Play

C has been playing around with laser pegs this week.  Funny thing is that a friend mentioned them and I thought they sounded cool, and then I found this unopened box in C's closet.  I believe he got them for his birthday (last August) from my father and we just forgot about them.

R made bottle cap jewelry using this kit a friend gave her for her birthday (March - not too bad!).

I left some sheets of bubble wrap (the kind with the huge bubbles) on the floor just to see if anyone would notice.

They noticed!  After jumping and popping bubbles for a bit, R put the sheets on top of some pieces of cardboard to make a hideout.

The bubble machine was a big hit.  I love the amount of bubbles it makes, but it does go through bubble solution really fast.

Why are the same toys more interesting in a different place?

I recently published two posts about our trip to the Ocean Explorium.  I just have one more thing to say about our trip.  I thought it was hysterical that all three kids (C, R, and their friend, A) kept revisiting the play room.   
What brought them to the play room?

This sink/water table kept them busy for a while, a long while.  They did not want to leave the water table.

They also loved this puppet theater:

I thought it was funny that they wanted to spend so much time in this play area when there were marine animals to look at and touch in the other room.  We have water at home, right?  AND, we have the same exact puppets at home too and the puppets are never touched, ever.  I actually thought about giving them away.  We don't have a puppet theater, so maybe that was the attraction.  I guess I should make one.  It looks to me like you just cut a hole in a box and decorate it.  I think I can do that, maybe.

The Importance of Open-ended Play

Open-ended play is so important for the development of our children. Read this article to find out why we need to take a step back and let our children create, explore, and discover without any guidance.

How do you encourage open-ended play with your children?