Imagination & G-Paws Big, Big Door

by Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell

Donavyn playing with poker chips and making G-Paws big door.

"G-Paw has big, big doors." Said the boy who loves doors of all sorts.

Besides frequent discussions about doors, daily practice in opening and closing doors, making up silly songs about things that open, and drawing doors using various art materials, we have now added building doors with interesting manipulatives.

(For those who don't know about manipulatives, they are collections of junk or toys that can be used in play or learning - blocks, empty thread spools, lids, and so on.)

Donavyn pushing the button to open the garage door.

Mr. D recently had a day where he was quite creative about making G-Paws big, big door (garage door).

First, he wanted to make the door from plastic card chips (great manipulatives - they used to be tires during our play sessions - see how they transform?).

Do notice the white chips. They are the garage door opener switch. If you push those buttons, you have to make "Ehrrrrrrrrrrr" sounds as the door rolls up.

Next, Mr. D wanted to use magnetic letters on the refrigerator to make, yes, you guessed it, G-Paws big, big door.

Donavyn pushing the tiny switch button on the letters to open the garage door.

Again, buttons for controlling the opening and closing of the door were included. As an extra special treat, some of the letters had tiny little light switch looking shapes on them - perfect for button controls! Don't forget to say "Ehrrrrrrrrr" as the door opens.

We eventually moved on to using paint daubers (also known as Bingo daubers) to make doors and people. As long as doors and doorknobs were included, we were happy campers.

Isn't imagination a wonderful thing?


What creative ways have you seen children using their imagination? You might just have the next idea I need!

beach (noun)

beach (noun): a sandy or gravelly part of the shore of an ocean or lake (Merriam-Webster's Dictionary and Thesaurus, 2006)

beach. salty, fragrant, windy, sandy, wet, smelly, misty, sunny, crowded, relaxed, rocky, noisy, invigorating, desolate

beach. waves, tides, sand drifts, rock piles, seaweed, footprints, campfires, shells, driftwood, seagulls

beach. fun, kites, games, sandcastles, horse rides, wading, swimming, fishing, crabbing, walking, dogs, families

dream. play. rest. relax. gaze. melt.

vacation

beach (noun)

Photos by Angie Quantrell.

The Piano

Donavyn, the youngest of my babies (until June), explores the piano. He is going to be musical, this handsome boy!

The piano has been in our family for quite a long time.

My children banged and played on it. Neighborhood kids were drawn to the much-loved instrument like flies to a picnic. My preschoolers, at church and at school-school, spent many happy hours pounding the sort of ivory keys. Every child that has entered a room where the piano rests has been magnetically pulled to the piano and has immediately started playing.

Now that the prized instrument sits in my living room, my grands go like moths to a flame. Pound, jingle, bang, and play. They sing. They experiment. They observe. They make up songs. There is no resistance in children to experiencing this piano. Much to the noise tolerance levels of adults in attendance.

But it is my piano. And my babies. And my living room.

Play, babies, play. Get that rhythm going. Listen to those songs and tap that beat. Make up silly words, or no words at all. Sing. Clap. Bang. Pound.

Create. Imagine. Explore.

Do you have any toys of this intrinsic and sentimental value?

Old Beans = New Mess

Found some old, I mean OLD, bags of dried beans in the cupboard yesterday while I was cleaning out a drawer (summer goal - clean out every drawer in the house, just one at a time, when the chance pops up). Too old to even want to consider cooking...

The grands were present, so old beans became a new mess and fun activity for these busy two. They loved it! Papa, not so much.

But Nana knows preschoolers need to scoop and pour and make messes and spill and dump (and throw all over the garden)...

Old beans, plastic tub, scoops, tubs, old egg trays...

Et voila', fun times at Nana's.

PS I usually don't like to use food items in play, due to world hunger. But these beans were SO old and broken up, I don't think anyone would have enjoyed them. For sure, they won't now!

Necessity of Outdoors

Always loved being outside and interacting with nature. A class I'm taking right now agrees with my thoughts and feelings about the natural world. Kids need that time outside exploring, building, running, rolling, climbing, throwing, digging, playing...How else will they learn to appreciate and protect our world? Where else do they interact with science-y concepts? When will they spend time noticing the complexity and elaborateness of God's creation?

Even two-year-olds enjoy stuff outside. The grandson much prefers to go 'side (outside) to anything else. If there is water, sand, dirt, grass, trees, he is in the middle of it. Sure, a wheeled vehicle can accompany him. But it needs to be 'side.

So I'm veto-ing TV time and electronic games. My grandbabies get to go 'side and get their hands messy. And their knees, pants, elbows, faces. Sorry mommy. That's what washers and bandaids are for.

I Can Tell

I can tell I don't play enough. I can tell because the last time I did something fun was when my grandson and I played in the pouring rain (and I blogged about it in May). It's June now.

I can tell because my husband and I played wii bowling with our son and soon-to-be daughter-in-law. My husband broke the plastic control protector. I broke the clay plant pot sitting on the coffee table. We were just bowling. Our son is not sure he wants to wii with us anymore.

I can tell because I am always trying to multitask, even when I have my grandson with me. Let's water. Let's plant. Let's pick up toys. How about a bath? Come help nana...We need to play.

I can tell because I can't think of the last time I had coffee with a friend (not counting family, because they will meet me anytime, even if it's only for a few minutes). Wait. It may have been last summer.

I can tell because IF I have free time...Scratch that. I don't have free time.

I can tell because IF I did have free time, I dream of things I would love to do. Like watercolor painting, throwing clay pots, rubber stamping, walking, taking pictures, strolling through antique stores, reading good books...

Someone needs to take some time and play. If she doesn't, she is going to just spend all of her time working. There is always something to do. So maybe she'll have to table the work, and chunk out some time for play.

Yes. I think that's what I'll do.