A box of nature lessons

The subscription box hopes to acquaint kids with the changing seasons, soil, plants, animals, insects and birds

As a child, landscape architect Nandita Teaotia says conversations around (and about) nature were not unusual at home. Her father is a landscape designer, and her grandfather, a horticultural scientist. "[Because of that] I always had the benefit of being exposed to the environment, and learnt so much from it. It had become really important to me," she shares. Over the years, especially through her work, she recalls noticing an utter disregard for nature, especially among adults.

Nandita Teaotia

When she became a mother, she felt there was a need to help kids develop a connection with the environment at an early age. This was also when the germ of the idea for a nature box for kids came to her. Pilkhan is a monthly subscription box - you can get a one-, three- or six-month subscription - designed for three to eight-year-olds. Each box contains activities around planting and something that they'd need to create. "This really requires kids to go outside and collect material, like twigs and shells, and get their hands dirty." There's also a reading activity, involving a book that is nature-related, and an exploration task, like a scavenger-hunt. The icing on the cake is a surprise gift, which comes with every box. The idea is to make kids acquainted with the changing seasons, soil, plants, animals, insects and birds, so that they experience the magic of nature and learn its quiet lessons, says Teaotia.

WHAT: Pilkhan, a monthly subscription nature box
WHERE: https://pilkhan.in/