When I see how my children respond when I get down on the floor to play with them, I am reminded of how meaningful it is. On the floor we are at their level, we are in their domain. We are not distracted by stacks of paperwork whispering our names from the countertop, or by our phones chiming in our hands, and we are not tripping over dirty socks, reminding us that we need to start the laundry. We are not multi-tasking away our interactions – we are truly connecting. We hear our children more clearly, we hold their gaze, and we send them the message that they are important and worthy of our full attention.
This is an artistic activity that has allowed me to do just that, and incorporate both my babes (boy & girl – span of ages). We started this years ago when my son was obsessed with toy cars.
I’ll call this project: Imagination Scrolls
Supplies:
-Crayons, colored pencils, markers.
-Plastic animals or Toy Cars
You can choose any theme your babes may be interested in most. We have created towns, farms, and zoos. The project provides layers of fun/interaction by brainstorming and creating the scroll and then following that up with play :) The options are endless – where will your travels take you???
We started this activity years ago, when my little man was obsessed with toy cars. We have a city scroll pictured above. This time we added city streets/raceway, a central park, a farmer’s market, a pond and a neighborhood. Have your babes brainstorm with you – let your imaginations run wild! This scroll was perfect for our toy cars.
What’s with the sketchy green van with tinted windows parked at the end of the lot?
One house was lucky enough to be adorned with its very own Statue of Liberty.
2. Zoo / Animal Sanctuary Scroll
This scroll is our zoo/animal sanctuary – complete with customized habitats: Savannah Habitat, Reptile Habitat, and Carnivore Habitat (there is nothing unusual about dinosaurs co-habitating with cheetahs, people). This scroll was a perfect setting for our menagerie of plastic creatures. We also added some zoo keepers and visitors, snack stand, and parking lot.
My little lady insisted on a ‘pile of poo’ in both the zoo and the farm. She’s not sugar coating basic needs, folks. She’s a dainty, girly angel with a tiny elfin voice, but a sucker for potty humor. Go figure.
3. Ranch Scroll
This is our ranch scroll…the Crazy J ranch, to be exact. We decided to salute our Nanni’s horse ranch – one of our very favorite places on Earth. Our toy tractors had a chance to play, along with our mini farm animals.
If you want to ‘up’ the educational factor of this project, have your children practice their penmanship by adding appropriate titles to the objects on your scroll (Tree, House, Barn, etc.)
If the scrolls/sheets are still in tact when you’re through playing, roll them up and store them in a wrapping paper tube or something similar to avoid crinkling.
I’d love to hear about YOUR creations – send me a note and share what you do with this!
Cheers!
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