An oasis of calm in the midst of the bustle

Our winter table:
two fake-but-I-still-like-them little trees,
a new nativity picked up at the thrift store this weekend so Lucy could have a set to play with,
a favorite book,
a new doily bowl I love, love, love,
and some of those horrible-but-I-can't-resist-'em craft-store cinnamon pinecones.

Late-spring nature table

A visit to the river yesterday resulted in a pair of temporary visitors to our nature table:

See the muddy water there on the right? When the mud settles, you can see two teeny little fish swimming around in there. We're observing them, and drawing them in our nature journals, and trying to identify them with the help of a favorite book.

Here's our late-spring table as it stands right now:

--A blooming milkweed.
--A birds' nest we found on the ground a few years ago, holding a painted egg that was a gift to Lucy.
--A beaver-chewed stick and a stick etched with bug trails, found on walks with the kids (one boy said, on finding the bug stick: "give this to Lise; she likes bug tracks.")
--Friday's Flowers.
--A shadow box containing a dead baby snapping turtle and a snapping-turtle egg. We found these--with the clues that told the story--on our vacation. The turtle was by the side of the road, baked in the sun. I looked around for a nest, and found one--full of ripped-open eggs with cooked yolks! All around were dog footprints. We imagine the dog dug up the eggs, which baked in the sun, and one turtle escaped, but couldn't make it on its own. So for now, it's part of Lucy's book and our nature table. Though the children weren't with us when we found it, they love the story and delight in telling their parents about it.
--A beautiful piece of birch bark from a hike.
--Our temporary visitors.

Nearby, on the coffee table, is a tray of our beach treasures, sort of an extension of this little display.

What treasures have been added to your nature table recently?

Treasure, revisited

What happens to all our treasure once it comes back from the beach?

Mama sorts it on the ledge of the cottage's front porch.

And re-sorts, and re-organizes, every night.

(It's kind of like therapy.)

Lucy un-sorts it all each day. And dumps. And pours. And throws, and drops, and scatters. And delivers some to us as gifts.

And re-sorts.

And examines.

And shares the joy with Mama all over again.

Getting ready...

I started the day with a quick change for our spring table:


And then it was off to spend the day with our friends, Tim and Eric, for our annual egg-decorating party. Eric arranges the table oh-so-beautifully:


And cooks up dozens and dozens of eggs:


We look to Martha for inspiration:


Tim made this egg (I hinted that perhaps the Easter bunny might want to put it in my basket?):


Hope your day was lovely, too!

Spring in a basket and on the table

Spring is here, and this week, you can see it beginning to show inside our house. I spruced up our little seasonal table with a flower-sprigged embroidered cloth, some spring books, a nest full of wooden eggs, and a crocus from the garden. By the end of the day, a neighbor had dropped off a big bouquet of daffodils, which really brightened it up:



(The books shown are Countdown to Spring by Janet Schulman and Meilo So and Spring by Gerda Muller.)

And I stowed away the winter books from our basket and replaced them with spring books. Two of the boys made us a new sign:



Clearly, we must live where it's winter for most of the year, because I have about a million winter books and about 10 spring books! I have a ton of gardening books, but it doesn't feel like time for those yet. In there now are:

Spring is Here! by Lois Lenski
This book is requested every single day, multiple times. Its text is so quaint and almost sickly sweet, but the pictures are so appealing, as is the feeling it brings of a simpler time. Today, the kids asked "what's hopscotch?" while reading it, which led into a whole morning's play.

Galoshes by Kit Allen
This is a favorite of my youngest children, most of whom can "read" it for themselves ("Galoshes. Shirt. Overalls.") There is something appealing about that bald round-headed kid. Lucy signs "shirt" and "hat" as we read and acts out "stomp" and "sleep."

It's Spring! by Samantha Berger and Melissa Sweet.
I cannot resist that joyful bunny on the cover, and apparently, neither can the kids. Simple and happy.

Spring Story by Jill Barklem
I adore the detailed world Jill Barklem created in the illustrations of these Brambly Hedge books. What I find fascinating is that it's a 5-year-old boy who most often sits and studies this book or asks for it to be read. I'm so glad that it's not "for girls only."

Wonders of Nature by Jane Werner Watson and Eloise Wilkins
This is one of the books I just found at the book sale. I was so thrilled! I love Eloise Wilkins' children; they remind me of favorite books from my childhood, and of Lucy's face, and of an innocence I want to preserve for young children. And the wonder and reverence for nature in this book is just delicious.

Maple Sugaring Time in Vermont by Lula A. Shaver and Topsy Samuelson
A friend bought this for me when we started sugaring a few years ago.

Wake Up, It's Spring! by Lisa Campbell Ernst
Again, a favorite with the toddlers.

Spring is Here by Taro Gomi
This book actually encompasses all the seasons, but focuses mostly on spring. The illustrations of the calf are particularly wonderful: large and simple, but with a complex twist the older children notice: the spots on the cow are also the snow melting away on the land.

Bear Wants More by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman
Nothing can compare to the first and best one in this series, Bear Snores On. But this one is sweet, too, and if you love the first one, it's fun to see bear and his friends again in their other stories.

Tom and Pippo and the Washing Machine by Helen Oxenbury
Tom and Pippo are so adorable, and their adventures so familiar to toddlers. Here, they get muddy on a puddly day, and are separated while Pippo is washed.

Alfie's Feet by Shirley Hughes
Another book about rain puddles; and the importance of new shoes to toddlers, and the simple activities of daily life. We really love these Alfie books.

Over in the Meadow by John Langstaff and Feodor Rojankovsky
This folk song is not specifically spring-y, but the illustrations in this gorgeous rendition remind me of late spring days.

The ABC Bunny by Wanda G'ag
Again, not necessarily "spring," but bunnies seem to go with spring, don't they? This alphabet is unique in that each lettered item contributes to an ongoing story. And of course, the illustrations are wonderful!

The Golden Egg Book by Margaret Wise Brown and Leonard Weisgard
I've never understood the (gorgeous) cover of this book: despite how it looks, it's not about Easter or even a decorated egg, but about a plain duck egg. I almost didn't take it out for the group, thinking "Easter," but if that's not your thing, don't worry--it's not! I just adore the illustrations in this book with their sweet animals in egg-shaped spaces framed by flower-decorated borders. And, as always, Margaret Wise Brown's storytelling captivates children.

Missing from my basket (because, um, there are a LOT of books in this house, and my nice organization is currently all messed up and I haven't found these yet!):

The Happy Day by Ruth Krauss and Marc Simont
Oh, I have to read this sweet, joyful book now, before the melting snow is a distant memory! Where is it?

Mud by Mary Lyn Ray
Gotta love the idea that as soon as the snow melts, you're going to sink naked feet into gooey, squishy, wonderful mud!

Annie and the Wild Animals by Jan Brett
Again, best read while the snow's still melting away. This early full-on spring caught me off guard and unprepared!

The Story of the Root Children by Sibylle Von Olfers
For magic and fantasy.

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...