The kitchen was set up as a cookie bakery with all the necessary props and costumes. There were pretend cookies, aprons, oven mitts and of course cookie trays. As the children played they would go back and forth with the small tray to the oven, set the timer and declare, a minute later, that the cookies were done! It became apparent that there were more than one cook in the kitchen and sharing became an issue. We discussed taking turns and sharing the materials.
The whole class was together today and it made my heart happy to see how much the children miss each other when one is away. We continued our cookie fun and also spent some time working on a little homemade Christmas present for our families. I am always interested to watch the children as they engage in pretend play. It is such a valuable experience, especially in this "Plugged In" age. An experience in which the child can experiment with different ways of doing things in a safe environment. Today's play provided an excellent opportunity for some problem solving. The kitchen was set up as a cookie bakery with all the necessary props and costumes. There were pretend cookies, aprons, oven mitts and of course cookie trays. As the children played they would go back and forth with the small tray to the oven, set the timer and declare, a minute later, that the cookies were done! It became apparent that there were more than one cook in the kitchen and sharing became an issue. We discussed taking turns and sharing the materials. One smart cookie decided to fix the problem for herself. When there were no more oven mitts she went over to the puppet bin and chose an elephant puppet as her oven mitt. Problem solved. When she chose the larger cookie tray and it didn't fit in the oven she decided to try and see if it fit in the refrigerator. To her surprise it fit and she solved a problem for the other children. They quickly followed her lead and the refrigerator became a second oven. Pretend play is one of the first areas where we are encouraged to think outside the box. Taking a step back and thinking of ways to solve the problem in turn helped the whole group engage in harmony. We need to provide many of these opportunities for our little learners. They were all involved and their story lines developed a complexity that would not have been reached if they had continued to bicker over one oven and a tray that would not fit.
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Why Blog?Here you will find little snippets of our days together. When my children were in preschool and would come home I would always ask, "So, what did you do today?". All they ever said was, "Played." That didn't tell me much. I hope this blog will be a place to share what we have done and help you ask more directed questions of your child. You will see first hand just what we do after you kiss your little one goodbye in the morning. It will also be a great place to visit and see just how much your child has grown and learned throughout the year. Archives
March 2024
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