Is there magic in a tree stump?

Yes, absolutely. Ask the children at our preschool. We have several tree stumps in our garden, ranging from “old” to “fresh”. The old ones are the magic ones.

Have you ever taken time to stop and examine them? Have you ever made the effort to peel of some of the decomposing bark? A whole new world embarks behind the bark as one of our children found out when he peeled some of. “Look, a slug, look over here, a slater, oh what is this?”, and on it went. We had a great time, marveling at the little creatures we found in an on the tree stump.

Exposure to the natural world is essential for a child’s well being. Nature inspires a sense of wonder, the beginning of wisdom. You can share nature with children in your own backyard. Creating a space full of wonder and adventure doesn’t require a landscape architect or field knowledge. It does require imagination and creative thinking as you will have to think outside the square of a tidy manicured lawn. Logs and tree stumps are a great resource to start with. They will serve several purposes. They can be used for gross motor skills, like balancing, climbing, and jumping from stump to stump. They can be arranged in different sizes in a circle or semi-circle. They can be used to sit on to have a break or become a place to dream. They can be used for hiding places for insects and worms.

A simple tray with a magnifier glass and a set of small garden tools provides hours of exploration and discovery fun. Our tree stumps at our preschool are not rooted in the ground, but sourced from other places where they have been left as firewood off cuts. Different species provide different textures, smells and sizes.

Tree stumps are a great resource to introduce children to sensory nature experiences, giving them hand-on interaction and providing a place for nature discovery. If you are looking for a space in your garden that will provide experiences that live forever in children’s memories, look for tree stumps.