f is for family corner

family corner

still moving in, though this is clearly the nesting phase….my favorite.

family corner

i know we’ll hear this “door” open and close many times.

family corner

this family corner will also serve as a play area on sundays. this means that we’ll leave this set up as is (unlike other shelves/tables that we will move against the walls).

family cornerfamily cornerfamily corner

i like the term “family corner” more than “dramatic play” or “play kitchen” or “housekeeping.” hopefully i will actually get used to calling it that.

family corner

UPDATED: as i look at these photos, i remember what our family corner used to look like (plastic kitchen sets, hand me down soft chairs, a green braided rug from someone’s basement, a shelf with layers of paint…). in early 2002 a fire destroyed our classroom which resulted in all new (and matching!!!) equipment. i am so grateful for these high quality and beautiful props for our play.

m is for mirror

• Kids Club • by you.

and s is for shaving cream. : )

• Kids Club • by you.

our mirrors came in handy for a multi-age kids club meeting (the first ever). the activity was shaving cream and water play. honestly, shaving cream play always makes me nervous…the eye stinging possibility.

• Kids Club • by you.

there was one moment. luckily he is 10, can stay calm with his eyes closed and can even laugh when i said i would take a picture of him.

• Kids Club • by you.

the mirrors not only provided a place to see our silly selves all shaving creamed up, but a finger painting surface and most exciting, an instant fun house. because these are shatterproof acrylic, they are bendable (yes, one mirror did crack, but one out of 6 isn’t bad…and then we knew how far they could be bent):

• Kids Club • by you.

• Kids Club • by you.

• Kids Club • by you.

• Kids Club • by you.

• Kids Club • by you.

• Kids Club • by you.

this is the outside of our original and now returning preschool.

• Kids Club • by you.

and ahhhhh, this big boy was a preschooler of mine way back in the early days.

w is for washing

note: this activity was done during a week long camp
called “way back when…” for 4 & 5 year olds at our local museum.

washing time

oh, joy of joys.  a praire delight.  on the day we learned about clothing way back when, we washed our picnic cloths (so they would be clean for dress up as kerchiefs, bonnets, or superhero capes).
washing time

washing time

mr. vic came and told us about how water was hauled from a well into the house.  this is a real and functioning windmill.  he helped the preschoolers use the hand pump to fill our washtubs.

washing time

washing timewashing timewashing timewashing time

washing time

then since we couldn’t take them to the dryer, we hung them in the kansas sun.

washing time

washing time

dreamy.

washing time

t is for trading post

note: this activity was done during a week long camp
called “way back when…” for 4 & 5 year olds at our local museum.

after we made our purses/pouches and filled them with buttons, we added name tags (essential to figure out who didn’t have one….

sewing

things get a little chaotic when there are 19 kids sewing on the floor with the freedom to move on to dress up and wheel rolling when they are done).

pioneer dress up

we read some of the little house on the praire picture book series. there is a page that mentions that pa goes to town to trade his furs for things. we read that on tuesday and on friday worked hard to remember what was happening in that picture.

t is for trading post

then began our imaginary play. there was a bench with a sign (this is when i LOVE that the preschoolers can’t read yet) that we examined. after clues were given and letters were read, it was announced that this is our Trading Post. i explained that there was a woman who had a lot of quill pens, but since she was a wedding dress maker, she didn’t need quill pens, she needed white buttons! eyes lit up. one little girl innocently yelled, “i have some! i have some!” we went on a long journey through the darkened museum on a hunt for the trading post.

trading begins

when we arrived we took turns trading one white button for a quill pen (from the museum store). quite a good deal.

finding a button

making the trade

then there was trying out of the new quill pens (a little different than our quill/paint project) and resting because this was friday towards the end of the morning and some were t.i.r.e.d.

trying the quill pens

this was one of my very favorite moments of the week. wonderful fun.