Toy Fighting

Back in our castle the children have been play fighting.  Which is great because that is what knights did in the time of castles.  But on a very busy day it becomes too crowded to play fight safely without involving unaware toddlers.

        I inadvertently solved this issue with a trip to a dollar store.
          
     I found a bag of toy knights, just like the toy soldiers my brothers
                                   use to play with.

By setting the toys, with a few props, on a small table it allowed the children
     to continue to pretend to fight but in a much different way.

                                   It was contained.
                    They created scenes and chose sides.
                         They destroyed and regrouped.
        
              They played alone deep within their own script.


These little toys also allowed the younger children to begin to see the fascination of knights and fighting that the older children have been exploring.

So instead of telling the children that they had to stop fighting, I gave them an
            alternative that they enjoyed.  Well worth the $1.49.

Squishy Printing

Several years ago we tried non-messy cooperative painting and the families found
                 it very interesting so I decided to try it again.
        
Set up is easy – place paint between two sheets of plastic (I put a sheet of white paper under the plastic to make a solid background), seal the edges and let them rub, pat, and schmoosch.
      
     They are tentative in their approach, mostly starting with one finger. 
                      Touching the paint then looking at their finger.
                Sliding the paint around, beginning to mix the colours.
    
Then the rest of the fingers join in the fun.  Kneading the paint as it gradually
                            glides between the plastic sheets. 
    
It was easy to encourage the children to draw faces or begin to print the letters
                                                   in their names.
                                
    This child printed her whole name and then erased it with a swipe of her hand.

Valentines Igloo

When it takes almost a month to save enough milk jugs to build an igloo then you’re going to use that igloo for as long as possible. 
          
This week I covered it with red tablecloths, put books and stuffed animals inside.
   
It’s a comfy place to get to know each stuffy, line them up and sing them a song.
                  
                         A quiet spot to look at a book.

  Or use the wind up flashlights to check out what a red sky looks like.

Castle Flags

Looking through the many books, both fiction and non-fiction, that we have about castles we discovered that most castles have flags on them.
  
We set to work to create flags using a simple triangle and paints.

The books were available for reference but the children free styled their own.
 
         Designing many colourful flags with various shapes.
      
          A few we attached to poles for the entrance. 
    
      The rest were placed on the walls behind the castle.

Castle Play Leads To…

         
The children have been playing in the castle for two weeks and almost everyday
                                     a new idea pops up.
     
Defending the castle from the bad guys is a big theme for a group of boys that come every Tuesday.  We already had swords and axes but I found a couple of sets of bow and arrows at the dollar store.   The children were instantly
                               interested in them.
                        
                         We created a target for shooting practice.
      
Then started learning how to hold the bow and use the arrow.  The arrows have suction cups on the ends and luckily not very good ones so they don’t stick to
                                anything when they are shot.
    
           It takes practice and determination to hold the two together. 
  I’m working on arranging a field trip to our local Fish and Game Club to see
                                  their archery area.


                 A question arose from the bows and arrow play.
                 ‘How do you hold it and try to ride your horse?’
                         So we made a quiver at the art table.
     
       With bow and arrows in the quiver and slung over their shoulder
                      lets them hold the horse with both hands.

Making the Drawbridge

Every castle needs a drawbridge.  “That door that goes over the water” as the children put it.  I borrowed a toy castle from the kindergarten class to look at how the drawbridge worked.
     
After working it a few times we learned how to attach the string to our door.
 
Using a pencil, as a simple tool, we poked holes in the cardboard then pushed
the string through.
                   
Once that was complete the boys pulled up the drawbridge but quickly realized that it wouldn’t stay up.  One of them suggested we needed to tie it.
  
I happened to have removeable wall hooks with sticky backs (if you have a chance to visit my centre you will see the size of my storage room and that it is very full).  We attached the hooks at the sides of the door and they tried it again.
     
We also learned that we needed a system to let the people inside know that someone wanted in so the door wouldn't get ripped.  Knocking works well and waiting for the drawbridge to be lowered taught us patience.
     
                  It's a success and still surviving after a week of use.