Craft Day Tuesdays - Necklace plus Art

 Does inspiration ever come to you at the weirdest times? It does me.  I went to Hobby Lobby on Saturday.  I was a woman on a mission.  I knew exactly what I needed.  I had a short window of time...then BAM!  Inspiration struck.  I saw these tiny wooden discs and I thought, "I know our next project!"

 We painted the discs pale blue.  It took very little paint to do 4, so a whole bottle of paint would probably paint 50+.  Then, we went off to play while they dried.

 Later, we drew the "scenery" with Sharpie markers.  Just fun things like sunshine, grass, rainbow, etc.  Easy, right?

We picked which button would go with each scene (Dress It Buttons - aren't they cute?).  I hot glued on the buttons.  I burn my fingers ev.ery.time.  Then, I hot glued the ribbon on the back for the necklace.

They turned out sooo cute.  I might make theses with my nieces and nephew, too.  They were a hit!

8 wooden discs - $1.99
Blue paint - $1.00
Ribbon - $1.00
We already had the Sharpies and the buttons

Are you inspired to make some adorable necklaces?  I think I want to wear the unicorn one!  :)

Have a fun and playful day!
Mel

Safari Ltd. Toobs Terrariums

We made terrariums yesterday.  They are simple and easy to make.  Kids LOVE to make them.  I mean, come on, you get to play with dirt!  After we layered rocks, potting soil, and plants, we played around with what we would put in them.

Of course, I have a lot of Safari Ltd Toobs - toobs full of possibilities!  I snapped a few photos of the different versions that we made.

We also used Dress It Up buttons and Safari Ltd Good Luck minis.  Kids (and adults!) will enjoy creating these mini worlds and taking care of them.  There's something magical about terrariums, something that makes the imagination start buzzing!

Have a fun and playful day!
Mel

Baby Food Jar Terrariums

 Remember this hint from yesterday?  No, there will not be a new baby in our house.  We are making mini terrariums with baby food jars!

 It's sooo easy.  Layer pebbles then potting soil then plants.  I used a plant called "baby's tears" available everywhere.  I went to my local nursery and they had tons of it.

 Now, comes the fun part.  Add in any small animal, rocks, gems, fake mushrooms, etc.  Use your imagination or "borrow" some of my ideas.  I used these teeny tiny mushrooms that I found at Micheal's Craft Store - a bundle was $2.99.  The deer is a button from Dress It Up buttons. You can find them at Hobby Lobby, JoAnn, or at shellysbuttonsandmore.com

 The rabbit above is from a Safari Ltd Toob.  Very woodland, right?  AND just in time for Easter.

 The blue butterfly is from Safari Ltd as well - it's in a "good luck" pack found at Michael's.  They also have dragons and unicorns and animals - very tiny not recommended for kids under 3. :)

 I call her Cinderella, but she is a princess button from Dress It Up.  There are 3 princesses in that pack - purple, yellow, and blue for $2.00

This bear is also a button - how cute are these??? - from Dress It Up.  I cannot get over the cuteness level of their buttons!

The fun thing about terrariums is...1) they are easy to make, 2) kids will enjoy making them, 3) it's creative and imaginative, 4) if you can out the animal or button, it's a whole new scene!  I love creating terrariums, because you don't need much of a green thumb to keep them alive.  They cost very little to make.  And it's like you are creating this tiny new world.  Plus, it's science.  It's nature.  It's fun...and kinda messy, too.

Have a fun and playful day!
Mel

Birch Forest Playscape

 So I fell in love with these birch straws from https://www.etsy.com/shop/CupcakeSocial an HAD to order them.  They arrived this week and are adorable!  I knew exactly at I as going to do with them - create a birch forest playscape, of course.

I used Crayola's light blue Model Magic for the ground then simply stuck the straws right in - instant forest.  The deer is from Safari Ltd and the fox, bluebird, owl, and skunk are buttons from dressitup.com

 Here are Mooshka dolls.  Aren't they adorable?  I found them for $4.99 each at Target and thought they fit in well with my birch forest theme.

I am obviously playing around here.  I have had the Flu and my creativity has been zapped.  But today, I am feeling good and full of ideas. I found this pillow favor box at Joann by K&C Company.  I thought,"What a cute party favor! And I can add a Safari Ltd koala to it for party perfection."  ust something I am working on.

Well, while I still have good light, I am going to get back to my photosafari!

Have a fun and playful day!
Mel

Math Games Mondays - 10 in a Bed

You know that song 10 in a Bed?  Why not make it come to life?  You can gather up a doll bed and 10 bear buttons (these at Dress It Up buttons - shellysbuttonsandmore.com) As you sing the song, act out the words with your bed and bear buttons.  It's a good exercise in literacy, language development, fun, and bonding.

10 in a bed
and the little one said, "Roll over! Roll over!"
so they all rolled over
and one fell out
There were 9 in the bed...
etc.

Have a fun and playful day!
Mel

10 in a Bed by melanieshanks on Polyvore

Rainbow Forest Done (for now!)

