In Harmony with Nature #20

A weekly nature quote, to awaken your sense of awe and appreciation for the beauty of our natural world, inspiring you to share the daily wonders of nature with your child.

"The greatest gift of the garden is the restoration of the five senses."

- Hanna Rion

This week, when you are outside with your child, taste, smell, listen, watch and touch. Pick the fruits, smell the flowers, listen to the birds or insects, observe the clouds and touch the earth! There is so much to discover.


Your experiences will inspire others, share them here. We love to hear from you.
- Anja

photo source: © Tawa Montessori Preschool

In Harmony with Nature #19

A weekly nature quote, to awaken your sense of awe and appreciation for the beauty of our natural world, inspiring you to share the daily wonders of nature with your child.

"Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees."

- John Muir

This week, take your child to pick your own fruit. Your child will love it. Depending on where you live, you can pick blueberries, strawberries, apples, mandarins or lemons, to name a few. If the fruit is not ready for picking, observe it, and come back to it later. Show your child how importance the sun is to the ripening of the fruit. And don’t forget to enjoy a freshly picked fruit, straight from nature’s garden.


Your experiences will inspire others, share them here. We love to hear from you.
- Anja

photo source: © Tawa Montessori Preschool

In Harmony with Nature #18

A weekly nature quote, to awaken your sense of awe and appreciation for the beauty of our natural world, inspiring you to share the daily wonders of nature with your child.

"Daisies are like sunshine to the ground."

- Drew Barrymore

Does your child know how to make a daisy chain? It is not too late. Find a lawn, a paddock or a park, there are bound to be daisies around. Pick them, count the petals; “yes, no,yes, no ...” Show your child how to make a chain. Help them if it is a bit too tricky for their little fingers. Earrings, necklaces, bracelets, they can make anything.


Your experiences will inspire others, share them here. We love to hear from you.
- Anja

photo source: © Tawa Montessori Preschool

In Harmony with Nature #17

A weekly nature quote, to awaken your sense of awe and appreciation for the beauty of our natural world, inspiring you to share the daily wonders of nature with your child.

"To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves."

- Mohandas Gandhi

This week, have your child helping you in the garden. In a world of concrete and asphalt, children need opportunities to be in touch with the earth, to feel the soil on their hands and feet. Turning the soil, digging the compost, weeding the garden, or just playing in the dirt, these are experiences children need to feed their soul.

Your experiences will inspire others, share them here. We love to hear from you.
- Anja

photo source: © Tawa Montessori Preschool

In Harmony with Nature #16

A weekly nature quote, to awaken your sense of awe and appreciation for the beauty of our natural world, inspiring you to share the daily wonders of nature with your child.

"Teaching a child not to step on a caterpillar is as valuable to the child as it is to the caterpillar."

- Bradley Millar

This week, introduce your child to the amazing, incredible world of insects. Be on the lookout for all those crawlies who are most likely looking for food. Ants, slugs, snails, slaters, caterpillars, they are everywhere. Take a minute to show your child the respect you have for even the tiniest little creature on earth.

Your experiences will inspire others, share them here. We love to hear from you.
- Anja

photo source: © Tawa Montessori Preschool

In Harmony with Nature #15

A weekly nature quote, to awaken your sense of awe and appreciation for the beauty of our natural world, inspiring you to share the daily wonders of nature with your child.

"Just living is not enough,"said the butterfly. "One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower."

- Hans Christian Andersen

This week, planting sunflowers is a great activity to do with your child. They sprout quickly and grow fast. They provide interest for months to come as they grow and mature. The seeds can be left for the birds or your child can harvest them.


Your experiences will inspire others, share them here. We love to hear from you.
- Anja

photo source: © Tawa Montessori Preschool

In Harmony with Nature #14

A weekly nature quote, to awaken your sense of awe and appreciation for the beauty of our natural world, inspiring you to share the daily wonders of nature with your child.

Happiness is a butterfly, which, when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.

- Nathaniel Hawthorne

This week, take some time with your child to go outdoors and soak up the beauty and energy of the surrounding nature. Sit down quietly in a spot and observe the little bugs that may come out of their hiding places. What do you see, hear, or feel?


Your experiences will inspire others, share them here. We love to hear from you.
- Anja

photo source: © Tawa Montessori Preschool

In Harmony with Nature #13

A weekly nature quote, to awaken your sense of awe and appreciation for the beauty of our natural world, inspiring you to share the daily wonders of nature with your child.

We could never have loved the earth so well if we had had no childhood in it.

- George Eliot

This week, for those of you in the northern hemisphere, yes, go and pick them, those dandelions seeds are waiting for your child to be blown!


Your experiences will inspire others, share them here. We love to hear from you.
- Anja

photo source: © Tawa Montessori Preschool

In Harmony with Nature #12

A weekly nature quote, to awaken your sense of awe and appreciation for the beauty of our natural world, inspiring you to share the daily wonders of nature with your child.

Nature is not only all that is visible to the eye -- it also includes the inner pictures of the soul.

- Edvard Munch

This week, look for signs of animals sharing your environment. Can your child find a spider web, a feather, a cracked nutshell? Where has the animal gone? Look under rocks or fallen logs to discover what might be living beneath.


Your experiences will inspire others, share them here. We love to hear from you.
- Anja

photo source: © Tawa Montessori Preschool

In Harmony with Nature #11

A weekly nature quote, to awaken your sense of awe and appreciation for the beauty of our natural world, inspiring you to share the daily wonders of nature with your child.

The world will never starve for wonder, but only for want of wonder.

- G.K. Chesterson

This week, when outside with your child, look for a cocoon, an anthill, a spider nest, a bird nest. Marvel at it and talk about the little miracles that are taking place.


