A Snail as a Pet

 I admit that I watch Nick Jr.'s Peter Rabbit without my nanny girls.  I do.  I adore this show.  The other day, Benjamin Bunny (Peter's cousin) had a pet snail.

 Benjamin fed his snail...

 ...and did art with his snail...

 I was a cute story.  Then, Benjamin ought he lost his pet snail and was so sad.  Peter and Lily Bobtail had to help Benjamin find the snail.

I just love the art in this show - the scenery is amazing and life-like.  The stories are always encouraging - "Never Give Up!" Peter Rabbit says at least once a show.  I want to travel to England to see the countryside and farms and stone walls and...But until then, I will watch more Peter Rabbit.

Have a fun and play day
Mel

Nick Jr. Peter Rabbit Play

Peter Rabbit is a favorite in the nanny house. I will admit that I, too, watch the shenanigans of Peter Rabbit, Lily Bobtail, and Benjamin Bunny.

We get lost in the story and picturesque scenery. It's beautiful.

I sometimes watch the show for inspiation for my playscapes. "Make McGregor's garden," said G. Okay!

Playscapes are landscapes for imagination. With a garden playscape, kiddos can reenact scenes from the Nick Jr. Show or make up their own scenarios.

My playscapes are wool felt, hand-stitched, handmade. I add tiny details like gardens, mushrooms, hollow logs that animals can go through, babbling Brooks, grasses, etc. Each one takes me 6-8 hours, because I do everything by hand.  I believe in childhood. I believe in the power of play. I believe in imagination.

Have a fun and playful day
Mel

My Big World 2015 etsy shop

 This week, my plan was to complete 2...maybe 3...new playscape play mats for my etsy shop.  www.mybigwold2015.etsy.com  But there was sickness in the nanny house and I volunteered at my daughter's school.  I also road tripped to see my daughter at college.  Best laid plans, right?  I completed 1.

Completing One was disappointing but...I was able to just concentrate on adding so many tiny details to this one.

 There are so many ways to play with these playscape play mats.  I had a ton of fun this morning, staging different ways which a child might play with this.

 This Lakeside play mat has a 3 dimensional leaf boat.  I have never done a lake playscape or a boat before, but I love the way that it turned out.  This play mat is wool felt approximately 15 inches by 15 inches - not huge, so you could take it along in the car or to a restaurant or to a playdate.

 Gardens have been a part of every play mat that I have done so far, because my late Grandma Helen loved working in the garden.  I have many, many fond childhood memories beside her in the dirt talking, laughing, planting, weeding, picking.  The gardens on the play mats are a little more whimsical than Grandma Helen's, but I think she would have enjoyed them just the same.

 Whether it be tiny Japanese eraser hamsters, Safari or Schleich, or Papo animals, Lalaloopsy, Hello Kitty, dinosaurs - whatever your child is into...they can play on this play mat.

 These photos show all the tiny stitches and itty bitty mushrooms.  Each play mat takes me 6-8 hours to make, as they are all hand stitched.

 A Playscape is a landscape for imagination. "Imagination is more important that knowledge." - Albert Einstein

 I have been in the early childhood education field for 20+ years and know that children learn through play.  They need time to just play, to be creative, to let their imaginations run wild.

 Where will their imaginations take them?

 On a boat ride in a leaf on a lake?  On a picnic beside the lake?  A walk in a whimsical garden?

Have a fun and playful day
Mel

Creating Healthy Eaters Through Play

Have you ever thought about subliminal messages? Well, ponder this. Creating healthy eaters could be as simple as play.

On Nick Jr's Peter Rabbit, he is always eating fresh foods straight from the garden or forest. Stage you child's play with healthy foods like Peter Rabbit.

Maybe set up a mini farmer's market in your child's dress up area or in their dollhouse. Promoting healthy eating as easy as...not pie :)

Researchers have studied this for years, but moms know that children learn through play. Setting the stage with healthy food will send the message that apples and broccoli are examples of eating healthy.

I am a big fan of toys at the table. "Oh, Peter Rabbit is goubg to try some blackberries. How about you try some, too. " you might say.

Provide healthy snacks and encourage them to try new things.

Play with garden or farm toys and talk about where food comes from. I am always surprised when kids think food comes from the delivery man!

It's okay to play with your food!

Maybe provide healthy foods in the dollhouse can influence healthy food choices at dinner time.

It's all about positive attitudes towards being healthy and eating right, being a good example, and opportunities to play and act out scenarios of healthy food.

Have a fun and playful day.
Mel

Wishing for Spring

This morning, I woke up to snow covering the ground. I am wishing, hoping, dreaming of gardens and flowers and Peter Rabbit. Peter Rabbit is playing on one of my handmade playscapes from my etsy store.

Have a fun and playful day
Mel

My Big World Etsy Shop Launch Today!

 I launched the reopening of my Etsy shop today!  I am so excited to share this with you.  It's been a labor of love (and some crying, too!) for the past several months.

 There is a saying that goes something like, "there is good in the bad."  When my father in-law was diagnosed with Stage 4 brain cancer in September 2014. that's all we could think about.  I needed a distraction, something to take my mind off this.

 I needed a project.

 So in between visiting them and helping out and working, I started sewing.  It was therapeutic and a good distraction.  I am passionate about early childhood education (as most of you know) and I am a self-proclaimed geek when it comes to small toys like Schliech, Safari Ltd., Papo, Peter Rabbit, Tinkerbell, etc.  So why not combine the two?

 Playscapes are landscapes for imagination.  All hand-stitched with tiny details, these wool felt play mats are designed to encourage children's imaginations.  Maybe Peter Rabbit is in Mr. McGregor's garden again or...

 Maybe the fairies are hiding their treasures in this cave or the animals are having a camp out or...

 Maybe Hello Kitty and her friend are tending to their garden in the forest beside a stream of lily pads.

 Or maybe Mama Bear is watching her cubs play with their toy boat by the stream.  The possibilities are endless really.  Each whimsical playscape is all hand-stitched and filled with tiny details like tufts of grass, enchanting gardens, caves, twisting streams, hollow logs, stone pathways, 3D bridges, mossy patches, ponds, etc.  I have 4 to 6 hours in each playscape, but I love how they turned out.

Each one is approximately 15 inches by 15 inches.  Ready to ship. Ready to play.  There's a link over to the right hand side that will take you to my shop.

Have a fun & playful day!
Mel

What we are playing with today...

 PBS's Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood (based on Mister Rogers Neighbood Land of Make Believe ) is a HUGE hit with us. These adorable toys came in a set of 5 for $9.99 at Toys are us. There not no small parts, so little sister plays with them, too.

 Nickjr brought Peter Rabbit to a new generation. The computer animated series is sooo cute and has a good lesson in it.

What can l say? I live Schleich horses as much as the girls. They are all hand painted and have incredible detail. Now add the 3 sets together and oh, the stories l have heard today!

Have a fun and playful weekend.

Mel🐸