How one setting’s introduction of a traditional cabinet of curiosities has supported children’s explorations of the natural world around them. By Annette Rawstrone
The nursery’s wunderkabinett is located in a tepee in its outdoor area
The nursery’s wunderkabinett is located in a tepee in its outdoor area

An enticing wooden apothecary-style cabinet with lots of little drawers perfect for storing children’s gathered treasures is sparking greater exploration and conversations at Back to the Garden Childcare in Altrincham, Greater Manchester.

The nursery, which is committed to a natural approach based on spending as much time as possible within nature, has recently introduced the fantastically named wunderkabinett into a tepee in its newly designed outdoor area.

Artist Sian Kellaway helped to develop the outdoor classroom and came up with the idea of introducing a ‘cabinet of curiosities’ inspired by those which started to emerge in the 16th Century and are thought to be the precursor of museums. Ms Kellaway sourced the cabinet online and it has become a favourite place for children to store their own intriguing natural items and for practitioners to gather loose-parts collections of sticks, logs, pebbles and pipes.

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