Cheap Imaginative Play Ideas!

I am such a huge advocate for imaginative play.  I think children need a good daily dose until at least 9 years of age.  There is a developmental unfoldment of the imagination that provides the ground work for higher order thinking.   Imaginative play provides nourishment for the frontal lobes.  In reality, imaginative play is a very academic activity - we just don't see the results directly.

Here are a few things I found on the internet that I loved!  So easy and cheap!  I have noticed through the years that if I involve the children in the "transformation" of materials - there is a deep appreciation and engagement in the items constructed.  These are a few ideas that the children could be in the process of making them.   Obviously, they can not cut the cardboard but they could help design and paint the item.

From Parents.com - they have a series of ideas for what you can make out of a box!  I loved, loved, loved making things out of boxes as a young girl!

link:  cardboard crafts

Dress up play!  Make costumes for your dramatic play center out of throw aways! Great idea from RealSimple. com!

Link: Brown Bag Costume

Here is a kitchen set made out of a box!  How cool is that?  I found this on pinterest and did not find a site for instructions.  If you know it - please let me know and I will attach it. 

Fabric in Blocks = Magic

I adore block play!  One of the most amazing things to provide block play is fabric!  Here is a student who made a "puppet" theater with the fabric and told a story --- "The Three Giraffes and the Monkey."  It was the story of the three bears retold with giraffes and a monkey. 

I also change out additional pieces like animals and characters related to our current explorations and themes.    These adaptations keep the activity in blocks alive and vibrant.  There are such rich and rewarding buildings, stories, and collaborative play always unfolding.

A Narrative at Block Play

I love to watch little narratives unfold during centers.  One of the best places to "catch" such a narrative is in the block center.  Here is the saga I captured today:

 Four boys are building a structure.  I ask what it is.  S replies, "It is a house."  H chimes in and says, "It is Halloween and they bump their heads."  "Who?" I inquire.  "The beyblades."   One boy tells me, "It is a haunted house with a battle place.  You can battle on top of the house."

"Some people do not know how to spin." C explains.  S warns,  "They can bounce."

H brings over some tigers.  S warns him, "No, don't!"  H spins the tigers like a beyblade.  "Dude, you can't do that." S warns and then seeing H is not going to back off says,  "Pretend he got trapped and can't get out."  S slips the tigers under the block structure.

 Another boy adds, "The beyblades are sick and have to go inside."  The boys make a place for the sick beyblades.   Another boy announces, "The tigers are killed."

 H returns with a new creation.  "Here comes the Electric Shock Ball with two ships." 

 Another boy enters the play asking if he can join them with his car.

 S tells him, "Yes, we will make a home for you."  S opens a section of the structure and J slips his car into its new home.  Meanwhile one of the boys declares "We all have the same powers.  When the beyblades spin, they shoot out fire."

Placing a block over the car, S looks pleased.  "It is a new battle area!"

The narrative lasted the entire centers - nearly 25 minutes.  During that time many children entered the saga and left.  S, C and H remained the constant players.  It is so revealing to watch their negotiation skills and how they work out differences.  It was rich to see how others entered the play and then disengaged. 

Valentine's Playdough!

Chocolate Playdough!

I first found this idea at Counting Coconuts and loved it!  

Instructions here:  Heidi's Recipes

Adding the empty chocolate candy box is key! 

Valentine's Bakery Playdough

This is such a fun idea!  I adore the sprinkles - such a creative idea!  

The kinders in my class would love that so much! 

For instructions: Learning4kids

The Noodle Shop

I loved the felt noodle idea so much!  I put out pieces of felt and let the children cut noodles.  They loved it!  Noodle Shop is open!

Chinese New Year Ideas for the Kindergarten

Next week I start my two week unit on the Chinese New Years (officially on January 23).  I have been planning and thinking about what I want to do this year.  Here are a few ideas I found on the web from fellow bloggers.  Do you have any good ideas?  Let me know!

I love this ideas from Kaboose!  Click here for instructions.

