LITTLE WONDERS OF EVERYDAY NATURE
               'Kids can learn everything in Nature without adult instructions all the time'


It's a suny day in Atlanta, with all the flavours of nature; from beautiful green colour to the buring hues of brown sand. The nature has its own way to invite and it attracts differently to differnet individal, I believe it knows what one needs at the moment. For many, its a beauty, for others its exploraton, for few, its a curiosity -led-adventure, and for very few,its a world of discovery every moment.

Amy just arrived and wanted to play. I asked her if she was interested in outdoor play, she was overwhelmed by the idea and so we landed in our backyard.
"Wow I like to play here, is this a Sand area for kid's play ? she asked delightfully.

"Why not, we can play here, and Ithink we need few sand toys," Ireplied. I was wondering where should I get the toys  as theres nothing nearby. But thats the difference between an adult (limited mindset) mind and a child's (free mindset) mind, Sara suggested ,"Oh wow, i have plastic spoons, forks, cups and few other stuff in the kitchen , i think we can use them to dig, scratch pour and all".
I was simply amazed.






I sprayed water in the Sand area so she could have some muddy experience as weather was hot and water was naturally needed. Amy started sorting out her tools, digging with spoons and forks. She was fascinated with her own movements; scratching the mud creating different shapes, tiny landscapes and amazing textures. It was wonderful to observe how these children interact with the world when no one is there to instruct. Imagination runs wild!

Amy was exploring not only the tools with her little hands and its impact on the mud but she was busy exploring the water accumulated in the hole.
 The water itself was a discovery for her....
I didn't interupt by sharing views about solid and liquid, the mind itself was   makig impression, its visible to a naked eye, yes Observation is all we need !




She was excited with all her new discoveries, she shouted, " I want to cook, cook some soup"
I was  amused by the idea , so I tried to give her some cooking tips, She loved the idea of tiny leaves and then here appeared a wonderful conversation ,everything related to soup and cooking, I added to the vocabulary!





 There was so much to cook, to add, to pour, to stir, to look upon, to be careful of, to be creative!

 Every addition of a leaf or rock was blowing the mind with endless queries, countless explorations and awe led discoveries. Amy whispered, "I can see leaves in my vegetable soup, it looks so beautiful!"



I couldn't stop myself with the inflow of ideas, she was engaged with..It was mind blowing!
Every drop of sand, every piece of a leaf, and every bouncing rock was creating magical scenes.



As I was in that awe, Amy got up saying that she needed  more water , because she would be cooking for more people (what a mathametical mind!)



While she was filling the cup with the water, she began to walk in the same rythm as she used to walk, but sson she realized that she needed to slow down, she said, ' Can we walk slow, I'm carrying water , it might slip ".
Do we really need to remind kids to be carefull?


The journey ended and the water filled the Soup pot. She was pouring water , creating a rich muddy soup, indulging in her own self-talk full of ideas, awakenings, and Awe.....


Amy was exploring the whole backyard , she got differnt leaves of different sizes, patterns and colours and was amazed with each element of nature. She kept adding in her soup till she thought she needed more water...
What an amazing  balance, a mind is always looking for !




Im the one observing and recording everything in my long term memory.



 It was a toad who surprized us when we were in a shock to discover the Live camouflage....




It's a moment of  awareness for a child who can sense that there are living beings living beside her....



Nothing is more natural than a play which is as spontaneous as a child herself !

That's true learning, regardless of where it happens.....