Dramatic Play: It's Brain Smart!

Dramatic Play is not only a source of wonder and magic -- it is good for cognitive development!  Pretend play requires the ability to transform objects and actions symbolically; for example, pretending to be mommy or a doctor; pretending a bowl of nuts and leaves is oatmeal for Goldilocks. 

There is research that has shown that pretend play coupled with literacy props increases a child's understanding and awareness of environment print and the use of signs.

In Dramatic play children:

• develop their receptive and expressive language skills (listening and speaking)
• expand capacity for imagining
• imitate life around them (being a mommy, fix a meal, etc)
• build their attention and engagement capacity
• learn how to negotiate other children and their thoughts, ideas and strategies
• develop important abstract thinking skills
• put math understandings to use in meaningful/playful context (counting, sorting, etc)
• practice problem solving skills with their peers
• build their working vocabulary
• and more!

 Here are some elements of a high quality pretend play in the Dramatic Play/Housekeeping Center:

•  The use of real objects such as placemats, cups, forks, wooden plates, tins, wooden spoons, etc.   These can be more engaging and meaningful to role playing when chosen carefully. 

•  The home in miniature.  Dollhouses are excellent places to "pretend" the daily round of life and all the rich relationships held in this primal place.

• Using nature items such log discs for plates.  

• . . . using pinecones as food.  The use of non-representational (open-ended) items is very important.  It exercises the imagination (frontal lobes).

•  The use of warm and comforting colors (versus loud and primary colors).  This provides a visual canvas for the child's imagination.

•  Chest of drawers filled hats, scarves, and other role playing props. 

•  Shoes for different occasions.  These can encourage seasonal pretend play as well as a variety of coats and outwear. (Builds a relationship and care for the impact of weather.)

•  Baby dolls and beds.  These can encourage the nurturing actions of pretend play. (Builds empathy and compassion skills)

•  A sense of beauty and order to the pretend rich spaces.   It is important to restore the order after the play is over.  Have the children help in putting things back in their places.  (Sorting and classifying skills)

•  A variety of textures - plastic, metal, cloth, wood, woven. 

A BIG THANK YOU to the teachers of Rosa Parks Early Childhood Center for the generosity of sharing their rooms.  All the photos in this post are from Rosa Parks.  What an inspiration!!

Reggio Emilia: Tables

Rosa Parks Preschool in Tulsa, Oklahoma - had so many wonderful tables.  Here are some amazing ideas from their classrooms. 

 A large wooden spool with log stumps for chairs.   I love the beads sorted in the muffin tin for stringing for the hanging art.

 I adore this idea so much!! WOW!  An old door transformed into a table with a pelxi-glass top.

 Isn't it grand?!! I love that you can see through it.  I want one!

Here is another table made from a door purchased at Lowes.   Again, a pelxi-glass top is attached.

 Brilliant use of a wooden spool.  Look closely at the books below!

 And then there are the housekeeping tables!  Look at the adorable wood trunk plates!  Me oh my!  Love it!

 I love the napkins and vases on these tables.  Beautiful.  

This is a cool thing to do!  A non-breakable wall mirror put on the table with nature objects.  

Again and again I must praise and thank the wonderful teachers and folks at Rosa Parks Preschool.  You have given us so much.  We will thank you by bringing your magic into our classrooms.

BIG HUGS!

(one more post tomorrow!)

Cheap Imaginative Play Ideas!

I am such a huge advocate for imaginative play.  I think children need a good daily dose until at least 9 years of age.  There is a developmental unfoldment of the imagination that provides the ground work for higher order thinking.   Imaginative play provides nourishment for the frontal lobes.  In reality, imaginative play is a very academic activity - we just don't see the results directly.

Here are a few things I found on the internet that I loved!  So easy and cheap!  I have noticed through the years that if I involve the children in the "transformation" of materials - there is a deep appreciation and engagement in the items constructed.  These are a few ideas that the children could be in the process of making them.   Obviously, they can not cut the cardboard but they could help design and paint the item.

From Parents.com - they have a series of ideas for what you can make out of a box!  I loved, loved, loved making things out of boxes as a young girl!

link:  cardboard crafts

Dress up play!  Make costumes for your dramatic play center out of throw aways! Great idea from RealSimple. com!

Link: Brown Bag Costume

Here is a kitchen set made out of a box!  How cool is that?  I found this on pinterest and did not find a site for instructions.  If you know it - please let me know and I will attach it. 

Ooo yummy felt foods!

I absolutely adore making my housekeeping a yummy place to play!  Loading it with real props and avoiding plastic toys are my starting point.  I try to keep those ugly plastic food sets out of my housekeeping center.  It is so much more fun to make our own food out of the "bread dough ornament" recipe or FELT! Stores like IKEA are now selling sets but they are still a bit pricey.  Here are a few bloggers sharing some of their delicious felt food. 

