Nature Tables

Recently we have been asked by many of you how to create a seasonal nature table, especially summer inspired.

A nature table is a great way for your whole family to engage with the changing seasons. It’s a beautiful Waldorf tradition of making space in your home to celebrate and notice the cycles of nature. It reflects what is currently taking place outdoors and gives it expression inside your home.

I love our nature table to be a place where our children can engage, explore and play with the objects displayed. It can provide a rich sensory experience for the child. Also wonderful for imaginative play. 

Get your little one involved in creating your nature table. Start with a walk to discover, forage and gather plants, flowers, seeds, stones, shells to add to our seasonal scene. Discuss textures, colours and shapes along the way.

A nature table can be very simple, it simply needs to reflect what is abundant around you. You can even make art and craft objects, display seasonal books, favourite toys and playcloths. There is no right or wrong way to do this - it can be just a twig that is decorated with your finds or a lavish affair with play silks, beautiful art works, lights and candles. Once you get started, you will notice how inspired your child will be. My daughter is often gathering flowers, seeds, crystals (pebbles she finds on the way to school) to add to our nature table. Here are some of our favourite seasonal nature table ideas as inspiration.

Spring

This is such a easy seasonal table to create - add light pink and green play cloths, possibly fill a plate with moss, water and some primroses and use our beautifully crafted spring flower fairies. You can also cut a beech tree branch in bud and watch the light green leaves slowly unfurl. Add sweet Osteimer animals and trees.

Summer

I have heard many of you find this season particularly difficult to create. Try using stronger coloured play cloths, have a small bowl of berries and add a vase of summer blooms, oak and hazel nut branches. My daughter especially loves adding seed pods, shells, even sand. You can also include a photo of your last summer holidays. Display our summer flower fairies; we especially love the wheat flower fairy. Paint a bright yellow sun, cut out and hang on a branch.

Autumn

Possibly the easiest nature table to create. Use play cloths that are dark reds, oranges and browns. Decorate with mini squashes in interesting textures and clolours. Or needle felt your own orange round pampkins, which are super easy to do. Add leaves that have turned red, toadstool ornaments or our little pocket gnomes. You could aso display your favourite seasonal books.

Winter

We tend to combine this with our advent table which slowly grows with the passing weeks of advent. It's my husband's yearly masterpiece and loved by our children, even the eldest. We start the first week with display rocks and crystals, each day a new one appears. The kids love discovering what's appeared each day. The second week, add different plants - we usually add different mosses, holly branches and pine cones. Week 3, the animals start to arrive, with felt sheep, wooden cows and donkeys, we also add an Osteimer robin and a menagerie of woodland animals. Week 4, the people arrive, shepherds, kings, Joseph, Mary, then on Christmas Day even baby Jesus. You don’t have to use the nativity scene but you can add all the amazing nature finds during this season or create your own.