When I was a little girl there was a children’s novel, called “Mandy” at my Grandparents house – I must have read this book at least a hundred times growing up.

“By the first of July all of Mandy's plants were in full bloom. The garden was a mass of colour and she was beside herself with delight. It was a small miracle.” - Julie Andrews

Both of my Grandparents were avid gardeners and there was something in the story of Mandy that resonated so strongly for me – a young girl finds an abandoned cottage and sets about making it into a home with a beautiful garden.

When the opportunity came to move our playgroup into a run-down cottage on the edge of Meraki Montessori school, in Auckland – it was like all my childhood dreams had come true at once!

We worked hard in the evenings and weekends to get the cottage painted, cleaned, refloored and populated with beautiful things – ready for our playgroup to open. The outdoors we left until last…

It had me thinking… it often seems to be our way, in Montessori, to leave the outdoors till last. The outdoors is such a critical part of the environment, why would we leave it till last?

I can reassure you that at least while we were working on the indoors, there was a great deal of mental planning going on regarding the garden - and that was the first decision made. Our outdoors was already a garden, so little needed to be changed. It is our vision for children to experience a true garden – you know one that has grass, mud, trees, flowers, insects, seedlings, water etc – just like we had when we were growing up.

This is where I need a small side note – on reflection I realised that of the Montessori environments that I have previously worked in - 75% of them had spectacular outdoors, but, I also work as an agency relief teacher across a variety of ECE environments, and I am often shocked by the lack of natural elements available to children. Softfall/AstroTurf are the usual ground surfaces these days. One place I visited had beautiful harakeke… that were being dug out on the days I was there because the children kept walking through them. Trees are few and far between and water is usually only available if the kaiako decide they are okay with changing clothing that day.

Now would be a good moment to pause and reflect on what your outdoor environment offers infants and toddlers!

“The aesthetic part or the beauty of the garden is the first consideration. The garden is the place where there is an abundance of beautiful flowers, aromatic plants, trees etc. […] in our garden, the active part of the child is also to be considered.” - Maria Montessori

Of course, Dr Montessori was specifically referring to the garden for the Children’s House, and so we need to make inference to her recommendations for infants and toddlers. Our decision at Aroha Nui Montessori to keep our garden as close to a traditional home garden as possible, has been very intentional. The children who come experience a sensory banquet – we have beautiful flowers, aromatic plants, and trees… we provide abundantly for the “active part” of the child through opportunities for gross motor movement and through practical life.

Outdoors, children can plant seeds, rake, sweep, water plants and harvest crops. They can also climb, balance, jump, hang from a low branch, run, throw, and kick balls. We have a wheelbarrow and a wagon for pushing and pulling. We are fortunate to have a tiny bush area for exploration and a viewing spot into the deer farm next door.

Observing Deer in the Neighbouring Paddock

We also celebrate being outdoors whether it is rain or shine, we “art”, “music”, “dance”, “yoga”, and “gather”, breathing the fresh air, often under our tree. Indeed, the children can as Dr Montessori said

“ be free; encourage them; let them run outside when it is raining; let them remove their shoes when they find a puddle of water; and, when the grass of the meadows is damp with dew, let them run on it and trample it with their bare feet;”

Now, it is time to reflect again on your outdoor environment – how are you supporting little bodies to grow in strength and coordination? What sensory experiences are you offering? I am not talking about, gloop, slime, water troughs or sensory bins – what does your garden have to touch, to smell, to hear, to taste, and to see? Do these sensory experiences enrich the child’s inner life.

“The child has a different relation to his environment from ours. Adults admire their environment; they can remember it and think about it; but the child absorbs it. The things he sees are not just remembered; they form part of his soul. He incarnates in himself all in the world about him that his eyes see and his ears hear. In us the same things produce no change, but the child is transformed by them.” - Maria Montessori

The experiences we offer infants and toddlers stay with them for life, let us ensure they are magical memories.

Aroha Nui

Carli

An Aroha Nui Story - Creating An Outdoor Environment

Aroha Nui Montessori and Beyond