When I think of living sustainably –
nothing could be closer to my mind than reading.
Everything I ever learned about being quieter, greener, BETTER;
was learned through books.

When I see one of my wee ones grab a favorite story
to sit on an old trunk and read,
my heart is happy.

I want to see more children turning off their television’s
and grabbing worn copies of Dick and Jane.
I want little ones to choose afternoons spent reading Swiss Family Robinson
over  hours with video game controllers in their hands.

When we are reading, we are learning–growing and absorbing.
We visit other lands and sail the seas,
we can become the pirate, the princess and the humanitarian.

Please visit Babycenter.com today for an excellent article
on helping your little ones embrace the written word <3

********

“When I look back, I am so impressed again
with the life-giving power of literature.
If I were a young person today, trying to gain a sense of
myself in the world, I would do that again by reading,
just as I did when I was young.”
~ Maya Angelou ~

When this arrives in the mail…

I won a supply of 18 cloth diapers last week during a Twitter party.
Yes, EIGHTEEN.
From a Mum who has been cloth diapering
using only 6 diaper/cover sets for the past two years,
please understand that this was a HUGE deal.

Thank you, OH THANK YOU Rumparooz.

You made our day.
<3

If you’ve never created a nature table with your children before–
Earth Week would be the perfect time to start.

A nature table is, according to Waldorf rhetoric,
“a way of bringing the consciousness of natural process into our homes
and into the imaginations of our children”.
Simply put, its a way to celebrate the change of the seasons as a family
–outside of the holidays.
Its also a neat way to get your little ones involved
in making the house “homey” with an area that is specifically theirs to decorate.

I allow our wee ones to run about outside with baskets,
collecting treasures from their world.
We hike through fields and forests gathering stones,
interesting sticks and pretty leaves;
whatever that their eyes find beautiful.
Then we bring them home and they arrange them on our table.
Usually a nature table is a flat surface set at the child’s level.
You can have certain things that stay out on your table year round–
and certain things that are special to each season.
Felt, wool, and wooden decorations are always lovely
and keep with the theme of nature
(they are also unbreakable, which helps when “nature-tabling” with a 2 year old:).

The important thing to me, is to really let them do it themselves.
It is so much fun to see what they come up with as far as “arranging” goes;)
I do help out, but let them ask for what they want
(garlands, help braiding, may they use a table cloth?,
help making a banner etc.).

It is a fun way to teach the celebration of each day God gives us,
to celebrate the beautiful world we’ve been given to live in,
and to be grateful for the simple things.

Would you make a nature table for Earth Week?

Some great resources for Nature table items:

Blackbeary Mountain
Nova Toys
Mighty Nest
Fawn & Forest

And my personal favorite Waldorf book for beginners:
Understanding Waldorf Education

*In these photos the adorable nature fairy/angel
and family nest of eggs was provided to us by Blackbeary Mountain
(I can’t WAIT to tell you all more about this amazing natural toys shop!),
our eco paints were provided by Mighty Nest,
and I purchased the fun little wooden bowls at Williams Sonoma.
We use them for everything.
Pixie’s Indian headband was made by me:)