The Power of the Peg Doll

 I am happy to share that my peg dolls have been purchased and shipped all around the world along with my play mats, mountains, boats, & more.  As an early childhood educator and parent, I know that children's imaginations are sparked by the simplest things - a cardboard box, a stick, a peg doll. These simple wood turning dolls are handcrafted by a fellow Ohio artisan and hand painted by me.  They are sealed with a natural, non toxic sealer safe for children.

 Peg dolls can be anything and everything. One simple doll painted with a green body can be a zookeeper, a fairy, a mommy, a garbage man, and so much more.

 No bells. No whistles. No batteries. No small pieces to break off.  These peg dolls are unisex and hold a whole universe of imagination within them.

 Children have BIG ideas for these little peg dolls.  Adults do, too.  I have heard that they are being used for imaginative play, home decor, in classrooms, and even in play therapy!  I love the fact that not only are my peg dolls part of your children's childhood, but also that they can be part of the healing process for children. That's the power of the peg doll.  My heart is full.

This is the magic of childhood.

Have a fun and playful day!
Mel

Play is a powerful thing

 This weekend, Toys R Us had a sale on Schleich toys. I bought some baby elephant calves. My husband said that I bought the whole herd! Funny man, that one! :)

 The girls and I follow several Elephant conservation groups on Instagram. Every morning, we check in for updates on the different elephants in their care. We love seeing pictures from Elephant orphanages in Africa.

 The girls - ages 3 and 6 can locate Africa (&some of the countries within Africa!) on any map or globe now!

I am setting up a play elephant orphange with all these baby elephants from Schleich. Can you see the DETAIL on these toys? I mean, their leathery skin! Amazing. No. I am not getting paid by them, but I do love their animal replicas. Each one is hand painted!

It is on my list to visit Schleich when I go to Germany! Someday, someday.

Through play, we have learned about the elephants, people who care for them, and also people that try to hurt them. We talk about people who run the conservation centers and their jobs. We talk about people who champion for The end of the ivory trade. Prince Harry and Prince William always are mentioned :) The girls take on the roles of vets and caregivers of the elephants and love "feeding" them with baby shower favor baby bottles.

Africa is thousands of miles away. And poaching and extinction of elephants are big concepts for little ones. But through play, the concepts have become tangible and close to their hearts.

I am sharing the world with children through play. Play is a powerful thing.

Have a fun and playful day
Mel

Penguins in April

 Do not ask me why, but in Saturday, I woke up thinking Penguin Chicks. It did snow on Saturday here in Ohio in April. Was it my fault???

 Wouldn't these be cute for a baby shower for first birthday party???

Not happy to paint just one, I made a whole dozen Penguin Chicks Peg Dolls. A waddle of penguins!

The play possibilities are endless.

Add to winter pretend play, dollhouse, or play mat. Use as a cake topper. Gave as party favors.

They are now available in my shop
www.mybigworld2015.etsy.com

Have a fun and playful day
Mel

What is an Imagination Kit?

Simply put, an Imagination Kit is a collection of items - a couple of toys, items from Nature, and a play mat - to engage your child, spark their imagination, and encourage creative play.

Play is important. Imaginative play develops and strengthens language skills, storytelling, creative thinking, role playing, and more! If you are play alongside your child, Imagination Kits also promote strong bonds and communication skills with your child and...it's fun!

Immerse yourself in the whimsical small world play. Make up stories together. Laugh. Be silly. Or send as a gift to that special kiddo in your life.

I am the first one on #etsy to offer this concept. My background is early childhood education. Creating imaginative play was the basis for creating these Imagination Kits.

Too often kids sit in front of a tv or video game or DVD. Let's exercise their imagination. Let's remember how to PLAY and entertain ourselves. Let's make up our own stories and invent new fairytales!

Have a fun and playful day
Mel

Playdough Pasta and Straws - Toddler Sensory & Small Muscle Exercise

What I love most about playdough is the toddler educational benefits.  Playdough is probably the number one way to play to strengthen those small muscles in little fingers.  While they are molding and smooshing and manipulating the playdough, those little toddler finger muscles are getting a workout.  And strong finger muscles are needed to hold a pencil properly and control it and write.  Who knew playdough was so amazing, right?

You can set up the scenario at the table for your kiddo.  I started with a glob of playdough and poked 3 thin straws into the glob.  Roo immediately knew what to do, but if your toddler needs help, you can model what they are supposed to do.  Fit the pasta onto the straw and let it slide down.  Repeat again and again.  Toddlers learn through repetition.  You may go bored with it, but a while a toddler is exploring, they are learning.

This activity held Roo (who is 21 months) for about 30 minutes.  That's a looong time in toddler time!  Let your kiddo experiment and play until their attention span wears thin.  It could be 2 minutes.  It could be 22 minutes. 

Have a fun and playful day
Mel

Exploring Textures with Playdough

I love playdough.  I love the texture of it.  I love the creations. I even love the smell (am I weird?)  But what I love most about playdough is the educational benefits.  Playdough is probably the number one way to play to strengthen those small muscles in little fingers.  While they are molding and smooshing and manipulating the playdough, those little finger muscles are getting a workout.  And strong finger muscles are needed to hold a pencil properly and control it and write.  Who knew playdough was so amazing, right?

