Hello, Montessori n’ Such Community!
October is here, and so is this month’s Toddler Tuesdays. The air is crisp, the leaves are colorful, and there are endless opportunities for outdoor adventure. For toddlers, nature is the ultimate classroom. When we take them outside with purpose, they soak up so much more than fresh air: sensory experiences, vocabulary, concentration, and wonder.
Why Outdoor Exploration Matters
Being outside lets toddlers move freely, use all their senses, and engage with real-world materials. It invites curiosity: What’s under this leaf? Why is this one bumpy?, and creates space for mindfulness, focus, and calm discovery.
Here are a few of our materials that beautifully bridge the classroom and the world outdoors:
- Use our Stacking Leaves Leaf Identification set to collect, sort, and match leaves you find on walks. It’s a hands-on way to deepen awareness of shapes, colors, and leaf types.
- Our True to Life Leaves Wood Puzzle makes a great indoor extension after an outing. Children can piece together leaf shapes while reflecting on what they observed outside.
- Bring forest tracks to life with our Animals Footprints Woodland Sensory Stones Set. This lets toddlers match footprints to animals and imagine who passed through their trail.
- And don’t forget your Treasure Tubes. These tubes provide a neat way to collect “treasures” from nature such as pinecones, acorns, petals, and later examine them on a tray indoors.
How to Bring Autumn Learning to Life
- Nature Walk and Collection Box: Give toddlers a basket or treasure tube and invite them to gather leaves, sticks, rocks, or seeds. Encourage them to describe what they feel, see, or hear.
- Sort and Match Workshop: Back inside, use the stacking leaves set to sort by color or shape. Lay out collected items alongside wood puzzles or matching cards.
- Footprint Trail Game: Use the footprint stones to pose questions: Which animals made these tracks? Where were they heading? It’s storytelling + science + imagination.
- Art and Observation Station: Tape leaves to paper or press them between pages. Then challenge children to replicate the shape in the leaf puzzle.
- Reflect and Share: Sit in a circle and invite each child to name their favorite “treasure” or leaf and say what they learned about it.
Autumn is packed with educational magic, from pattern recognition and tactile exploration to language development and wonder. When toddlers connect classroom materials to real-world nature, they enrich their understanding and deepen their sense of belonging in the world.
- Montessori n’ Such Team
