Reading through the seasons

Far be it from me to complain, but I found the winter pretty long, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. My kids, at any rate, even though they love snow, have been telling me regularly for the past few weeks that they've had enough; they're ready for something else, ready to marvel at nature waking up. And so am I; I've had enough of hibernating (yes, yes, we went out to play every day, but it's not the same!)

To deepen the beauty of spring's awakening in my children's minds (and mine!), a few years ago I got in the habit of rotating my children's books with the seasons. I do it for every season, but in spring the meaning of this little ritual seems to grow: as a new season approaches or begins, I set out a few books that reflect it, in plain view for my children. Without going to the trouble of building an elaborate nature or seasonal table like the ones Waldorf-Steiner education suggests, I still take a few minutes to arrange the books about the coming season in a visually appealing way. Sometimes, my children and I add branches, pinecones, drawings or other fitting treasures, but I don't put pressure on myself to do that. The books, though, I do every single time. It's simple, quick and it speaks volumes to children.

Since the idea is to celebrate the season that is beginning, I generally offer books about nature and its particularities during that particular season. So I put away the winter books, both the wintry storybooks and the books about animal tracks in the snow, hibernation or the solstice, and replaced them with books telling stories about vegetable gardens, adventures in the forest or bears waking up. I also set out our books with nature-related science experiments, like starting seedlings or making a volcano, or educational books about the spring equinox or an insect guide. I find that bringing out a few books on the theme of the season that is beginning really sets the tone for the months ahead.

Not only do these books equip children for the long process of learning about the passage of time, by helping them better grasp concepts tied to the cycle of the seasons and the magnificent world around them, they also spark their curiosity about nature and inspire a multitude of activity and craft ideas for the season. They build excitement and anticipation for activities that are simple yet so rich: walks in the forest, watching and drawing birds, hunting for bugs and then digging through our books to find their names and characteristics, collecting nature treasures, and so on.

These books fuel our conversations at home or on our nature walks and sharpen my children's sense of observation. They make it easier to connect small daily gestures (composting, caring for our hens, starting seedlings or repotting plants, choosing products with less packaging or without harmful ingredients, and so on) with the world around us.

They invite us to open our eyes and become explorers of the world. They inspire my children's crafts, drawings and activities. It's not unusual, after reading a spring book, to find ourselves around the table making a little bird feeder and then heading outside to hang it in our trees, or putting dried beans in a glass jar and watching them sprout, day after day. It's also not unusual, after reading a book about nature, for us to slip off into the forest and for my children's eyes to spot something new they had never noticed on our outdoor walks.

With this approach, I feel I'm fully nurturing two passions that are dear to me and that I want to pass on to my children: a love of books (of reading, of the curiosity that comes with it, of that encounter with oneself, of diving into a whole universe, all of it!) and a love of nature (discovering it, knowing it, understanding it, wanting to dive in, touch it and protect it. All of that too!).

By offering my children books tied to the season we're in, I see their natural curiosity about nature intensify and their eyes fill with wonder. They become even more sensitive to the idea of taking care of the environment. In my head and my heart, it's a simple way (one among many) of doing my part to create a better world, a more peaceful and empathetic one.

You may be wondering why I don't just leave all the books out all the time. Am I complicating my life by doing it this way? Oh, not at all! I'm actually making life a lot simpler for us.

By taking the time to put away the books tied to the other seasons, I feel I'm helping my children focus on the period of our lives we're living right now, the current season. I feel I'm helping them focus on this moment of the year, and cutting out a certain dizziness from tangled-up information. I feel I'm giving them tools to find their bearings in time and better understand the cycle of the seasons and the passing of time, without making their heads spin.

By bringing out certain books during a certain part of the year like this, I also revive their interest in reading those books without feeling the need to buy new ones, on top of limiting the number of books available at any one time. Having only a limited number of books available at any given time has several advantages: it has been proven time and again that offering a child too many choices can create anxiety and stress, a feeling of being overwhelmed. That may seem counterintuitive; yes, our children need to make choices, an important learning experience for developing their independence, their confidence and their personality. But too much is just like not enough. Faced with too many books, they may flip through a pile of them, but without going deeper, and move quickly on to the next one. They'll very likely decide they don't have enough and that it's time to buy new ones. The part of the brain responsible for a young child's decision-making ability is still very immature, and too many choices will often lead to meltdowns and frustration. And we know it: when everything is out and lying all over the floor of the house, it's often overwhelming and frustrating for an adult. Imagine for a little one whose brain isn't fully developed! Books are part of a whole, and as with everything else, offering a carefully chosen selection, in a quantity that's sufficient but not overflowing, often works better.

It's also harder for young children to take care of their books when there are too many. There's a better chance the books will end up scattered everywhere, that a few pages will get torn, and that the parent will have to repeat over and over for the child to put them away (not that well, mind you!). When only a limited number of books is available at a time, putting books away and taking care of them no longer feels like an enormous chore to a little one. All of a sudden, the child puts them away more easily and gets into the habit of doing it more naturally.

Happy reading!

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