My latest find at the thrift store is this fake fire.
I set it on stones with several tubes for logs
and turned it on.
A mantel was made by covering a few boxes with paper
and voila we have a cozy, inviting spot.
The little ones were intrigued.
It's like watching the fire on tv.
Some of the older children asked if it was real.
We held our hands in front of it - does it feel hot or cold?
What does a real fire feel like?
Several times in a morning I'll see a parent and child
sitting together on our 'couch'
in front of the fire.
I think I'll add a basket of story books.
I imagine it may feel like being home for some families that have an open fire.
By the end of the first morning a few children made marshmallows
and were roasting them.
Pretending they were hot and blowing on them to cool
them off.
This morning I put out strips of paper and a stapler and
encouraged families to make paper chains to decorate.
It reminded me of a childhood memory of making lots and lots
of paper chains to decorate the house.
The children worked hard to make the loops and staple them
together.
When one chain was long enough we hung it on the mantel.
What other decorations could we add?