Natural Family Living Wednesday- Nature Corner

When I was asked to write this week's Natural family Living post I started pondering what exactly that term meant to me. It's hard for me to put into words the hodgepodge of feelings that term conjures up. I want my children to respect the earth, learn about nature and appreciate its beauty. I also want them to be able to grow and develop naturally and have a nice long childhood full of imagination, learning and play. Hoping to encourage these ideals we decided to create a nature corner in our home. It seemed a very simple thing-to just dedicate a shelf or corner somewhere to display items from the season, but it has enriched our lives more than I anticipated.
We started by creating a little "tree" from a fallen branch. We decorated the tree with wool according to the season, and place all sorts of found objects from our walks around the base. It has been a wonderful reminder for us to pay attention and appreciate the little things. Children already have a natural inclination to gather things on walks-almost like they want to capture the feeling of being outdoors. My kids loved to find the perfect acorn and prettiest leaves to bring in, and having a nature corner made the gathering even more fun. We always liked to have a creature such as a gnome or squirrel in our nature corner. Sometimes that creature would leave presents for my kids. Sometimes my kids would leave presents for their creature. I started making new characters and items out of wool or other natural materials to surprise my kids. As my kids got older they wanted to do the making and creating. Having a nature corner has truly been a blessing for us. It has encouraged us to get outside, to slow down and celebrate the changing of the seasons. It has helped to nurture my kids' imaginations and encouraged us all to create.