Fabric as a Loose Part

Someone recently asked me about durable fabrics for an indoor play cafe--isn't that a cool concept?!

Here was some insight I shared--I look forward to hearing your ideas and what is working in your situation! I find there are various fabrics that work well in different situations. And one of my bigger criterion is price point--I really like FREE--it's always nice to repurpose or use something that would otherwise be going to the dump.

What to Do with a Box: A Book Review

We found another cardboard box book! Here is a list of other books about cardboard and tools to help that have been helpful for us. I always like a good read aloud to get the juices flowing as we start a session.

 In What to Do with a Box by Jane Yolen & Chris Sheban, the box becomes a library, palace, nook, and more. You can unlock it with a key (imagining this as I've seen kids do this before!), invite dolls for tea, and paint and color in it. It becomes a racing car, a boat to sail to Paris, and a plane for adventures!

Shelling Beans

We recently went to a friend's house and explored her wonderful garden! If you don't have your own garden, I find the most gardeners would love to share their pride and joy with you, as well as some of their harvest, especially during tomato and zucchini harvests. :-) 

I noticed she had beans on a trellis and asked if our nature preschool group could shell them after they are dried. She was ecstatic and it turns out that she had a small barrel of dried beans from last year that still need shelled. She hasn't taken the time to do them all so just goes out and shells a few at a time for whatever soups or other foods she is making. 

Pokemon Party!

There is something about planning things that I LOVE to do! Even better when I get to collaborate with others for it. My boys are in the middle of a string of birthdays. My now 5 year old wanted to have a Pokemon party--of course we love nature, outside, and loose parts, but they do watch television, read books, and have toys/games. Anyway, I remember my students way back when I taught 4th grade almost 20 years ago in Japan loving Pokemon as well--it has really had some staying power!

For the invitations, I just found an image online and put the party information on top. These were easy to text or email to mommas. :-)