different things we see in nature like leaves, flowers, landforms, living beings etc. and benefit from the hands- on learning they obtain from them.
6. Go on a nature scavenger hunt based on leaf shapes/ colors etc.- provide a bag and a chart with marker to check off what they have found.
7. Carry small pails of paint to do “rock painting”- top it off with a lovely message and line along the walking trail.
8. Pick up fallen leaves, sticks, flowers and use for creating lovely art projects with the child.

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The list is endless …. Let’s explore nature the best we can.

“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

Resources:

www.alltrails.com: Great collection of detailed, hand-curated trail maps of over 200,000+ trail maps.

www.1000hoursoutside.com: Good collection of activity ideas and free resources to do outdoors.

Exploring Nature- Activity book for kids by Kim Andrews

https://littlepinelearners.com/

https://www.communityplaythings.com/resources?topic=Outdoor-Classroom

Leaf Pile

I had to capture a few photos of our friends enjoying a leaf pile. You would have thought it was the best day of their lives! They spent almost an hour gathering the leaves (by hand), making a pile, and then taking turns jumping in the pile, or throwing them up in the air. It was a great alternative activity for this cold, wintry day!

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Smelling our mint that's growing in the strawberry side yard! #Hbmh #preschool #childcare #outdoors #mint #plantcare #toddler #montessori

A post shared by Healthy Beginnings Montessori (@healthy_beginnings_montessori) on Sep 22, 2015 at 3:28pm PDT

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HBMH Youtube Channel, Now Up and Running!

A sneak peak of what’s to come! Follow our page for more videos and footage from “behind the scenes” of Healthy Beginnings Montessori House!

HBMH Summer Camp 6: Natural, Environmentlly-Friendly Art

Our primary friends are thoroughly enjoying this week’s new Summer Camp 6 theme “Discovering and Creating Natural Art Projects: Good Earth Art“. Several friends are using their creativity to make natural art by incorporating items such as rocks, leaves, sticks, and other environmental resources. Our hope is that they will learn to recycle and use natural materials for art, while developing an awareness of the environment and a caring attitude towards the earth.

Our camp themes were designed to feature creative hands-on activities that build skills, bodies, and excitement. We offer an environment that fits the needs and interests of all our children, incorporating Montessori principles that foster independence and freedom with responsibility. I’m hoping to update our blog all summer long to show the children as they progress through the different themes.
Nature collages made with items found in our outdoor environmentHand-made stained glass mobiles created from twigs, leaves, grass, flowers and other items gathered from outside. Of course, these were gathered after they had fallen to the ground and were no longer a part of the plant/tree. Remember, nature stays in nature!
Natural “ice paint” art! We added a few drops of paint to an ice cube tray, placed popsicle sticks into each ice cube and put in the freezer overnight. The results were pretty cool! (pun intended) 
Leaf tracing was a great way to draw and compare leaves to the ones found outside.
Sand was also incorporated into many of our art projects. The children absolutely love working with sand as it stimulates their senses in several different ways; touching the soft grains and manipulating different shapes, they’re able to challenge their visual senses as they dig for shells in the sensorial discovery box, or even just enjoying the sound of the soft grains sifting through their fingers. Using glue and sand, we created nature scenes, including flowers, trees, sunshine, and so forth. 
Next week we will be exploring “art appreciation” and discovering new, great artists…stay tuned for updates!

Enjoy the 4th – But Watch Kids Around Water: DFW Area Leads State with 12 Deaths

Children under the age of one year most often drown inside the house, while older children most often drown outdoors. Outdoors, children most often drown in pools, especially backyard and apartment pools. Most young children who drown in pools were …

National Safety Month: 5 Summer Safety Tips

June is now known as “National Safety Month“. What better time to practice and recognize different ways to keep safe than during the summer? With the frequent outdoor visits, high temps, easy access to swimming pools/water, it’s very important to know how to be safe at all times, and what to do in an emergency situation. Here are some very helpful parent tips to keep your family safe this summer:

1)  Never leave your child alone in a hot car, even if just for a few minutes

It can happen to the best of parents. We get busy and forget our sleeping little ones are just behind us, nestled comfortably in their car seat. The thought is enough to keep you up at night. According to the Tennessee Department of Health, the temperature inside an average car or truck can increase 20 degrees in just 10 minutes. A child’s body can heat up three to five times faster than an adult’s, causing heatstroke, brain damage and even death. It can happen to anyone, anywhere. That’s why it’s so important to never leave your child alone in a car, not even for a minute. There are so many tips to help you not forget your child in the car. You can place all of your belongings (purse, briefcase, phone) beside your child’s seat so that you’re forced to check the back seat. A stuffed animal placed in their car seat when they’re not in it can be removed and placed on your lap while driving with baby-in-tow. A large object like that can serve as a reminder that there’s someone in the backseat.
https://www.kidcentraltn.com/article/look-before-you-lock-don-t-leave-kids-alone-in-hot-cars-1
http://www.safekids.org/tip/car-seat-tips

2)  Wear sunscreen every time you go outside, and apply multiple times!

