Fairy Playscape

I've been trying to get rid of a lot of our overly commercial toys the last several months. We have a plastic dollhouse that the kids haven't been very interested in. 

I have been thinking of a way to update it because I like how open and empty the dollhouse is. There is a lot of potential for creative play because there isn't much prescribed within the body of the house. After some thought I turned the house into a fairy house using natural materials like shells, rocks, and moss.

It took a very long time to hot glue the materials on the dollhouse, but the result was worth it! My daughter was thrilled when she saw it!

I was eager to capitalize on this interest, so I added a few props to enhance the play (fake grass, fabric flowers, large shells) and turned our sensory table into a fairy playscape.

The result? Hours of imaginative play! I'm eager to take this house outdoors into the garden when the flowers bloom and see how the play evolves as more natural elements from the yard and garden can be incorporated into the house.

My daughter decided to add a 'pool' for the fairies which was a shallow plastic bowl filled with water. It was interesting to add the water element to the playscape and created a whole new layer of exploration. The water drew her little brother in too!

Nothing like a dip in the pool to relax after a hard afternoon of imaginative play! My next goal is to encourage my daughter to design and create her own fairies using our art materials.

Sand Play Dough and Shells

I hope wherever you are there has been sunshine and warmth. Unfortunately Southern Ontario still looks a lot like winter. While dreaming of the summer I decided to create some sand play dough for a little beachy fun with the kids. We just added a cup of play sand to our normal play dough recipe. 

I presented the activity to the children using a wooden sorting tray filled with interesting shells.

Using only play dough rollers, the dough and the shells, the children were invited to explore and create whatever they liked. 

At first they were interested in the patterns the shells made when pressed into the dough. After exploring the materials for a while they began imagining a bit deeper about the meanings behind their creations.

"Here's our family Momma! Here's you, Daddy, me..." Caleb points to each shell and names us off one by one!

"I made little holes in the sand where the moles are hiding!" Cadence laughs as she recalls the story I told her earlier about the creatures who are eating the seeds under our bird feeder outside.

"Just a pretty design Momma. I like the little shells going around and around."

"Like the teeth of a monster!" Monsters have been a bit hit in our house recently for some reason!