5 Ways to Bring Children’s Books to Life

“The End” is just the beginning of the fun! Here are some of my favorite ways to bring a children’s book to life and expand on the story after the last page is turned. Play an appropriate soundtrack or sound effects from Youtube while reading the book. Ok, so technically this first one you’ll do

DIY Ballerina Peg Dolls

In celebration of Black History month, I am expanding my collection of African American books and toys. Sitting in my little learning circle are several “aspiring ballerinas”. “Janet Collins wanted to be a ballerina in the 1930s and 40s, a time when racial segregation was widespread in the United States. Janet pursued dance with a

Unicorn Hobby Horse DIY

My two girls are definitely girly girls. Anything pink, sparkly, pretty, and magical is their bread and butter. You might have already seen their rainbow/unicorn themed bedroom. Since then, we’ve really been on the unicorn kick. We made mermaid/unicorn toast a couple weeks ago and that was a HUGE hit. Well, I was running an

Let’s Talk Mud Kitchens

Does the term “Mud-Kitchen” make your eyes twitch? Are you immediately filled with images of mud caked kids slinging “pies” and dirt at each other? I hear you. I’ve been working with kids for 8+ years and the first time someone suggested a mud-kitchen I was like “Yeah right!” “They are going to get so

Dress-Up Doll Tutorial

When I was a little girl, I had a wooden dress-up doll like this. She came with a small collection of scrap fabrics and I would spend an hour at a time playing with her. I loved swapping around the fabrics to make different designs and outfits. I was having a nostalgic moment and wanted

One Carboard Box

We all the know saying. The kids would rather play with the box than the toy that came in the box. That’s because as fun as the toy may be, the cardboard box holds endless possibilties. The great thing about kids is that the younger they are, the less they care about “the rules”. It’s

Ice-Cream Shop Dramatic Play

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!Setting up this ice cream shop couldn’t be easier. Just grab some tissue paper, plastic bowls, a couple ice cream scoops and don’t forget the faux sprinkles! I got our tissue paper from the dollar tree, and I used leftover paper bags for the chocolate scoops.