Tag: Play

Play Space Refresh (because we all need a touch up every now and then)

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Children’s interests and development don’t stop changing and growing, which means play spaces aren’t ever going to be stagnant either. A service I offer to past clients is the option for me to come in and give their play space a refresh. I can help reorganize, update toys, pull items ready to donate or pack away for another baby.

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This morning started off with with one a refresh for a family I worked with last year. They were feeling overwhelmed by toys again and wanted things sorted before the next influx of gifts over the holidays. Because the bones were already in place, it was just a matter of downsizing, re-organizing, and creating a home for all the new items. After a couple of hours, we had an XL bag of items to donate, and a play space ready to be enjoyed again by everyone in the family.

  • BEFORE
  • AFTER

Create an impromptu obstacle course (outside and in!)

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It may be #Friyay but I’m already counting down the days til next Wednesday and our weekly #humpdayhangout (aka playgroup). We spend the majority of the time outside and the littles always flock to the sandbox and mud kitchen, however right now my play area is in flux and dismantled so we had to get extra creative this week to keep bodies and minds busy. Cue – the impromptu obstacle course!

Using wooden boards of different lengths, ladders, cones, a saw horse and blanket, cushions, a soccer goal, and a tight rope, + bubbles to celebrate reaching the end, we created a play invitation that everyone wanted to try (over and over again). This is something so simple and opened-ended you could set up at home too (inside and out). Get creative and let me know what you come up with, or even better, send pics!

Scarves | #unexpectedtoys

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A lovely way to add some color to your play space is with scarves – today’s edition of #unexpectedtoys. Easy to thrift and available in allllll the colors, shapes, sizes, and fabrics, they are the perfect addition to all sorts of play. In small world/block play, they can become rivers, beaches, snow on a mountain, a roof for a building, or a blanket for a tired animal. In dramatic play they can be turned into capes, aprons, dresses, hats, tails, and long hair. Add them to your music area and they are the perfect accessory for dancing during jam sessions. We keep a basket in our play space and I always like to add one to the spaces I help curate too. Just make sure to steam/iron out the wrinkles every now and then to keep them looking inviting.

Mini Makeovers (LEGO edition)

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Sometimes folks hire me for a full play space makeover and sometimes they just need help with one aspect of their space. Lots of times that aspect is LEGO. I’ve written about LEGO organization before, but this is kind of my crack (it’s a little embarrassing how excited it makes me). The best way I have found to organize LEGO is by color and specialty pieces. This way it’s easy to find the pieces if your child wants to build a set and it makes free building a breeze too.

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BEFORE

I’ll often find folks store all their LEGOs in one big box (*shudder*), but that does make it easy for me to scoop it up, bring it home, and get things organized. So if you’re looking for a little LEGO sanity, or even the perfect gift for the kid who has it all (the holidays are upon us), shoot me a message to get the magic started! ⋒ Swipe to see the LEGO before pic!

Swings (you need one!)

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Planning an outdoor play space for your favorite tiny human! Make sure to add a swing (or even better, two). On top of the gross and fine motor benefits of swinging, it’s a really lovely social activity for friends of any age. Little ones will feed off each other’s giggles and glee, and older kids will open up and really chat! It’s also a naturally calming activity and amazing for sensory integration, so it’s no wonder swinging just makes you feel good!
Looking for the perfect place to hang a swing but lacking that magical perfectly placed tree branch? We had the same issue. The solution for us was to build a simple arbor to hang them from. To add some greenery we grew banksia roses up and over it – a really lovely fast growing thornless climbing rose. The arbor now also acts as the unofficial (and I think very beautiful) gateway to our boys’ main outdoor play area.

Clay | A fun first introduction (warning – its’ messy ;)

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48a885b8-b8ea-4985-a1ca-5efe5df5d1c1Wednesday’s are for #humpdayhangouts – a weekly play date I host with friends and their little ones. This morning’s session was taken up a notch with an unexpected acquisition of a lovely chunk of clay. I know your instinct might be to give each child their own little piece to work with, in the same way you would play dough, but I find that young children need a chance to fully explore the clay as a whole before they are ready or willing to create individually.

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For today’s play invitation I laid out a large plastic drop cloth and put the whole piece of clay in the center of it. Around the clay I placed various tools and materials – kitchen utensils, tongs, rocks, seed pods, little branches with leaves, a large log, yard flamingoes, and a bowl of warm water with little sponges. The children watched as I set it up and naturally were interested in taking a closer look. They took their cues from each other as they played and explored, learning about how the texture changes with the addition of water, or the ways the flamingoes beaks made such a lovely little finger sized hole.

fdf75f3d-8a92-4265-aaac-15965e140e37The first part of the play was really just getting familiar with the materials, then play arcs started to take shape. More tools were gathered from the sandbox area. The clay started to be shaped into things. Games started evolving. All of this with very minimal adult direction or interaction. Just beautiful independent social play with friends. #myheartishappy

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Gemstones + Crystals | #unexpectedtoys

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GEMSTONES + CRYSTALS are this week’s #unexpectedtoys. 1) They are eclectic, beautiful, and they bring good vibes to your space (all the wins). 2) They are a lovely play invitation (who can resist?), open-ended and can be used in lots of fun ways in play. My boys have used them:

  • in their play kitchen as candy and other food,
  • in small world play as treasure,
  • as a fine motor tools (they love to pick them up with tongs and place them into containers and jars); and
  • as trash in their big rubbish truck.

I’ve bought them from Amazon, Energy Muse (these ones are for me, but somehow my kids always seem to claim them), and we’ve found they are often in gift shops when we travel (a much better option than plastic junk that is just going to be tossed).
So do your kids and your chakras a favor, and add a little gemstone magic to your home/play space. ✨

Loose parts in the sandbox | #unexpectedtoys

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It was out with the mud pies and stews today, and in with ravine digging, ramp building, and car racing. Today’s #unexpectedtoys were wood offcuts and old bricks. I took cues from my oldest’s spontaneous play (ravine digging) and brought over some loose parts I thought might extend his play arc. They were met with enthusiasm, and with a little trial and error and lots of big ideas, my boys worked together to build a ‘car racing water slide’ that kept them busy alllllll morning! #winwin

⋒ Don’t have a sandbox? No worries. Loose parts like scrap wood and bricks make for great play anywhere outside (and they’re free!). Build fairy houses for small world play, obstacle courses for gross motor play, faux fire pits for dramatic play. Your child’s imagination has no limit!

Sneak Peek | Evie + John’s new play space

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A sneak peek of a fun play space we finished installing today. The family had recently moved into a new home and were trying to find ways to entice their kids down to the basement play space. The bunk bed from their old house was being used for play (and storage 😉 in the room, so we repurposed it by adding a railing up top to create a loft. The bottom became a cozy reading nook with added bookshelves, reading lamp, and twinkle lights. My most favorite addition however is the pulley system in the loft, which is controlled with the turn of a ship’s steering wheel. And at the end of the rope is a basket for all your little ones treasures (of course)!

Bubbles (all the magic without the work)

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“In a moment of pure frustration today, I came to the conclusion that there is no angry way to say bubbles.” – Anon.
Bubbles are magical! They can turn around any crappy day with their happy floaty dreaminess (have you ever frozen bubbles in the winter – literally the best). But (and it’s a big 🍑) I hate everything about blowing bubbles. So thanks to some slick Amazon marketing 🙈) I bought an industrial bubble machine. Game changer. I literally fill it up, turn it on, and let the magic happen (for like a solid hour) without any of the usual huffing, puffing, or stickiness. Just throwing it out there, as a #playspacepsa.