Today, we explored playdough and pasta (lions and tigers and bears oh my!).  We rolled the pasta across making ridges and made flower or gear impressions by pressing the end of the pasta into the playdough.

Phew!  That was a mighty good workout!

Have a fun and playful day
Mel

Makin Monsters

 Wanna make some crazy monsters or creatures or maybe aliens?

 Super easy. Super fun. Give your kiddo a glob of playdough, some straws, pasta, googly eyes, and other materials you have on hand.

 Let them poke poke poke away, adding whatever they like. I had fun making one, too. Playdough is therapeutic, I think.

What will you make today?

Have a fun and playful day
Mel

Two Hedgehogs - a tale of sibling rivalry

Once upon a time, two princesses aged 4.5 years and 21 months shared a playroom. The sisters mostly got along, but sometimes the younger princess got in the other one's last nerve.

The youngest princess wanted everything the older princess had. Everything. And if she didn't get it, oh my it was a royal tantrum that scared away the fiercest Dragon or biggest giant.

What's a nanny to do?

Well, when possible, encourage sharing and turn taking. Sometimes, I even set a timer to say when time is up. When possible, I have 2 of the most loved toys, but that could get expensive.  It all boils down to sometimes princesses scream and throw fits. Sometimes there is only one royal hedgehog. Sometimes, it doesn't seem like "just a phase", but it is. (until they become teenage princesses and fight over royal t-sshirts, ball gowns, and glass slippers, but that is another Grimm fairytale).

Teaching patience is difficult. It's a difficult concept for adults to learn in modern day I have to have in insta-now. But in the end, Cinderella had wait for her Fairygod Mother. Snow White had to wait on the Prince's kiss. Rapunzel had to wait on her hair to grow.  Patience is worth it.

Have a fun and playful day
Mel

Frozen Trolls

Are you still singing "Let It Go" in your head?  Have you seen the movie 462 times?  Well, if you are like me, you either love or hate the Frozen craze.  I actually love it.  I saw the movie in the theater then saw the sing a long version in the theater.  We belt every song we hear.  We play dress up and with the toys.

With the new movie Frozen Fever coming out soon, Anna and Elsa are here to stay!  My husband found some trolls and I set up this invitation to play for G and Roo.  They are going to LOVE it.  You can find this play may in my etsy shop www.mybigworld2015.etsy.com

Have a fun and playful day
Mel

Horsin Around

So, in this house, we are into all things horse!  We got a couple new ones for Easter and squeals of delight could be heard ALL over the neighborhood I think :)

Toys have come a long way since I was a kid.  I mean, just look at the realistic paint jobs and poses of these animals.  I think I am reliving my childhood through the kiddos.  It's fun to get down on the floor and lose myself in play alongside them.

Of course, on Happy Horse Farm, we have cats - lots of cats - and healthy foods and I think I saw a llama beside the barn.  Yep, kangaroos will be next.  In the imagination of a 4 year old, anything (and I do mean anything!) is possible.

Have a fun and playful day!
Mel

Vintage Toy meets New

We have been cleaning out my mother in-law's closets, basement, a and barns in preparation for her moving. As we cleaned the basement, I discovered this vintage gem. My husband and brothers had played with it as children. I brought it home and cleaned it up.

I knew exactly the fate of this vintage tree house treasure. It will host hours of imaginative play - maybe Peter Rabbit's greenhouse, maybe a rainforest camp, maybe a hideout for animals.  The possibilities are endless.

Maybe I will do some garage and yard saling this summer to find vintage toys and give them another go round with a new generation.

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

Happy Horse Farm ~ Magic of Childhood

I sometimes just sit back and watch the play unfold. Adults don't always need to facilitate the play. Children should facilitate the play. What happens next is pretty much magical.

Since I won't be with the kiddos for Easter, we gave them our gifts early. A couple new animals, new fence, and books.

The Happy Horse Farm was developed and came to life right before my eyes. "I have a new pony. Her name is Honey. She likes apples and laying down. She is friends with the barn cat." -G, age 4

Childhood is a short time. Cherish it. Nurture it. Put your phone, ipad, laptop down...and be present.

Have a fun and playful day
Mel

Panda Zen Garden

It's been a week of low energy and sickness here in the Nanny house.  So, I decided to be a little zen about the whole thing.  We made a panda zen garden for relaxing.  It took only a few items.

The wooden tray, I actually found at Walmart in the craft section.  It's supposed to be a wooden canvas, but on the flip side, it's a tray.  Perfect for our little garden.  (I am going to use it again in later posts to create playscapes, so keep your eyes peeled.)

Simply pour in salt, sugar, or sand - any of these work.

Place your pandas (these are from a Safari Ltd toob) or rocks or other small objects.

Then, rake through, making designs or patterns...and relax.  I have to admit that I too played with this after the kiddos were done. 

Have a fun and playful day
Mel