Book Play - The Mitten

Last year my grand daughter's favourite book was The Mitten.

I pulled it out again to see if the interest was still there.

To make it inviting I sewed some felt together to make this winter scene.

A soft, white mitten was sewn to the felt too.

I hid all the animals in the mitt.

The bear came out and said 'gr, gr'.

The fox was hard to take out because of his long tail.

The raccoon tried to climb into a tree then he went to the river to find a fish.

  

The animals explored the winter scene, walking on the snow, climbing in the trees, splashing in the water and hiding under a snow tunnel.

My grand daughter had fun playing but the interest isn't the same as last year and that's ok.

Gingerbread Peg Dolls

Happy Holidays!

The Little One and her parents have been going for walks in the evening checking out the lights.

My grand daughter loves it.

I decided to combine her interest in lights with a gingerbread theme play box.

I painted new peg dolls to look like gingerbread.

There is a mom, dad, sister and baby.

They are set up in a card board box that I have painted the inside.

Lights are hung from the ceiling of the box.

I also painted a wooden house with brown chalkboard paint.

She can use chalk to decorate it like a gingerbread house.

Even inside we drew some beds.

I added a couple of books and we've read them several times already.

I was a little slow getting a picture of her reading a book herself.

She was excited to show Dad when he got home from work.

The lights are poked through the top of the box and she is fascinated with them.

We've been retelling the story in different ways, drawing, video, oral.

It's one of my favourites.

I love catching moments like this when her parents get down and play with her.

Felted Playscape

I was busy on the weekend needle felting.

I needle felted a playscape for my grand daughter

Needle felting on a flat service is fairly easy to do.

You start with a piece of felt, wool roving and a needle.

The piece of felt is long because I wanted it all in one piece.

 Needle felting is very much like painting,

you add layers to blend the colours and get texture.

Here is the sky with clouds and a tree off to one side.

The bottom half is covered with green for grass,

a couple of pre-made toadstools 

and lots of flowers.

I've leaned it against a felt board to hold the sky up,

and the grassy part lays on the table.

Pieces of wood were added, along with toy animals.

Later in the day we wanted to use her sensory table so I grabbed

a box, turned it inside out and made a table

with storage underneath.

 

This sits in their living room so she can still see mom and dad

if they are in the kitchen.

She has spent a good portion of today playing with it.

The Leprechaun Family

This week when I go home my daughter and grand daughter will be coming with me.

I'm very excited that they will be home for St. Patrick's Day

because we can go visit the Leprechaun Tree.

I got busy on the weekend and made a Leprechaun family for my grand daughter to play with.

It's modelled after her own family with a mom, baby and dad.

When I arrived Sunday night we put her new playscape together.

Starting with a basket filled with green (fake) grass

and a walk way that has jewels glued to it.

A little house came next and she was eager to get the family into play 

but there were a couple of more things to add.

A rainbow stacker, tree and bench finished it off.

Oh and of course a pot of gold.

It's set on top of our little sensory table with a book called 

"The Littlest Leprechaun".

The house soon came out of the basket so it was easier to reach

and the family have been happily tucked in to it several times.

Sometimes those tricky Leprechauns try to get away

but she catches them

and puts them back.