from the beach

A few weeks ago, my daughter came home from my mother's house with an oyster shell. She is still playing with the shell, utilizing it in many areas of play, as she does with her many natural toys and toys from nature. I think my mother was surprised at how much the oyster shell was treasured. And after a nature walk at her house, my mother really saw the sense of wonder that nature brings out in Ava. So, when Grandma came home with a gift for Ava from her vacation, it was some seagull feathers and clam shells. My daughter was very fascinated with the gifts. She enjoyed the stories about how the treasures were found and a deeper connection was formed. She took great care in bring the treasures over to her play stands, "workshop", placing her new feathers into a favorite milk glass vase and finding a smaller basket to hold her clam shells. These gifts are sure to be treasured for a very long time.