Dear Pigeon Plum Families,
Dr. Maria Montessori believed that “There must be provision for the child to have contact with nature; to understand and appreciate the order, the harmony and the beauty in nature.” Toddlers are sensorial learners and enjoy the sensorial experience of being outside in nature. Dr. Montessori understood that children must experience the world through their senses in order for their brains to develop. Being able to feel, hear, see, smell, and taste their environment are critical to your toddler’s development. Through movement and sensory input, children form neural pathways, shaping their minds and gaining control of their bodies. While working outside, toddlers also learn about the natural world around them and how to care for it. The more children are outside, the stronger their connection with nature becomes.
“When children come in contact with nature, they reveal their strength.”
—Dr. Maria Montessori
Activities that you can do outdoors in nature with your toddler:
• Notice the beauty of nature together.
• Listen to the wind in the trees.
• Look at all the flowers in bloom.
• Smell the rain.
• Observe insects at work.
• Watch the movement of the ocean and look for water droplets on leaves.
• Find moments of quiet; choose a peaceful place to sit and just breathe or sit and watch the clouds.
• Take a basket to the park or beach to collect flowers, leaves, rocks, shells, and sticks.
• Grow your own fruits, herbs, and vegetables. The garden provides toddlers with a chance to dig in the soil, and to plant seeds and plants and watch them grow.
Ms. Megan has been taking the Pigeon Plums outside during our morning work cycle to help water the plants around campus, pick up fallen sticks on the playgrounds, and scrub away leftover chalk from the chalkboard and playground equipment.
“Let the children be free; encourage them; let them run outside when it is raining; let them remove their shoes when they find a puddle of water; and, when the grass of the meadows is damp with dew, let them run on it and trample it with their bare feet; let them rest peacefully when a tree invites them to sleep beneath its shade; let them shout and laugh when the sun wakes them in the morning as it wakes every living creature that divides its day between waking and sleeping.”
—Dr. Maria Montessori
Happy March,
Ms. Dori and Ms. Megan
