Preschool greatness

Today concluded teacher appreciation week at E's preschool.  Remember the heart and hands garden I told you about?  Here it is!

With this poem hanging above it-

The moms that put it together did such a great job!  I also took some pictures of the dramatic play center in E's room.  This month the center is a hospital.  Every month the entire room changes!  The amount of work that goes into this undertaking must be immense!  But I'm so glad that they do it.  I get just as excited as E about the day after room change!  Here's the hospital-

The waiting room, looks like one of the babies is getting impatient.

The hospital room, with a bed (housekeeping had been there already and stripped the bed for the day), sink, and my favorite, the blood transfusion bag (shredded red paper plays the blood).

The computer corner with computer x-rays, gowns, charts and there's even a walking "cast" boot!

Here's another center from her last year at preschool, at the open house.  E LOVED this one, she's washing a plastic turtle with a nail brush, soap and "real water!"  Santa ended up bringing a turtle and washing accessories that Christmas.

E and M "painting" their nails (colored water) at the same open house-genius!

Here's the pet store dramatic play center from earlier this school year.

More pet store...

and more...

and that's all.  That's a real rabbit (Winston) in the cage!

Looking back, I wish I had taken pictures of every month's theme.

Hope that gave you some inspiration for pretend play at your house!

Here are some creative blog posts with great pretend play ideas:

Flower Shop at Let's Explore

Baking with felt at Frugal Family Fun Blog

Play Dough Bakery also at Frugal Family Fun Blog

Be a Unicorn at 4 Crazy Kings

Happy Pretending,

D

Mermaids!

Our annual trip to Great Wolf Lodge was last weekend, so I think waterpark...water...mermaids?  Right, don't you?  Another Christmas present that I made for E were these super cute mermaids...

I assembled a Mermaid Lagoon in a Box for her four clothespin mermaids.  Most of the lagoon contents and critters came from the dollar store-small stone gravel, shells, plastic sea animals and of course pretty glass gems-mermaids love pretty things! 

And here's a close up of the four bathing beauties

I love that it's self contained in the plastic bin and stores away so easily.

I found the idea here at Pink And Green Mama and just went from there.  I'll post a detailed tutorial soon!

And here are my super cute mermaids at Great Wolf Lodge...

Have a great weeked!

D

Gnomes!

Can't wait until Gnomeo and Juliet comes out!  Have you seen the trailer?  We've been getting into the gnome thing a little bit over here (even before the movie trailer) after I discovered this awesome tutorial on wee folk art.  She has beautiful stuff!  So for this past Christmas, I made E a set of math gnomes (with their good friend pink gnome).

I gave her two bags of glass "gems," from the dollar store, so that the gnomes can find the gems in the forest and we can tell math stories!  (Yellow gnome has a multiplication sign on the front)  I learned to make their hats "bendy" (okay-bendable) here at Wabi-Sabi Wanderings another beautiful blog!  Gnomes love mushroom I'm told, so I painted two wooden knobs and then coated them with this great version of Mod Podge!  I think we should make a proper forest like here at Frugal Family Fun Blog for them to explore and hide in. E loves playing with her gnomes!  I can't wait to see her perform Shakespeare with them after we see Gnomeo and Juliet!
Happy Thursday,
D