Our boxes are intended as a starting point to inspire you and your child to create, explore and learn together, creating seasonal rhythms and traditions in your family life
All our content is thoughtfully created by award-winning Montessori educator and Forest School leader Paula Woodman, who started her London-based Woodentots Montessori nurseries over 30 years ago. Peas and Pod brings together all of Paula’s vast experience and knowledge to craft a holistic, child-led learning journey for 3-7 year olds that parents can enjoy sharing with their child at home.
We believe in following the child, nurturing their creativity, and helping to develop independent thinking and confidence – these are probably the most important life skills they will need for their future world.
Our Story
Peas and Pod is a collaboration between Paula Woodman and Helen Griffiths
Whilst the classic interpretation of the phrase ‘peas in a pod’ is that all the peas are very similar – in fact, like snowflakes, all peas are individual and different.
The vision behind our name, Peas and Pod, reflects and celebrates this, with the peas representing the individuality and uniqueness of each child, and the pod providing the cosy home – a safe, nurturing, happy base and environment in which your child can grow, within a secure, gentle parenting platform.
Paula is a Montessori teacher and Forest School Leader who has run her own successful and well-regarded Montessori schools in North London for over 30 years. Recently recognised as Montessorian of the Year, Paula’s schools offer a unique and rich mix of Montessori, Steiner and Forest School, with child-led creativity at their core. She has two teenage daughters whom she parented the Montessori way, and she can now see the benefits that this has brought to her girls. Peas and Pod brings together her experience and knowledge to craft all the creative content and develop a blended learning journey parents can enjoy sharing with their child at home.
Helen is a creative director and holistic health practitioner who helps adults and children uncover and resolve their stresses, fears and limiting beliefs. As a mother to a 4-year-old, she had been looking for creative and nature-led home learning activities she could enjoy doing with her son, and, after meeting Paula, realised their combined experience was the perfect foundation upon which to build Peas and Pod.
Our Educational Framework
Our child-led educational boxes are designed to nurture children’s creativity and imagination whilst encouraging holistic development in key learning areas – encapsulating and celebrating nature and childhood in a framework of gentle parenting
Once deciding on the focus, the Montessori approach led the way in creating a child-led, hands-on learning experience. We offer Practical Life tools such as tongs, and little by little, with increasing control, your child will become more confident to use tools purposefully and build up their fine motor skills.
In Steiner, handcrafts are an important part of the daily rhythm – the teacher perhaps quietly sewing in the corner fosters curiosity. Our Parent and Child craft is a time to work together and introduce new skills. We want to ignite passion to learn more and offer extensions to perhaps revisit another day.
Reggio Emilia inspires our creative process and helps us to give your child rich experiences. We offer both a child-led and a Parent and Child creative project in each box. Once you’ve helped to set up the child activity, step back and let them explore, and remember it’s about the process, not just the end result.
Each box contains a Forest School activity for your child to take outside, designed to engage children with nature and enable connectivity and calmness. Whatever the weather, spotting different wildlife and creating adventures under trees, uses both physical and creative energy and helps build confidence and happy childhood memories.
Benefits of Connecting with Nature
There are huge benefits from giving our children freedom to spend time in nature and explore the natural world
Playing outside improves children’s physical fitness, exposing them to Vitamin D, plenty of fresh air, and building physical strength, laying healthy foundations for later life. Evidence also demonstrates that good physical health promotes better mental health.
Connecting with nature also brings educational benefits, with research showing outdoor learning and exposure to nature improves children’s ability cognitively in academic studies, as well as in team work, concentration and self-discipline.
Natural environments encourage imaginative and varied play, beyond the confines of artificially constructed playgrounds.