I love, love, love this simple CUPCAKE tutorial!  It looks easy enough I could whip up a nice batch.

Instructions at Hoogli Art

Oh, my kinders are going to eat this PIZZA up!  So cute!  

Instructions at Semi-Crunchy Mama

This is such a brilliant idea!  Raw sugar COOKIES and baked ones for a set! Yes!

Instructions can be found at Pink and Green Mama

We can open our own SUSHI Train in the kindergarten!  I think the kinders could help make these. . .

Instructions at: Julie In Taiwan

PANCAKES! Felt yummi-ness!

Instructions at Pink Tea

SPAGHETTI  from a great little blog about felt play food!!

Instructions at Play with your food

Little Red Hen's Bakery

A little peek into my current housekeeping center:

 I stock the center with lots of baking tools, containers of baking ingredients, the pretend bread items the children made, and more.

 I put a little lamp on the table.  It creates such a special mood.

 I love to use the bright red and white gingham print for the playstands and in the window.  I have this sweet table cloth I found at a garage sale that has red needle work for the table.

 Play money, menus and ordering pads are the finishing touches.

A Peek into My Classroom

The story of the Three Pigs offer so many extensions.  Here are a few currently underway in my classroom:

 I set up my IKEA roadway rug (super cheap and wonderful) with matchbox cars, little wooden cars and a set of little wooden traffic signs.  I like to bring the idea of the neighborhood, community, community helpers inside this theme.  It all starts with our homes.

 The children love this center.  We have to put speed limits in our little village tho. . .Cars do like to zoom at fast speeds!

 Little notepads with a little pen.  Writing magic.  All sorts of writing unfolds. . .

 This is one of those YES finds!  I have a wooden tool bench that I found on clearance at Target for $20.  A couple of hard hats, an extra set of construction nuts and bolts and a way we go!  (I think IKEA and Target are both teacher heaven.)

 Have you noticed how some children "pile" when they play?  All the toys end up piled?  If you watch the children who do this and then check out their drawings and writing--- interestingly --- you will find they are children who cannot write letters yet (or just beginning) and have yet to put details into drawings.  In other words, a sense of order spatially has yet to emerge.

Housekeeping becomes a combination of doctor, police station, and eye doctor!  I put various tools of different community helpers in housekeeping and let the children roll with it. 

 Here is glimpse of what happened Monday.  There was a large group who took some of the materials from housekeeping out on to the carpet and formed their own "office."

 I thought it was way cool because it allowed more room for collaborative play.  They had more room to create together.  Housekeeping was too small.  Yay!  Love the expanded play!

 Ooo, colored light is so enchanting!  I saw this in a classroom years ago and loved it!  I draw the letters on copy paper and let the children use the light bright to "build" a light filled letter! 

 Excellent for building fine motor skills as well.

 A view of the humming classroom. . .

 Glorious pad of paper providing writing in play.  Gotta love it!

An Artful Housekeeping Center

There is this gasp of joy in the classroom when housekeeping center transforms.  It is my kinders favorite center.  It is my goal to transform this center every two weeks.  I notice that this refreshes the childrens' play as well.   There is an art to this - having enough materials to create new settings!

First, I collect wooden bowls, silver trays, tea pots, and other small items to fill this center.  I love to collect special wooden items, international clothing, tablecloths, napkins, metal goblets - any sweet treasures I might find at a thrift store, garage sale or gift from friends.

Second, I keep about 5 large boxes with items to put into the housekeeping center when there is not a specific theme to set up.   This gives me a large palette of items to choose from and create something special.  I also keep several boxes of fabric to put over the top of my playstands.  (I love saris for this!  Look at your local Indian markets for lovely silk saris - they make amazing covers.)

Third, I avoid ALL plastic toys of any kind.  I do not feel that having a center that mirrors what is at home provides any benefit to my students.  I take extra care to make sure it is nothing like what they have in their own environments.

Finally, the children love to have real things to play with.  I purchased as much "real" adult items as I can that are safe and appropriate for the center.

Here is a peek at some of the treasures currently in the housekeeping center.

 Nesting dolls and hand-painted wooden bowls are a wonderful find to add to housekeeping.  I like to mix cultures sometimes to give a global atmosphere.  I also buy little wooden spoons. 

There are so many wooden acorn bowls and the like available in thrift stores.  If you start looking, you will find all you could possibly need for a very small investment.

I have found these little teapots at my local thrift store.  They usually sell for a few bucks and last years.

My area has yearly cultural festivals.  I love buying outfits at these gatherings for housekeeping.  The colors and detailing are so magical.

Candlesticks are a great addition to housekeeping.  I found wooden ones at Hobby Lobby for a few bucks.  I have a wonderful little set of wooden bowls with shell inside that the children enjoy.  There is a hand-carved cup from a student's grandfather.