About Me

▼

Monday, July 11, 2011

Summer Nature Table


I am the Sun -



And I bear with my might

The earth by day, the earth by night

I hold her fast, and my gifts I bestow

To everything on her, so that it may grow:

Man and stone, flower and bee

All receive their light from me.

~ Ch. Morgenstern

 

...the children are enjoying bringing in bits of nature and displaying them on our table. We've acquired many seashells, twigs, crab shells, mushrooms, stones, and a few cicada shells!
  For this reason, I keep the display at a height where the older children can place things on their own.



...a vignette from one of this month's fingerplays....it's a simple song about a little frog who leaps from his log onto a child's homemade sailboat...the ship goes topsy turvy and eventually disappears under the clear water. It's been a favorite around here!


I'm still experimenting with plant and vegetable dyes...
Today, I used Turmeric and petals from some Black Eyed Susan flowers in our front yard...
The yield was an instantly bright and vibrant yellow!



Our backyard, about to burst with sunflowers any day now.
The children and I planted them in early April, hoping to give us some shade, beauty, and  privacy for our patio.
Our yard is tiny, but we've done a lot with the amount of space we have. It may seem like nothing to some people, but I'm loving it more and more every day. 





Some yarn flowers I created from some plant dyed yarn scraps.
Simple!
Tutorial to follow after I return from my early childhood class:)











at

17 comments:

  1. Hannah JoyJuly 11, 2011 at 3:31 PM

    Wow, there is a whole lot of beauty and creativity happening your way. I LOVE your seasonal table. Beautiful. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. SheilaJuly 11, 2011 at 4:44 PM

    Such beauty, Rebecca! My favorite things are the kids' finds, esp. the cicada shells, and the turmeric-dyed cloth.

    ReplyDelete
  3. TanyaJuly 11, 2011 at 7:42 PM

    Lovely, as always! I was just going to post our nature shelf as well (great minds, ha ha!). We have also been finding cicada's (the entire bug, not just the exoskeleton!) It catches me by surprise every time I see one laying on the ground, ha ha. I am loving your dyeing experiments. The yellow is lovely! One of my favorite colors!

    ReplyDelete
  4. angieJuly 11, 2011 at 8:33 PM

    Oh I love your summer nature table. I find now that my kiddos are a little older the nature table gets neglected...but then as soon as I think we're done with it one of them protests and makes it new again.

    ReplyDelete
  5. KellyJuly 11, 2011 at 9:39 PM

    I know what you mean about loving your outdoor spaces and enjoying the simple things in life!

    ReplyDelete
  6. JoeyJuly 11, 2011 at 10:48 PM

    What a lovely post filled with all my favourite things! I would love to try dying silks one day! I'm really looking forward to your yarn flower tutorial too! Did you make the sailboat? We have an ocean theme slowly taking shape over here and I think it would be fun to make some sailboats! If you have any other ideas please share! Please post a photo of your sunflowers, your yard shows off your creativity! :o)
    ~ joey ~

    ReplyDelete
  7. JoyJuly 11, 2011 at 10:53 PM

    Lovely summer nature table! I think your backyard is quite adorable. You'll have to post another picture when the flowers open. :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Olives and PicklesJuly 12, 2011 at 12:50 AM

    Your nature table is lovely!! Thank you for sharing with us : )

    ReplyDelete
  9. KatJuly 12, 2011 at 9:22 AM

    where are you getting your plain silks?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Mama Ash GroveJuly 12, 2011 at 2:48 PM

    Rebecca, a small yard doesn't matter- yours is beautiful and full of love and creativity! And I love how your nature table is both handmade (not all bought from the store, as many of them seem to be) and child-made.
    <3 hugs

    ReplyDelete
  11. sylviaJuly 12, 2011 at 3:38 PM

    What a lovely nature table. I can't wait to start one here, my little one is only 20 months so it's still alot about what mama brings inside and places on the shelf... thanks for the inspiration!

    ReplyDelete
  12. sheepishJuly 12, 2011 at 8:44 PM

    Among all the other things, those yarn flowers are really great. So simple, and so perfect.
    As is your yard. We have a small yard too, but when I look at all that goes on in there it doesn't feel like one.

    ReplyDelete
  13. JulieJuly 12, 2011 at 10:12 PM

    Your summer table looks beautiful! And I love seeing how your plant dyed silks are turning out. I want to try some of my own!

    ReplyDelete
  14. ErinJuly 12, 2011 at 10:42 PM

    I am inspired! I have to admit, summer crafting has been pretty minimal around these parts as we spend time each day at the beach. Between that, and garden work, and naps and meal prep, we're pretty swamped. I love your summer nature table though. We've got lots of those goodies gracing ours as well.

    ReplyDelete
  15. a little crafty nestJuly 13, 2011 at 12:47 AM

    Dear Rebecca...Such goodness and beauty ~ truly all the little ones need! I am so inspired by your simple yarn flower and look forward to your tutorial. Happy schooling to you with your course:)
    xo Jules

    ReplyDelete
  16. MandiJuly 13, 2011 at 5:43 AM

    Love the dyed play silk and the wooden " wave ".

    ReplyDelete
  17. AppleshoeJuly 13, 2011 at 6:52 AM

    Hello Rebecca, Your yard and your nature table are lovely. Size does not matter. Question: What do you do with the found treasures on your nature table when the seasons change? I have so many 'cool finds' that the neighborhood children bring, but I don't have the heart to get rid of them come Fall. Have fun at class and take care.

    ReplyDelete

I love to hear from you! I read and appreciate all feedback.. Thanks for stopping by!