Honored to be a leader of the Etsy Natural Healers Guild; I love how it motivates me to look at the world in a more natural light. With my son's birthday this week, I can't help but want to look back at his brief life "so far" through his eyes: a child's viewpoint.
Textures are everywhere. Seen in pictures: a carpet sample, gingerbread dough, egg shells, a stick on a rock, and bubbles. Childhood is filled with exploration! Providing different textures for children to explore or simply being in an environment filled with different textures, helps to build a child's understanding of this magnificent world.
In the kitchen, one may discover oozy gooey things, what is malleable, and different tastes and smells. Examine how foods can change consistency once cooked or frozen: dried pasta to limp noodles, water to ice, eggs fresh to hard boiled, etc.
Off on a hiking trail, one may discover sticks, stones, fossils, exotic flowers, mushrooms, leaves, pinecones, nuts, berries, moss, feathers, and maybe even some tracks left from local wildlife!
Furthermore, learning about the different textures of materials helps to establish a foundation for understanding which materials may be recyclable: i.e. glass, plastic, paper, tin, etc.
Play is learning! One concept that inspires parents to homeschool, nature's children grasp and perceive the world around them in a way that can't be achieved simply from sitting in a classroom, reading in a book, or reading on the computer.
Even though my main Etsy motivation is the thought that "100% of the profits made from my Etsy store's sales benefit educational funds for my children.", I still recognize the fact that money can't buy an education like what nature provides us. As a mother, nature motivates me too; possibly how Mother Nature had intended it.