You don’t need to hide from the sun completely or wrap up like a mummy to protect yourself. But you should take these two steps:

1. Always wear sunscreen.
2. Take frequent breaks from the sun by going indoors or moving into the shade.

These steps are especially important between 10:00 in the morning and 4:00 in the afternoon, when the sun’s rays are strongest. Use a sunscreen with an SPF rating of 30 or higher. Put on sunscreen 15 to 20 minutes before going out in the sun. The letters SPF stand for sun protection factor, and the number rating tells you how much longer you can stay in the sun without getting sunburned. But this isn’t always true, so reapply sunscreen at least every 2 hours, just to be safe. Do this more often if you’ve been swimming or sweating a lot — even if the sunscreen is waterproof. And remember that you can get sunburned more quickly when you’re swimming or boating because the reflection from the water intensifies the sun’s rays.
http://kidshealth.org/kid/watch/out/summer_safety.html?tracking=83954_H

3)  Keep your car locked and your keys out of reach from your children

Children copy what they see. Perfect example, my two year old son will take my keys and go around the house trying to unlock all of the door knobs, even if they don’t have a key hole. This can actually be quite dangerous if the child has access to your car on a hot day. If unsupervised, they can unlock the car very easily and hop inside. However, they may not be able to get out as easily. Be sure to always lock your car, even if it’s parked in your garage, and place your keys in an area away from your child’s reach.

4)  Keeping Fit & Having Fun

Incorporate a water sprinkler, pool or child-safe water table during outdoor playtime. A water sprinkler creates a fun source of exercise for your little ones, allowing them to stretch their limbs and run around, while staying cool at the same time. Using a water table also allows the child to explore different water toys, learning to discriminate against what does and does not float, or transfering water; a great work in concentration and hand-eye coordination.

5) Swimming Lessons

Swimming lessons are extremely essential in teaching your child how to swim properly, or to prevent drowning. The American Academy of Pediatrics doesn’t recommend beginning formal swimming lessons until kids are at least 4 years old because that is the age that children are thought to be ‘developmentally ready’ for swim lessons. However, it certainly would not hurt to introduce your child to the water at whatever age you are most comfortable with! Personally, the earlier they dip their toes in the water, the better as this will help them become better acclimated to the guidelines of a swimming pool at an earlier age. Make sure they are wearing age-appropriate safety equipment. Proper adult supervision should be present at all times, of course.
http://pediatrics.about.com/cs/weeklyquestion/a/swim_lessons.htm

Most importantly, remember to hydrate, wear sunscreen and maintain appropriate clothing coverage while spending time outdoors this summer. Remember to have fun and stay safe!

Easter & Spring in the Montessori Classroom

There are so many different ways to incorporate this spring holiday into the Montessori classroom, the most traditional being egg decorating. I came across a blog provided by the North American Montessori Center, focusing on how to incorporate Ukranian Easter Eggs in your classroom’s culture and science curriculum. Very interesting!

http://montessoritraining.blogspot.com/2013/03/montessori-easter-activities-ukrainian-eggs-pysanky.html#.VRxpevnF9Bg

I would also encourage you to peruse our HBMH Easter-Inspired Montessori board on pinterest for more ideas on how you can introduce this holiday and generally the spring season to your children’s daily routine.

Our primary community is currently enjoying  a variety of spring-themed works such as the life cycle of the butterfly (including parts of the butterfly), tracing flowers, leaves,  and butterflies at the light box, pin-pricking/cutting shapes and outlines of flowers and butterflies and several different weather patterns such as rain, thunderstorms, clouds, etc. There are so many ways that you can introduce the concept of spring. You can even make spring sensorial boxes filled with flowers, branches, and other items from outside, go on nature walks and discuss the many seasonal changes currently taking place outside, plant flowers and vegetables in your gardens, and so forth. There are so many creative things that you can do to help introduce the new season to your students!

Tomorrow, we will be hosting our Annual HBMH Easter Egg Hunt (photos will be shared afterwards, of course). Everyone is busy with excitement as we welcome this new spring month of April!

Happy Easter!

 

Let’s Go Fly a Kite!

Our primary community took advantage of the beautiful spring weather last week and decided to fly a kite! (Courtesy of one of our primary parents)