I do a similar project in my China unit -- but this one uses yarn for the branches!  Love that idea!

From: Flixya

I love my red lanterns!  I might use gold around the ends this year.

Click here for instructions!

Me oh my!  I adore this idea - yarn noodles!  This is going to rock my housekeeping this year!  I feel a Chinese Restaurant in my near future!  From Let's Go Fly A Kite

Ooo yummy felt foods!

I absolutely adore making my housekeeping a yummy place to play!  Loading it with real props and avoiding plastic toys are my starting point.  I try to keep those ugly plastic food sets out of my housekeeping center.  It is so much more fun to make our own food out of the "bread dough ornament" recipe or FELT! Stores like IKEA are now selling sets but they are still a bit pricey.  Here are a few bloggers sharing some of their delicious felt food. 

I love, love, love this simple CUPCAKE tutorial!  It looks easy enough I could whip up a nice batch.

Instructions at Hoogli Art

Oh, my kinders are going to eat this PIZZA up!  So cute!  

Instructions at Semi-Crunchy Mama

This is such a brilliant idea!  Raw sugar COOKIES and baked ones for a set! Yes!

Instructions can be found at Pink and Green Mama

We can open our own SUSHI Train in the kindergarten!  I think the kinders could help make these. . .

Instructions at: Julie In Taiwan

PANCAKES! Felt yummi-ness!

Instructions at Pink Tea

SPAGHETTI  from a great little blog about felt play food!!

Instructions at Play with your food

Block Play: Wrap it up!

My wonderful intern, Katie, created the best little activity during centers last week.  She pulled out the blocks, a couple rolls of wrapping paper, scissors and tape.  Bam!  A great center for fine motor skills!  How many of you are wrapping present challenged?  It takes something to wrap a present.  The children put their "pretend" presents under our tree.  So cool. 

Bread Dough Gingerbread

Sometimes I will adapt the traditional bread dough ornament recipe by adding brown food dye (Wilton brand makes it nice and dark.)  This gives the dough a "gingerbread look" for making gingerbread men and more.

I feel it is important to bring a direct experience from the fairy tales and stories we read.  Making cookies is an obvious choice for the story, "The Gingerbread Man."  These story based experiences provide a meaningful context for the story, an understanding of the story elements, and a way to extend to elements of the story in new ways.  I have noticed a deepen and more engaged relationship to our stories the more I bring story based experiences. 

A painted gingerbread man!  So cute!

  I made two batches for 23 children.  

Bread Dough Recipe

1 cup of flour
1/4 cup of salt
1/3 to 1/2 cup of hot tap water with brown food dye added

Mix all the ingredients together in bowl.  Knead until smooth.  Add more flour if dough sticks to your fingers.  It should be smooth not too sticky.  This recipe will be enough for 3 to 5 children depending on how many things you would like them to make!

Bake for one hour in a 300 degree oven.  Let cool.

TIP:  Sometimes the salt in the dough can cause a bit of a smoky white look to the dough after it bakes.  I have not figured out why it happens sometimes and sometimes not -- but if it does - I just brush a quick coat of brown tempera paint over the tops.  

Special Paint Frosting Recipe
Acrylic paint (cheap variety in squeeze bottles)
Glue

Mix one part paint to one part glue.  Stir.  Use cheap paintbrushes like those found in watercolor boxes.

Special Sprinkles
Small seed beads
Different kinds of glitter
 

I give each child a handful of dough to form as they wish.  After the dough is baked, then it is time to paint and decorate the "cookies."

After the bread dough cookies are painted and decorated, spray coat them in a sealant.  They are now ready for the housekeeping center and lots of fun play!  

Open a cookie store!  A bakery!  A Keebler Elf Shop!

Elf Hats

Oh what fun!  With the Elf on the Shelf rage - we had to make Elf hats!

 I printed the ears on construction paper and the children cut them out.

 On a 12 x 18 sheet of construction paper, the children made a pattern.

Next, they folded the corners.

The hat is made by making a cone.  Glue on the ears. . . .

and there you have it!  An elf hat!