Witches kitchen in dramatic play

I made a witches kitchen for children to play in this month. They can be creative while practicing practical life skills...
Opening/closing jar lids
Tonging
Tweezing
Pouring
Scooping/spooning
Hand eye coordination
Categorizing
Cooperating
I will add glitter play dough, slime, pumpkin guts, seeds and more in the next few weeks.

Forests n camouflage

Yard camping

We made a camp kitchen for our play yard campsite. We are working together to make food, wash dishes, and get our tent just right.

Children's summer mosaic

Plaster of Paris in a thrift store silver platter with shells, beads, and gems stuck into it. Easy, quick and fun for kids to do.

Fly Swatter painting

My version of recycled egg carton flowers

I CUT THEM, THE KIDS PAINTED THEM, AND WE TURNED THEM INTO MAGNETS FOR MOTHER"S DAY!!! HERE THEY ARE ON THE FRIDGE

Juice box Popsicles

Freeze then cut in half with a knife!

Great unconventional finds at the Dollar Store!

The dollar store brings me great joy in my personal and professional life. I love to browse to see what unconventional items I can use for children’s activities. This month I thought I would share them with you!

The one item I think everyone should have is a dish tub or two. You can fill them with beans, salt, cornmeal…anything!  Add spoons, funnels, and containers for your children to explore with. You can put interesting objects of different texture and size in for babies to take in and out as well!!

Get some adult sized paintbrushes and or foam roller brushes. Give your child a bucket of water and send them outside to “paint”.

Get a pack of birthday candles for your little one to put into play dough- you will be surprised how long they will play with these!

Buy some tongs and cotton balls. Have children move cotton balls from one bowl to another with the tongs. They can also tong tissue, plastic eggs, sponges…anything. This activity is great for hand eye and fine motor skills.

Baby soap or regular soap can be so much fun for children to pump out and play in! Use the dish tubs to set up a “baby bath” with a plastic doll, or a dino bath with plastic animals. Has your child ever been able to use a bar of soap to the end?? Pick up a bar of soap too!

I always pick up big packs of sponges for myself and for the children. They love to “wash” things and squeeze soap in their tubs. I like that I can switch my dish sponges out often and not worry about the cost. Yu can cut them into different shpes and let them spongpaint too!

Buy some fake flowers and a vase or two so your child can make “flower arrangements”.

Have you ever given preschoolers some rope  a net? They love to make traps, leashes, knots. You can tie short pieces to trucks and or shoe boxes for babies to fill and pull.

Buy some packs of those little jewel marbles or rocks and see what they do with them. You can add an egg carton or little bowls for them to  take small treasures in and out of.

Process

My 2-3 year olds made this sculpture from recycled materials. We built it with recyclables, glued it together, then put paper mache over it. The children painted it then decorated their creation with little things we found in our art area.

Recycled sculpture

Art process versus craft

http://www.education.com/magazine/article/raising_young_artists/

Do you know the difference between a child's art process and doing a craft with a desired outcme?

Dish garden

This month we talked about eggs and seeds. We made a dish garden for our bird toys but you can add any bug or plastic animal. It is so easy. Add soil and birdseed to a tray, spray with water, and cover with plastic wrap or damp paper towel. In a few days... It grows! The children love to play in it. Your child can water it with a spray bottle and trim the grass with scissors. This is great for creativity, small motor skills and science.

Sensory Fun: This
month put some birdseed in a large Tupperware container, dish tub, or large
bowl. (I like the dish tubs you can get at the Dollar Store.) Add some saved recyclable containers, plastic
eggs, and/or spoons for scooping then sit down with a magazine because they
will be busy for awhile! Don’t worry about mess- you can clean it up quickly
with the vacuum!! For Babies you can
fill the bin with plastic Easter eggs instead of birdseed and hide things in
the eggs SKILLS: sensory
development, science, math, creativity, fine motor development, hand eye
coordination
Growing birdseed in a dish- Gather an old plastic or glass dinner plate (the bigger the better)
and cover the bottom with soil. Have your child sprinkle birdseed all over the
top of the soil. Next add a little more soil to just barely cover the seed and
water with a squirt bottle. Cover the
dish with plastic wrap and water a bit everyday without drowning it or letting
it dry out. You should see sprouts shortly and then you can keep it uncovered.
When the grass grows you can add some small plastic animals or people and let
the children use their imagination as they play. SKILLS: science, creativity, small motor development, math,
cognitive development

Tools!

Children ove real tools and if given proper direction and supervision can use them carefully!