Tie-Dye, Flower Garlands, and the Colors That Grow Outside Our Door
This week at Wayland Montessori, we let color lead the way.
Our Colors and Art in Nature week was one of our most vibrant yet. Children spent time outside looking closely at the colors already present in the natural world: the yellow-green of new leaves, the deep violet of clover flowers, the rust-orange of bark. We asked them to notice, and they did, with the kind of absorbed attention children bring to things they find genuinely interesting.
The highlight of the week was our tie-dye project. Each child created their own shirt, folding and twisting fabric and choosing their colors with real care and intention. These shirts are not just a keepsake; they are a wearable piece of summer that children will put on again and again throughout the weeks ahead. Watching kids proudly hold up their finished designs at the end of the afternoon was one of those camp moments that sticks with you.
We also made rainbow veggie wraps, bringing color into our lunch in a delicious way. Children helped assemble their wraps and learned the names of vegetables they may not have seen up close before. There is something meaningful about connecting color to nourishment.
To close out the week, children wove flower garlands, working with their hands to thread blooms into something beautiful. The focus and patience children brought to this work was a genuine reminder of what Montessori environments make possible.
Next week we turn our attention underground and into the garden: Bugs and Garden Life week is coming. Magnifying glasses at the ready.
