(Goblin is 34 months)
I have got a bit out of the habit of setting stuff up for Goblin to do first thing in the morning, and as a result we end up watching hours of TV. So this week I decided to leave him something to discover when he woke up.
I set up a little small world farm - small world is usually a combination of sensory and imaginary play using small toy figures in a setting that evokes the imagination.
I used the green rainbow rice I had from a previous sensory bin for the grass. The mud for the pigs was used dried coffee grounds (Yes I know I said never again but its just too much fun). And the yellow straw was home made playdough pushed through a garlic crush (I enjoyed making this). I added some farm animals, a tractor with bailer and plough, and a couple of farm hands.
When Goblin first walked in and saw it he said "oooh lots of grass". He then proceeded to inspect it closely. As he has been doing so much imaginary play recently I thought he'd use the small world to create some adventures. But instead he opted mainly to play with the 'grass', 'mud' and 'straw'. I'm glad I had already realised I probably wouldn't be able to reuse these materials.
I'm sharing this at
I'd love to wake up and find something this fun to play with too!! :-) We've somehow fallen back into letting the tv come on early in the morning (maybe because I am holding onto sleep!), so I must try something like this
ReplyDeleteglad its not just our family - even when we do have an activity prepared we quite often need to thaw out infront of the TV first.
DeleteYou create the coolest things for Goblin to discover in the mornings. I love the spagetti.
ReplyDeletePure awesomeness! I can't wait until the babies are a bit older, so I can leave surprises out again. What a great set up. I love all the elements, and of course I'm a fan of the coffee grounds. Then again, I've only used them outside. You're blog looks amazing! I love the change. Thanks for linking up to The Sunday Showcase.
ReplyDeleteThis is adorable, I love it
ReplyDeleteI especially love the "straw"! What a fun idea!
ReplyDeleteOh, how fun!! I thought the straw was cooked spaghetti, but that would probably be too sticky. Thank you for sharing at Sharing Saturday!!
ReplyDeleteLove how you did the hay!! What fun:-) Great post, Jaime@FSPDT
ReplyDeleteI love this! So much fun. xx
ReplyDeleteooooh wonderful ideas. Thanks for linking to Science Sparks. xx
ReplyDeleteI love all of this. I've never thought to use coffee grounds but considering I could now be considered a coffee addict we definitely have some readily available. I love that you made the straw out of playdoh (something my husband would probably find me doing and then laugh because he realizes that as much as I am doing something for the kids I actually love playing with playdoh myself). I need to get in the habit of setting things up ahead of time. We almost watch too much tv at the moment but I have been chalking that up to being fried out from the summer. I am hoping for a miraculous turnover when school starts next week. It can happen, right? {Sugarsnips}
ReplyDeleteI love that you have so many different sensory experiences in your small world farm! I featured your post and photo in my 40+ Farm Sensory Tubs post at http://livingmontessorinow.com/2013/06/17/montessori-monday-40-plus-farm-sensory-tubs/
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