Bowls in waiting

I love the Waldorf idea of a nature table, which inspired me to set up a seasonal arrangement on top of our CD cabinet. It was time for these shells to make way for fall. I set out one of my favorite Autumn books (I always use the books from this series with my seasonal displays; I love them all.) And I added a collection of wooden bowls, and my beloved wooden acorns. But I left the rest empty, as a provocation (an idea from the preschools of Reggio Emilia, where teachers set up something compelling to provoke children's thinking.)

By the end of the day, this is how it looked (above). The children and I had filled one bowl with a variety of seedpods from the garden, and another with various nut shells (we'd intended acorns, but couldn't find any. Where are they this year?) We'd also added a vase, to hold the dried fern frond we'd picked. One of the children told me he knew of a park where there are lots of acorns; he said "I'll collect some for you when I go there." We're thinking crab apples and colored leaves for some of the other bowls. And the rest? We'll see...