Board Books - not just for babies

 Board books are works of art in the hands of children.  Usually colorful illustrations accompany simple text.  This is what makes them perfect for early readers.

 Want to encourage a toddler or preschooler to get a bath? Read a book like this where different animals get different kinds of baths and pair with an animals.  Let them take the animals into the bath with them.  Clean the animals. Clean yourself.  It's a parent win!

 Board books are great for teaching early concepts like counting and letter sounds.  One Tiger is thee perfect counting book!

 Add animals to any book for kiddos to get excited about storytime and reading.  Someday, when I decide to go get a PhD, I am going to write about how making characters from a book tangible to children helps them to comprehend and retain the book more completely.  And, hey, how cute is this Schleich Bear?  When children have props, they can later act out or retell the story.

Make the story come alive.  Preschoolers love the book Dinosaur Roar!  let them retell it with their favorite dinosaurs.

Play Dough Perfect Play

 Early childhood education will always have a special place in my heart.  I taught preschool for 12+ years and loved it so much!

 I used to tell parents, "Play isn't rocket science, but it is IMPORTANT."

 Two of the most beneficial things that parents can do with their child:
1.) Read
Read lots of books. Read all types of books.  Read all the time.
2.) Play Dough
The benefits of play dough outweigh any mess that may occur.  Child are squeezing and pinching and poking and rolling play dough.  These actions are strengthening their small muscles in their fingers that will someday soon need to be strong enough to hold and control a pencil to write their letters, their name, the next great American novel!  :)

 Play dough brings out the imagination.  This morning, in a matter of 30 minutes, Roo made a forest scene, a nest, and an ocean.

 My friend Kira @z_dough makes wonderful wonderful wonderful scents in her play dough.  This morning, we played with Blueberry, Wntergreen, and Eucalyptus.

 Did you know that smells "awaken the brain" to learning?  They do!  Why not incorporate smells (good ones!) into play?  Children will be using the sense of smell and touch when playing with ZDough.

Play is important.

Play does not have to be complicated.

Books.

Play Dough.

Splashing in water.

Finger paints.

Pretend play.

Don't over think it.  Let your child take the lead. See what interests them and play along! As I always say, the play possibilities are endless.

Have a fun and playful day!

Mel

zdough.etsy.com

@z_dough on Instagram

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

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

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

More St. Patrick's Day Cards for Kids

I am putting happy in mailboxes this St. Patrick's Day!  I simply photographed some Schleich animals with buttons from shellysbuttonsandmore.com (they are Dress It Up buttons by Jesse James) then printed at CVS.

A 4x6 photo can be sent as a postcard with a single stamp.  These are going to my nieces and nephews this week.

They are fun and playful!!!

I love the quality of Schleich's animal toys.  Each one is hand-painted.  They can be found online and at Toys R Us.  I have been playing with these toys for years.  I used them in my classroom for years and now as models for holiday cards.

I need to find a calendar that has all kinds of wacky holidays on it - like Pancake Day or Celebrate Ice Cubes Day.  And send cards for EVERY occasion.  Snail mail is gonna be "in" again!

Have a fun & playful day
Mel

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

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

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