The Pet Store

Noticing that the children were tiring of the house center, we asked them to suggest ideas for what the dramatic arts center could be next. There were many great ideas - a motocycle shop, restaurant, art gallery, pet shop, and super hero headquarters.

We put the children's ideas into a graph and had them vote for their favourite using the Smart Board.

The Harley Shop came in first with the Pet Store a close second.

The children decided to use the building center as the Harley Shop, so the dramatic arts center became the Pet Store. With Mr. Cipkar's help, the children quickly changed the center. They stored the house items away and thought of what they needed for a Pet Shop.

They made a list to help guide them.

Some children gathered animals and other materials from around the room, others wrote words and made labels for the objects.

The children were very creative in how they made cages for the animals. Some used baskets from around the room...

Others used hanging net baskets...

The stove and fridge were turned into cages too!

We turned a large bin into a fish aquarium, with real water and plastic fish floating within.

We painted a sign for the store.

The children labelled the animals' cages.

They decided on how much to charge for the animals and got their cash register ready.

At the end of the day, a happy customer purchased some fish!

The vet was called in for an animal that suddenly became sick, but after some medication it felt better!

We can't wait to see what other animal adventures await at our new center! We have encouraged children to bring in stuffed animals for the center (we've asked them to ask a family member for permission first). If you choose to allow your child to share his/her animals, please label them with your child's name. Thank you!