I, "Spiky Surprise": The Chestnut with a Hidden Treat 🌳🌰✨

What do you think is hiding in this dense forest of coils and spiky burrs? Could it be an animal? 🦔 A mysterious fruit? 🍂 Or perhaps an unknown, magical creature? 🧩 Take a closer look and you might discover…me! For now you can call me Spiky Treat t and hidden inside my prickly burrs are some of the tastiest nuts you’ll ever find—sweet, delicious chestnuts! 🌰✨

My journey begins high in the branches of a grand sweet chestnut tree, where I grow safely inside my spiky shell. In autumn 🍂, I tumble to the ground, protected by my sharp outer coat, just waiting for the right time to release my sweet treasure into the world. 🌿🌍

As I wait on the forest floor, animals like squirrels 🐿️ and wild boars 🐗 might try to carry me away, hoping to stash me for winter. But I am patient. ⏳ When the cool rains fall 🌧️ and winter ❄️ approaches, my tough shell softens, and I push tiny roots deep into the soil 🌱, anchoring myself firmly. Beneath the ground, I drink up nutrients 🌿, while above, I send a delicate shoot reaching for the sunlight. 🌞 Over time, that small shoot will grow into a tall, mighty tree, just like the one I came from!

I’m not just about sweet snacks though! 🌰 My strong, long-lasting wood has been used for building, furniture, and even wine barrels! 🍷Humans have known about my sweet chestnuts for hundreds of years! They did quite alot of experimets with me, they roasted my nuts over a fire during cold winter nights or grind them into flour to make bread, cakes, and even pasta! 🍞🍰🌰 In fact, the ancient Romans loved me so much that they planted chestnut trees wherever they went. My chestnuts were prized because they could be stored for long periods, helping people survive through tough winters. 🌰🍞

Did you know that my nuts are even mentioned in folklore and traditional songs? In some places, people say, "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire" 🎶🔥 to celebrate the warmth and comfort my sweet nuts bring during the coldest months. 🌰❄️ One famous Norwegian artist, Edvard Munch, even painted himself sitting Under the Chestnut Tree 🖼️—the same title he gave to his painting.

🌳 Maybe we can go collect some sweet chesnuts and make an open fire to roast them? Perhaps we can do some art with the remaining shells? 🍂🎨 🌰✨

I-narrative stories are best told aloud, allowing children to fully engage their imagination and connect deeply with the subject. Sometimes, we use charts or visual aids to spark even more curiosity and understanding. I tailor these stories because of my passion for storytelling and my desire to connect children with the world around them. Through stories, children can explore nature, history, art, biology, music, geometry, language, geography and the wonders of the universe in a way that feels memorable and alive.

P.S. When telling this story , do not reveal the star right away, instead invite children to listen carefully and try to guess the star from the clues which the story reveals little by little.

With Montessori joy,
Vanina 😊