Baby, it’s cold outside!

Winter has been taking itself rather seriously these past few weeks in Melbourne: lots of rain and LOTS of wind.  So much wind, in fact, that we have had to partly dismantle the trampoline for fear of it taking flight and ending up in a neighbour’s backyard down the road (I’ve seen it happen). Winter here, for me, is a bit odd. None of the theatrics,beauty, or magic of a Canadian winter, and none of the soul crushing dreariness either, thankfully. No snow at all actually, just rain and wind. This poses some challenges when considering how best to represent the Australian winter season on my Nature Table.  Do I include something that represents snow, or not? If so, will this confuse my Australian children who have never seen snow before? And if not, what can I use to differentiate my Winter Nature Table from my Autumn Nature table? Hmmmmmm….the ponderings of a Waldorf newbie mum in the Southern Hemisphere.

But hang on a minute! What exactly is a Nature Table? If you’ve never seen one before, you’re in for a treat.  Nature Tables are yet another layer in the magic that is weaved by the Waldorf world, although I am sure they are not limited to Waldorf circles at all.  I found this succinct definition of a Nature Table from www.naturetables.com:

A nature table (or seasonal table) can be whatever you want it to be.  Simple or elaborate.  The important aspect is that the child is able to connect with the objects and the scene depicted on the table.  Generally, the scene will be related to the current season or an upcoming festival or holiday.  The nature table is often the focal point of a Waldorf kindergarten classroom with the scene on the table directly related to the day’s activities. 

Many of the Nature Tables I have come across in my (albeit limited) exposure to the Waldorf world, both online and in person, include common elements: stones, crystals, seashells, tree branches and other found items; needle felted fairies, handmade dolls, gnomes or animals; an image (often watercolour painted) which reflects the current season; and beeswax candles. Of course, as the quote above suggests, a Nature Table is limited only by your own imagination.

A great friend of mine and a fellow Waldorf mum, Tanja, created this brilliant Nature Table that pays homage to the classic Story of the Root Children, and includes several small Waldorf dolls (which represent flowers and plants) “sleeping” through winter underground. I love her stunning table in all its simplicity, how it tells a story and draws in the eye.

As for me, in the end I opted to include “snow” on my winter table more so because i was stumped on how best to represent winter in Australia without it, despite scouring Pinterest for inspiration.  But I figure, I’m Canadian.  My children have Canadian blood coursing through their little half-Aussie bodies and a bit of snow on our Nature Table is appropriate given our family’s cultural make-up. Plus, it DOES snow in some places in Australia (or so they tell me), just not here. I wonder what Waldorf mums do up in Queensland for their seasonal tables? If you’re in Queensland, drop me a line in the comments below, I’d love to know!

So here it is in all its glory – my very first proper Nature Table.  I really am becoming a Waldorf mum more and more day by day! It is a bit too cluttered for my liking but I am relatively happy with it.  I figure I have every other winter for the rest of my life to get it just right ;).

Oh, and also, though I couldn’t include it in one shot, above this table I made a felt ball mobile in winter colours using two pieces of driftwood:

Here’s what my table includes:

• A branch from a fallen pine tree*
• Several pinecones*
• Driftwood, sea shells and coral from our local coastal park*
• Sand*
• Various rocks and stones*
• Wet felted pond (bought from the Spring Fair market made by members of a local Steiner playgroup!)
• Wooden horse (made by Buntspechte Germany, sold through The Puppenstube)
• Hand knitted gnome (lovingly made by my awesome mate Tanja, as mentioned above)
• Paper lanterns from our Winter Festival night walk
• Winter board book
• A photo of Master C during a winter nature walk
• Driftwood mobile with felt balls in winter colours (felted balls bought pre-made through Winterwood Toys)
• Wooden gnome and needle felted bird (clumsily made by yours truly!) – neither of which are in these photos as Baby J has made off with them both and I don’t know where he has stashed them

*All items with an asterisk were collected by Master C during various nature walks over the course of several weeks and months. As you can see, we have included items that others might consider to be “summery” (sand, sea shells) but which are still part of our life here in this milder part of the world during wintertime.

If you’re looking for Nature Table ideas, check out my Pinterest Nature Table board which includes ideas for every season.  If you have any links to other great Nature Tables, please post them below!

As always, thank you for joining us along the path in this journey, and for reading along.

xx

Robyn