Pretend Play

Pretend play is such a significant part of a child’s life because it helps them explore the world on their own terms.  It helps them build their communication skills, and vocabulary (esp. when playing with an adult), and helps them understand others better, as they get a chance to BE the firefighter, or dancer, or mommy.

There are several DRMY sets that offer children an opportunity to learn about, explore, and pretend to do new things, be different characters, and develop the creative, out-of-the box thinking needed for good problem solving skills.

  Mary Bridget’s Surprise – In the book, Mary Bridget and her little sister, who always wears butterfly wings, must clean their room, so decide in the process they are going to run away to grandma’s house.  So they have to pack all the things they will need on their adventures they come across as they get there.  Imagination bursts out of this story and illustrations, which include seek-and-find boxes on the corner of each page. 

The CD is chock full of fun songs I remember from girls camp, like “I love the Mountains…”  “This Land is Your Land”, “The Water is Wide”, and “Grandma’s Feather Bed”, as well as some Kindermusik songs, “Let’s go Riding Together”, and some original songs, like “Butterfly Wings”.  

This is a great set for having fun on a long trip, esp. if you are going to Grandma’s house, and esp. if you also purchase the cool roller suitcase with fanny pack, and ”keep cool” water bottle. 

  Tressa, The Musical Princess – The book features Tressa, a girl who is most certainly sure she was born a musical princess, and somehow mistakenly got switched at birth to be with this family, which just recently acquired a new little loud, cranky dragon (actually baby brother).  It shows how she finds ways to use her magic to tame the dragon and make a peaceful family.  The CD features a young girl singing these all original songs that focus on issues from the book.  This set also comes with a pink tulle tutu that plays music and turns on and off with the touch of a button. 

   Kindertown Fire Brigade – The book features an all-animal fire brigade, and their adventures in the fire house, as well as rescue missions, and actual fire-fighting.  The animal work together as a team, and even the smallest member plays important parts in the job of being a fire brigade.  The song features a lot of originals about fire-house life and animals, and songs about rescuing a cat, and “Our Brave Local Heroes”.   Any child that adores firefighters will love these songs and stories, and will enjoy playing out their parts in the coat and fire hat that accompany this set.

  NEW !   Rupert, the Wrong Word Pirate  – Rupert has a way of saying things that get all mixed up sometimes, which has a way of thwoing his ship and crew off course.  The CD’s hilarious, swashbuckling crew members sing about the finer parts of pirate life, Aargh!  Complete with hat, eye patch, and durable foam sword.   James saw a child’s version of “Pirates of Penzance” before he turned 3, and immediately was searching for something in my purse that he could draw on a mustache.  This fascination lasted for months and months of fun.  I wish I had these songs to sing with us back then!

Butterfly Shirts

It’s so much FUN to be a butterfly.  You may have seen me in my silk Batik’d Butterfly shirt through the last weeks of October.  It is so flowing and fun to wear.  Many of you have asked how to find them, so here it is:  www.earthharmony.com .  I met the lady who designed these at a music festival a few years ago, and she does fabulous work with material. 

When you get on her website, go to the search box in the top right, and type in “butterfly”, and it will take you to all of the beautiful designs she has.  Be aware, there are only two sizes, small (for children and petite women), and large (I had the large on – the sleeves were much longer which I liked for me).  When I checked, they were all sold out of the smaller size.   

Butterfly, flutter by, flutter by up in the sky !

Scarves to accent musical play with your child

I’ve had some folks ask me recently about purchasing scarves.  They are soooo much fun to explore and play with in class, and it is awesome to continue these activities at home.  Actually scarves are incredibly versatile, and can be used in so many ways, from silly peek-a-boo games with babies and toddlers, to serving the flights of imagination through the preschool years, and even dress up fashion accents for older children.  And expressive dancing to music with scarves is fun, and beneficial, for ALL ages, even adults.  It is a great way to feel the beat of the music, and develop a musical flow in the body that can be very effective in helping musicians play instruments more expressively.   

 

Simply said, scarves just have a way of bringing out the creative and expressive nature of children throughout their growing ages.

 

 

At www.shopkindermusik.com , you can find individual or sets of scarves, just like we have in class.  The smaller scarves are $3 each, and the Humongous scarves are $5.50 each.  Sometimes there is a set called “Two for Peek-a-Boo” which includes one of each for $6.75, or a set of 5 (2 large and 3 small) for $16.95.    If you order through this site, tell them I sent you by typing in my educator code:  15788.  There’s a space for that on one of the ordering screens.

 

 

Actually, my favorite scarves that we got Cora for Christmas last year are 100% silk, and large enough to really be very versatile.  We purchased them from the Magic Cabin catalog. Check online at www.magiccabin.com , and use the search for scarves.  They are kind of expensive, about $11 each, but you can get a discount if you buy 6 or more.  (That’s why they were gifts.)  Cora adores them and uses them for everything from dancing, to dress up, to fort building with her brother, to baby blankets, to capes, etc.

 

 

Another option is to make the rounds of the local thrift shops and search for scarves.  You only get the ones you like at the price you like, and you don’t have to pay shipping.  You also end up with a variety of sizes, colors, designs, and even textures. 

 

I highly recommend a whole basketful.  It is also fun to add different scents to each one by misting them with perfume, or dusting them with a little cinnamon or clove spice powder.  Or place a peppermint tea bag in the basket with the whole batch.  This sensory experience is great for babies, but also a lot of fun for everyone.   Scarves are great for multi-sensory play.