Your experiences will inspire others, share them here. We love to hear from you.
- Anja

photo source: © Tawa Montessori Preschool

In Harmony with Nature #10

A weekly nature quote, to awaken your sense of awe and appreciation for the beauty of our natural world, inspiring you to share the daily wonders of nature with your child.

All seasons are beautiful for the person who carries happiness within.

- Horace Friess

This week, rain or shine, take your child outside. Point out to your child the warmth of the sun on their face, or maybe the frost on the grass, or the rain puddle in the mud, or the wind blowing through their hair. All seasons have their own beauty. Feel it, touch it, embrace it.

Your experiences will inspire others, share them here. We love to hear from you.
- Anja

photo source: © Tawa Montessori Preschool

In Harmony with Nature #9

A weekly nature quote, to awaken your sense of awe and appreciation for the beauty of our natural world, inspiring you to share the daily wonders of nature with your child.

It is a wholesome and necessary thing for us to turn again to the earth and in the contemplation of her beauties to know of wonder and humility.

- Rachel Carson

This week, find a quiet place outdoor and introduce your child to the realm of stillness and their inner core of love. Appreciate in the child the quiet moments to imagine, to question and to dream, to be alone with their own thoughts.

Your experiences will inspire others, share them here. We love to hear from you.
- Anja

photo source: © Tawa Montessori Preschool

In Harmony with Nature #8

A weekly nature quote, to awaken your sense of awe and appreciation for the beauty of our natural world, inspiring you to share the daily wonders of nature with your child.

Joy in looking and comprehending is nature's most beautiful gift.

- Albert Einstein

This week, find a rock, or two. Can your child lift it up or roll it over? What can you find underneath the rock? Slaters (pillbugs), ants, spiders, cockroaches, weta? Maybe even an ant nest? Are there any trails (worms), or other signs?

Your experiences will inspire others, share them here. We love to hear from you.
- Anja

photo source: © Tawa Montessori Preschool

In Harmony with Nature #7

A weekly nature quote, to awaken your sense of awe and appreciation for the beauty of our natural world, inspiring you to share the daily wonders of nature with your child.

The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

This week, find some pine cones, acorns or other nuts that have fallen of the tree. Have a close look at them. Can you find any which have been nibbled or eaten? What creature do you and your child think may use the nuts as a food source? Can you find the seeds in the pine cone? Or maybe the acorns have started to sprout? Is there a tiny creature hiding in the cones, using it as their home?

Your experiences will inspire others, share them here. We love to hear from you.
- Anja

photo source: © Tawa Montessori Preschool

In Harmony with Nature #6

A weekly nature quote, to awaken your sense of awe and appreciation for the beauty of our natural world, inspiring you to share the daily wonders of nature with your child.

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.

- Albert Einstein

This week, find a flower with your child. Look at it, touch it, smell it. What does your child see? What do you think the bees and the butterflies see?

Your experiences will inspire others, share them here. We love to hear from you.
- Anja

photo source: © Tawa Montessori Preschool

In Harmony with Nature #5

A weekly nature quote, to awaken your sense of awe and appreciation for the beauty of our natural world, inspiring you to share the daily wonders of nature with your child.

Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher.

- William Wordsworth

This week, with your child, take a pair of binoculars, a magnifier glass or your own good pair of eyes and watch, watch, watch. Go down, ground level. See the ants, the pill bugs, the spider carrying eggs on its back? What do you find?


Your experiences will inspire others, share them here. We love to hear from you.
- Anja

photo source: © Tawa Montessori Preschool

In Harmony with Nature #4

A weekly nature quote, to awaken your sense of awe and appreciation for the beauty of our natural world, inspiring you to share the daily wonders of nature with your child.

Never lose an opportunity to see anything that is beautiful.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

This week, look for a tiny creature, and have your child observe it. Does it have eyes, mouth, legs, tail, wings? What does it need and what does nature provide for it to survive?

Your experiences will inspire others, share them here. We love to hear from you.
- Anja

photo source: © Tawa Montessori Preschool

In Harmony with Nature #3

A weekly nature quote, to awaken your sense of awe and appreciation for the beauty of our natural world, inspiring you to share the daily wonders of nature with your child.

We do not see nature with our eyes, but with our understandings and our hearts.

- William Hazlett

This week, take your child outside, go and feel the wind, or the sunrays on your skin, or feel the raindrops, or feel the earth with your bare feet. Water is live, air is live, soil is live. Touch it, smell it, taste it, hear it and see it. Have your child join you in your love for the earth.

Your experiences will inspire others, share them here. We love to hear from you.
- Anja

photo source: © Tawa Montessori Preschool

In Harmony with Nature #2

A weekly nature quote, to awaken your sense of awe and appreciation for the beauty of our natural world, inspiring you to share the daily wonders of nature with your child.

Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.

- Rachel Carson

This week, take your child outside and pause a moment to marvel at the wildflowers along the path, or the clouds up in the sky, or the birds up in the tree. Take a deep breath and soak up the beauty. Share the moment with your child.

Your experiences will inspire others, share them here. We love to hear from you.
- Anja

photo source: © Tawa Montessori Preschool

In Harmony with Nature #1

A weekly nature quote, to awaken your sense of awe and appreciation for the beauty of our natural world, inspiring you to share the daily wonders of nature with your child.

The richness I achieve comes from Nature, the source of my inspiration.

- Claude Monet

This week, observe an insect with your child. Can your child see its legs, wings, feelers, how do these parts help the insect in its daily life? What helps you in daily life?

Your experiences will inspire others, share them here. We love to hear from you.
- Anja

photo source: © Tawa Montessori Preschool