Nature Play

Today I wanted to share some pictures and links to some recent inspiration. Although I don't have children, I love being with them, helping them explore their surroundings, and helping them to stay curious! In high school I participated in a preschool program working with little ones, I worked in a preschool afterwards for almost 10 years, I've worked summer camps, I've been a nanny and now I work part time as an in-home behavioral therapist. I rarely talk about this side of me. Honestly, it's because I don't consider this my job. I love it, but creating and repurposing is what I am passionate about. It is more on path with where I am in life and where I'm working on steering my future. However, to supplement income I started babysitting for a family friend many months back.

As I started doing this they were also in the process of diagnosing him with what they thought to be autism. To shorten the story, I was offered a job with the company that was going to be working with him at home!! After 6 months, my little 2 year old friend has come so far! From not speaking to having a vocabulary of about 100 words and learning how to communicate with the world around him. It has been amazing to witness his growth and I could go on about him, about going gluten free and how that helped him most of all...but I will stop there!

Back to my inspiration!

From LIttleAcornsToMightyOaks

A while back I had saved this pin here that talks about the importance of heuristic play. Heuristic play is the idea of exposing babies, toddlers and children to natural objects from the world around them. By putting multiple items together in a basket they are able to explore the properties of these objects at their own pace and as they select each item themselves. I love finding ways to use nature and natural objects found around the house to engage and this sounded great!

Laura's Nature Keepsake Jar

A couple of weeks ago I was on a favorite blog of mine, Roots and Feathers run by the beautiful Laura. She was sharing this Nature Keepsake Jar DIY that is so cool!! She had made a jar full of things native to Texas for her friend and her newborn baby boy, so sweet! Go read more by following the above link! :)

So, I decided that my little friend needed some more heuristic play. He needed a basket to explore, pronto! I ended up using a vintage basket made to carry casserole dishes as my starting point. REPURPOSING, it's my middle name! I gathered items I had around my home and from outside. A mesquite pod from the tree, some colored feathers from my craft supplies, some thin leather strips, rocks, a slice of agate, a cob of corn... It was fun putting together! I definitely focused on sensory when I chose what I included. Since this was going to be for someone who can be sensitive to textures, sounds, etc. I wanted to make sure to stimulate his senses without turning him off from exploring the basket. His favorite item, a seashell! 

Nature, you are so magical! You teach me something whenever I stop to be still in your presence. One day, I will share some snapshots of my home. I have pieces of nature all around. Sticks, rocks, feathers, bones, shells, beach glass. I don't think my husband and I have come home without finding something to bring back with us. If you're inspired to share how nature plays a role in your life, please do!