Fun Times at Zac's Childcare and Montessori School

Connecting with the Natural World

At Zac’s we understands children’s innate drive to investigate and discover. To want to feel things, real things, to see what they do and how they can be manipulated. At Zac’s you will see loose natural materials, just waiting for little people to come and explore, to imagine, to use as they wish.

By bringing natural materials into our classrooms, they will be readily accessible to your children. They are such a source of wonderment for children. Natural materials have such potential for scientific discovery, yes, but for so much more. Regular exposure allows children to have a relationship with nature; to feel connected with it. To help them to notice nature, see the trees, feel the rocks under their feet, hear the wind, notice the changing clouds, be apart of it. Not separated; we’re inside, that’s outside. Bring the outside in and make it a part of their everyday life.

Pinecones, rocks, sticks, leaves, shells, driftwood. Any treasure really that comes home with us from our walks (and then are brought into our classrooms), provides different avenues for endless amounts of discovery.

The images provided show just a few examples from Pinterest of how nature can be used in the classroom and what sorts of ways we can present nature and explore natural objects.

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