Cultivating Traditions: March

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Spring has sprung! What a truly special season it is! We can’t help but be outside. I can just feel our little school swelling with Charlotte Mason influence or maybe even a little forest school vibes?the humming room reggio inspired charlotte mason influenced nature and outdoor idea-3We’ve got two things on our mind as the simplicity and beauty of spring unfurls. Nature and books!

Outdoor Art:

Creating beautiful works under the warm sun.

chaMudlicious  mud-kitchen pies:
the humming room reggio inspired charlotte mason influenced nature and outdoor idea-9

the humming room reggio inspired charlotte mason influenced nature and outdoor idea-8 The best part of spring in Texas is the wild storms. Mud is in abundance and the bounty of mud play is unmatched!

mudTo see more on our mud-kitchen click here!

Parks and outings:

During this season we try to frequent as many parks as we can with friends and sack lunches on hand.

the humming room reggio inspired charlotte mason influenced nature and outdoor idea-7

the humming room reggio inspired charlotte mason influenced nature and outdoor idea-14And we try to pet as many little critters as we can while nature is booming!

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Processed with VSCO with c1 preset Books!
the humming room reggio inspired charlotte mason influenced nature and outdoor idea

Ok this will always be a theme in our homeschool (check out building our family culture around books)

the humming room reggio inspired charlotte mason influenced nature and outdoor idea-3But spring is an especially rich season for book lovers! We love to linger over them outside under a tree with the breeze in our hair. We take them to the park with us. We read about creatures in nature that come to life as we imagine them all around us.

the humming room reggio inspired charlotte mason influenced nature and outdoor idea-21It’s hard not to romanticize spring! It’s effortless actually.

What’s your favorite family tradition when it comes to spring?

May we do all things to connect with and learn from each other ✨

Mud Kitchen

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At the beginning of spring, when the world is puddle-wonderful, as E.E. Cummings put it.

the humming room reggio mud kitchen outdoor playI got the wild idea in my head that we MUST have a mud kitchen. The girls NEEDED a place to build mud pies. With some old crates and decorative finds from the local thrift store, my husband graciously brought my vision into reality. We are tickled… brown?

the humming room reggio mud kitchen outdoor playOf course, mud is messy/sensory play, a very important type of play, but it’s certainly not just that. Fin carefully counts out how many shiny rocks she can find for her special cake. She engages in sequential processing as she lists the steps: Find dirt, add water, gather ingredients, mix, bake.

“Play is the highest form of research.” – Albert Einstein

the humming room reggio mud kitchen outdoor sensory playFin gains understanding of how different materials meld together. The feathers float while the rocks sink. In the goopy mud the sticks stand straight up. The sun dries the pie out and water makes it goopy again.

“The intention of the learning environment is to give children exposure to a range of materials, resources and experiences that give them practice in skill refinement, in language development, in creativity, and in play.” – Kathy Walker

the humming room reggio mud kitchen outdoor sensory and literacy playShe writes her ingredients down and hangs her recipe in her space as she works. Who knew mud could be a literary practice?

the humming room reggio mud kitchen outdoor sensory and litaracy play
“Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning.” – Mr. Rogers

Dramatic play, another pre literacy practice, unfolds as Fin acts out real life scenarios. She bakes her pie in the oven, watching it get hot, and careful pulls the “hot” pan out of the oven.  Only to put it in again because its not quit finished yet. She expresses her ideas as she narrates her play.the humming room reggio mud kitchen outdoor sensory and dramatic play“Let’s bake another, we need a timer”.
 the humming room reggio mud kitchen outdoor sensory and dramatic play “Let’s sing happy birthday”, “First we need candles”. “Sister when is your birthday? Let’s make a cake for you”
 the humming room reggio mud kitchen outdoor sensory play“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.” –  Fred Rogers

Mundane tasks, that we as adults take for granted, are works full of wonderment for children. Washing gathered goodies from the garden is a treasured moment for youngsters, especially when shared with friends.the humming room reggio mud kitchen outdoor garden playDear E.E. Cummings, 

We have had a “mud-luscious” spring indeed.

May we do all things to connect with and learn from each other ✨