What is it with Montessori Globes? What to use in the Home?
Montessori Classrooms - Around the World (Part Two)

Try this today. Take a Nature Walk - in the dark!

Otis inspecting a tree on a nature walk at night at HWM #3

"To the educator, the child who goes for a walk is an explorer... All children should be able to go on walks like this, guided by what appeals to them." - Maria Montessori, The Absorbent Mind.

Walking is an exercise in physical and mental stimulation. We know Maria Montessori believed in daily nature walks, in all weather and in all seasons. Nature walks must allow the child the opportunity to explore what is around them at their own pace. To move from one interest to the next. Nature walks allow the child to absorb the natural environment with all of their senses. During nature walks the child also has the opportunity to collect a stick, rock or leaf to observe and perhaps classify, to come in direct contact with nature. They allow us the opportunity to observe the changes in the seasons. But what about at night? The natural environment certainly looks different at night. Make some observations - the natural environment also sounds and smells very different at night. How about a night nature walk? Are you up to the challenge?

Must have: torch.

Optional: camera, journal, headlamp. 

Remember to take it at the child's pace and observe with all senses. What you can hear, what can you see, what can you smell? What birds are awake, what bird songs can we hear? Where is the moon? Where are the insects?

If you don't have time for a full nature walk, we also love to take a walk around our backyard and garden at night, looking in trees and bushes, under rocks! Other ideas to try include sketch the moon, keep a Luna journalstudy nocturnal animals or play with shadows!

We walk past this tree (above) many times a week and Otis has not noticed the lichen until this night walk, it's interesting to see what they find with the spotlight of their torch! 

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