We were having a bit of a sort through our imaginative play props this week, getting sorted for our ‘engaging boys workshop‘ and had them scattered all around Sherry’s kitchen – so quite a mix of things.

Her grandson was over for a visit and naturally, just started having a play.

We love how children go for it without standing back and waiting to be ‘invited’.

They see it and before you know it they’re just doing it!

He combined army guys, skeletons, farm animals, bird cages, cars, spiders and jungle animals and played very happily, talking busily away to himself in his own little world for ages – what a joy!

Anyway, it was a great reminder to us that imaginative play doesn’t have to have a ‘theme’ such as dinosaurs, the beach, insects etc.

Ahhh – The beauty of a free play …

where children are left to just … play!

We have a box full of bits from old board games such as chess and checkers where pieces have gone missing so the games aren’t being used any more.

The children find this little treasure box a handy adjunct to their construction activities and imaginative play.

This week we found the children spreading out on the mat under the ceiling fans trying to get some relief from the heat.

What better thing to do than empty out the block shelves and create wonderful constructions all over the place?

Then out came the dinosaurs, insects, farm animals, people etc…

and also the board games bits and pieces.

How gorgeous do these constructions look?

What fun on a hot day!

Following our Wild Action incursion, we enlarged some photos of the animals we saw.

We then laminated them and put a velcro dot on the back so we could use them on a felt board.

By adding Australian bush props, the children could make up their own scenarios.

The children then made their own animals …

… popped the dots on the back and used mini felt boards which we had obtained from Reverse Art.

We also used these animals for a “Who am I?” game.

One at a time the children would choose an animal and pop it on the felt board out of sight of the others. They then described the creatures features, such as, “I am cold blooded, I have scoot scales on my tail, I have 66 teeth etc … Who am I?”

The children were so great at this game. They clearly took in a lot of information during our Wild Action visit!

When our Pre-kinder children arrived …

… they replaced the Aussie animals with a bucketload of felt characters and farm animals …

… and had a great time creating their own stories and play scenarios.

Our visit to ‘Tinternwood Farm’ at Tintern Girls Grammar School has lead to a lot of discussion recently about…

cows and milk …

… chickens and eggs …

… sheep and wool…

… and of course farm machines!

So naturally the children’s interests have revolved around the farm and the animals we encounted.

We’ve read the books Little pink pig, by Pat Hutchins, Old Macdonald had a farm, illustrated by Pam Adams and The chicken book, by Garth Williams.

We’ve sung Old Macdonald had a farm, Five little duck’s, Baa baa black sheep, and I went to visit a farm one day.

We’ve danced to the Scarecrow song and The farmer in the dell as well as stamp, paint, draw, paste, play and puzzle our way through a variety of great farm activities.

Our bush box is currently home to our large farm animals, with plenty of natural materials like tanbark, grasses, logs, rocks, branches and wooden blocks provided for the children to use as props.

The children love the bush box as it is a very social area and they can climb right inside it and become totally involved in their play. If you don’t have a bush box like ours a child’s clam shell style pool would be ideal for this kind of play.

It’s great to be able to bring the outside in, on a hot or rainy day.