Sometimes It is All About the Drama, Dramatic Play That Is!

In dramatic play, anything is possible.

It is an opportunity to try out things we know, and imagine about those we do not.

It gives us an opportunity to be silly, to giggle, and just have fun in the moment.

We can try different things.

We can even pretend that we are all grown up and cooking in our kitchen. or getting things ready at our own restaurant.

We can dress up fancy and frilly, and know that we are a Superstar!

We can act out things from our every day life, and try out new ideas.

When we engage in dramatic play, we are doing a lot of really hard work.

One of my favorite things to do is to observe children when they aren't aware that I'm watching and paying so much attention while they are in the middle of their dramatic play. I LOVE to listen to the fun conversations and watch as they set up their play spaces.

Dramatic Play is a very important part of a child's work each day. As they are "pretendering" they are working on a number of very important skills. One of these is their language. Dramatic play allows children to work on telling stories, and trying out new words. They learn to build upon things that others say and develop stories and dialogues. They spend time thinking and planning out their own play, making important decisions and predicting what will happen next. They also have the opportunity to create social situations and try them out with toys before trying the same things out in person. (Or in some cases, recreating familiar situations). They spend time learning how to play and work with others, and really have fun doing so!

Sometimes, big people forget how important play is for young children. Here are a few articles I found intriguing about dramatic play:

PBS Teachers: The Importance of Dramatic Play

Scholastic: The Importance of Pretend Play

Here is a great post from Not Just Cute on Dramatic Play.

What Would You Do With It? Wednesday #4, Cardboard Tubes (Toilet Paper, Paper Towel, etc)

Welcome to this week's edition of What Would You Do With It? Wednesday. This week's item(s) are paper tubes. You most often find them at the end of a roll of toilet paper or paper toweling. I'm having trouble hunting up the photos I was going to post for this, so when I find them, I will add them. We have made: rain sticks kaleidoscopes marble runs and we have also cut the tubes and made them into flowers or snowflakes like these. If you would like to visit and link to some of our previous What Would You Do With It Wednesdays, please click here.

Yes, WE CLIMB UP THE SLIDE!

Yes, we do climb up the slide. We climb up the slide here at Child Central Station in the backyard... We climb up the slides when we are at the park..... and here are a few reasons why we think you could reconsider climbing up and allowing the children in your care to climb up the slide too! 1. Climbing up the Slide uses MUSCLE! Young children need to be active and climbing up the slide requires a lot of muscle and coordination. It is not an easy feat- and requires strength, concentration, determination, and will power. 2. Climbing up the Slide is RISKY! Yes- climbing up the slide is potentially risky, but so is sliding down! Your job as a caregiver is to carefully observe and monitor the situation, to be close by- but not to interfere unless necessary. Part of a child's learning process must include managing risks- climbing up the slide is a perfect way to practice this skill. 3. Climbing up the Slide involves potential CONFLICT! It is al

Making Moon Mud!

We usually make our moon sand with cornstarch , sand, and baby oil. However a blog reader commented that when they make their moon sand- they use water instead of oil. So, of course, my first thought was- why make moon sand when you could make MOON MUD? And so you have it- our homemade moon mud! Basically, it ends up being a sandy- runny oobleck! It acts kind of like a solid- and kind of like a liquid..... Now, I'm sure I will get all kinds of questions on the exact recipe and proportions to make this stuff..... The truth is, we rarely measure. We just mix it up until it looks and feels about right! Today, we made ours with too much water. (It was an experiment.) So, we removed some off the top. After we were done playing in the mud- we let it sit. A little bit more of the water evaporated while we napped.... Then, this afternoon- It was perfect! Hard as a rock on the bottom, until you dig into grab it... Then....

Ms. Amy's Blog @Child Central Station

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