The mornings are lighter and there’s no frost on the grass anymore. The flowers are blooming and my little potted fig tree has sprouted some green buds. In the middle of the day, I can hear the bees buzzing in the patch of clover outside my bedroom as I get Miss 2 to sleep. The light of Spring is here! The warm glow is drawing every living thing out from the hibernation of winter, including us! We find ourselves outside at every opportunity, stretching our legs, soaking in the warmth and breathing in the fresh air. As soon as the sun begins to set, the cold is back and we snuggle inside, but the promise of Spring is in the air!
As the days begin to get a little lighter, I begin to make small changes to our Nature Table. I swap a Winter Gnome for a Spring Gnome, add a little flower or small patch of green, so that by the first week of September we have a full Spring table. I tend to do this while the children sleep so that they may discover the changes in their own time. They look forward to finding these changes on our Nature table as we transition from one season to another. And I’ve noticed that for Winter, in particular, seeing these changes helps them understand that the cold will be well and truly over soon.
As we wait for picnic weather and butterfly catching, our Spring books and activities help us ride out the last cold bursts of windy weather and rain. For a look at our spring books, click here. This year we have added “Practical Self Sufficiency” by Dick and James Strawbridge to our basket as Mister 10 is keenly interested in permaculture and companion planting. For Mister 6 we are planting beans in little pots to keep on the windowsill until the weather is warm enough for them to be planted outside and for Miss 2 I am adding some orange and yellow play cloths to her basket.
All of these small things help us move out of the slow cold of Winter and into the bustle of Spring with joyful hearts and appreciation for the gifts that the season brings. It is how we stay connected to Mother Nature and, as Spring changes, so too will our activities and Nature table reflect it. Are there little things you do to bring the seasons in too?
Warmly,
Loreto.
PS: Here’s some photos of how our Nature Table changes from Winter to Spring. I made our Mother Earth, King Winter and Lady Spring many years ago at workshops run by Maria Borelli from Heartfelt. You can see more of her beautiful creations here.
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