Well, it looks like the Rainbow Forest project is done for now.  There is a proud look of accomplishment on her little face and a smile that speaks volumes.  All her little animals aka "the animals of the world" are in place and settling into their new home.

I took photos in sections, so you can see the amount of animals that live in this Rainbow Forest.  "They are happy and all get along.  The trees are very branchy and give them shade and make them cozy."

"They monkey just has to stay in that tree.  He loves it so.  Oh, hello my pretty deer, come see me.  I will put you in a special place.  You and Bear are friends."

"I think maybe my horses will come for a visit, but they won't stay.  They live in the barn.  It's cozy for them.  Maybe one or two horses will live here."

I am not sure if this project is complete or not.  But, for now, it is sitting in a prime area on the buffet, where it is easy to access by G when she needs to rearrange the trees, but out of reach of little sister Roo.  Location, location, location. 

to be continued...?

Have a fun and playful day.
Mel

Once Upon A Time in a Rainbow Forest

"Once upon a time, there was a Rainbow Forest.  It was a cozy play, where lots of animals live.  I wish I could live there too.  It's sooo cozy..."

"...lot's of animals live in the Rainbow Forest and make it their home.  There's deers and hedgehogs and skunks and a whooole lotta birds..."

"...sometimes a baby dragon is in the Rainbow Forest and needs someone to take care of him.  He is a tiny baby dragon..."

"...the fairies take care of baby dragons and alllll the animals.  They are good at taking care of animals.  If I was lost there, they would take care of me.  No bad people are in the Rainbow Forest.  If bad people did come, the fairies would hide everyone..."

"...foxes are in the Rainbow Forest too.  They are onry sometimes and play tricks on the other animals.  Look, there are owls, too!"

"...we can take care of hedgehogs and deers just like the fairies, but first we have to catch them.  Where is there a forest here?  I do want to find a Rainbow Forest big enough for me to stay in.  I think they eat and drink and sleep and play alllll day in the Rainbow Forest.  It's a happy place and cozy, too..."

"...lots of birds live in the trees but one lives on the ground.  The red bird is flying.  I can fly too.  Watch me..." (running about with arms flapping)

"...the fairies take care of alllll the animals then they go to sleep.  The End." - G, age 4

I do love the imagination of this child.

Have a fun and playful day!
Mel

Playscapes - Setting the Stage for Play

I once interviewed for a preschool teacher position (I didn't take it) and the woman interviewing me kept repeat, "The classroom needs to look like a catalog."  I had to ask about this.  She said, "When the room is empty, it must look like the pages of a catalog - neat and clean and organized."  While I agreed with the fact that the room needed to be straightened up, I also know how kids play.  If they build a tower, after recess, they want to come back and add to that tower.

For many years, I have thought about that preschool and tweaked their approach.  I think the classroom or playroom or play area should be an invitation to play.  When a child or children walk into a room, they should be immediately drawn to an area, to the toys, to learning.  Toys don't need lots of bells and whistles and make noises to be engaging. When I taught preschool for 14 years, I always had the classroom set up - staged for play if you will - for the kids coming in.  If they were excited to play and found something to engage themselves, transitions and drop offs were much smoother.

As a nanny now of 4 years, I still set the stage for play.  While they are napping, I arrange their toys to scream, "come play with us!"  I often set up a scene to engage them.  In December, one day they woke up to a whole village of gingerbread houses complete with a river made of felt and a cardboard bridge.  Don't you know that they played with that village well into January?

I have been hand-stitching playscapes - landscapes for the imagination - for my etsy store.  You could simply set out the playscape play mat with a few toys as the pictures here in this post are an example and let the child's imagination run wild.

Maybe the Smurfs are hiding in the cave or the Schleich fantasy creatures are going to take a swim in the babbling brook.  Jake and the Neverland Pirates might be playing a prank on old Captain Hook or maybe Snow White is singing to the woodland animals.  Whatever the scenario, the stage for play is set.  Batteries are not included, because they are not required.  Only the power of imagination powers this play.

Playscapes are available in my etsy store - link to the right or www.mybigworld2015.etsy.com

Have a fun & playful day.
Mel

Math Games Mondays - Buttons make great counters

I am not reinventing the wheel here.

Preschool teachers have been using buttons as preschool math counters for a looong time. But I recently discovered Jesse James Dress It Up buttons and my mind started spinning with the possibilities ~ themes and games and sorting.

I first found these adorable buttons at Joann stores then Meijer and Hobby Lobby. Dressitup.com has many many irresistible varieties. I am planning some Math Games Mondays with these cuties. 

Preschool teachers and kindergarten teachers tend to use themes.  Trust me, you will be able to find buttons to fit your theme with Dress It Up buttons.  No, I don't work for them and no, this is not a paid advertisement.  I just love these adorable buttons.  More ideas coming soon.

Have a fun and playful day!
Mel

Buttons make great counters by melanieshanks featuring garden gnomes