dramatic play

Barbie Inspired Dramatic Play

March 9, 2024 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Barbie dolls were a favorite toy to play with in my childhood days, and my daughter loved them equally as much. I especially enjoyed dressing the dolls up in all kinds of gorgeous clothing, and styling their hair different ways. When the recent Barbie: The Movie came out I was into the pink hues just as much as the set designers were. And after stumbling across a beautiful Barbie-themed display room at our local Ikea store, I was totally down for creating a Barbie-inspired dramatic play set up for my little learners. As you might expect, it has lots of pink.

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Supplies In The Dramatic Play Set Up

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The following supplies are in the Barbie-inspired dramatic play set up:

pink plates, cups, trays, and dessert bowls
pink tea set
sliced pink pool noodles
painted pink egg flat, egg flat lid, and cup holder
pink curlers and heart-shaped cookie cutters
pink felt hearts and reusable ice cubes
gold tree decorations
gold buttons and bead strands
black and white box
black and white scrabble pieces
gold, pink, black, and white pom poms
white plush snowballs, play eggs, and cotton balls
pink tablecloth
vase of flowers

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The Barbie Inspired Dramatic Play Tablescape

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The overall color scheme for this Barbie-inspired dramatic play center is pink, with loose parts in black, white, and gold. The supplies are set up as a play tablescape but could be spread out on shelves and/or play kitchen appliances.

It is easy to find pink-themed tableware suitable for little learners to play with, and there is plenty of it in this center.

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Although I wondered if I needed any more pink hues, I decided to follow up my idea of having a few little learners paint a four-slot disposable cup holder and an egg carton flat and lid in a bright pink hue. I was glad I did because the results were stunning.

Note: White tempera paint mixed with a little red makes a pretty pink color.

The egg flat works for holding large black pom poms and play eggs.

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The egg flat lid makes a perfect tray for loose parts reimagined as play food.

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The four-compartment cup holder contains drink cups or white plush imaginary muffins or snow cones nicely.

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Little learners love using loose parts, and I enjoy seeing their creativity in playing with them. The black, white, pink, and gold loose parts in this table set up help create the unique color scheme.

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Adding Barbie dolls and Barbie-themed décor would be the perfect addition in this pink-infused dramatic play tablescape.

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Pink Shirt Day Dramatic Play

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Pink Shirt Day Dramatic Play

February 26, 2024 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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This Pink Shirt Day dramatic play theme is all about the pink. It was inspired by the glorious pink-infused Barbieland set in the recent Barbie film. I am debuting it for Pink Shirt Day, commonly observed in February or May each year.

Pink Shirt Day is a global movement celebrated by more than 100 countries worldwide. The initiative draws attention to the issue of bullying. It is a reminder to be kind and respectful to other people, whether you are at home, at school, at a workplace, or online.

In addition to inviting children and adults to wear a pink shirt, the dramatic play setup further emphasizes the meaning of the color pink on Pink Shirt Day.

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Pink-themed Dramatic Play Supplies

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The following supplies are in this pretend play set up with a whole lotta pink accessories and loose parts:

“Be Kind” place card and stand
fish, flower, and cube-shaped reusable ice cubes
pom poms in various shades of pink
pool noodle slices
miniature tea set
ice cube tray
art caddy
fillable eggs
curlers
buttons
heart-shaped game pieces, erasers, and cookie cutters
disposable plates, cups, and cutlery
food serving containers and tongs
dessert cups and spoons
disposable cup holder and egg carton top
tablecloth
vase with artificial flowers

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The Pink Shirt Day Dramatic Play Invitation

In this rosy dramatic play center, a variety of loose parts complement pink-themed plates, cutlery, serving containers, and a miniature tea set. The supplies come in shades such as pastel pink, hot pink, magenta, and fuchsia.

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A place card with the words “Be Kind” describes the dramatic play theme and provides a literacy opportunity.

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A four-compartment disposable cup holder painted in a glorious pink hue holds cups or larger loose parts.

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An inverted square egg carton lid also painted pink makes a nice-sized serving tray for cookie cutters and cut bun-shaped pool noodle pretend play food.

Note: A little red tempera paint mixed in with white produces a gorgeous pink hue. Painting the cardboard recyclable pieces is a fun activity for children to participate in either individually or as a small group.

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Cutlery and disposable ice cubes are contained nicely in a small art caddy.

Heart-shaped game pieces, cookie cutters, and erasers add to the kindness theme.

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Buttons, curlers, thinly sliced pool noodles, and an ice cube holder round out the supplies in the dramatic play center.

The accessories and loose parts in this super fun pink-themed play invitation offer opportunities for fine motor development, sorting, labeling shades of color, and imaginative play.

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Variation of the Pink-themed Dramatic Play Set Up

With a few pink pieces exchanged for black, gold, and white-themed loose parts, the Pink Shirt Day dramatic play set up easily transitions to an eye-catching Barbie-inspired play kitchen theme. Since it is awards season for Barbie: The Movie, the tweaked play invitation fits perfectly.

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Related: Pink Shirt Day Necklace Craft

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Snowflake Cafe Dramatic Play

January 23, 2024 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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The weather is super snowy and cold in my part of the world right now, and this Snowflake Café dramatic play center fits right in. The center incorporates many loose parts, which little learners love to use in imaginative ways.

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Snowflake Restaurant Supplies

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The following supplies are in the snowflake café set up:

acrylic snowflakes and gems
white styrofoam balls
felt, foam, and wooden snowflakes
ice cream play food
iridescent bead necklaces
snowflake-themed bells
metal trays, cookie pans, and muffin tray
frosted disposable goblets
disposable plates
clear spoons and forks
play coffee machine and cups
play money
restaurant signs and menu items
table and chairs with a vase of flowers

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The Snowflake Cafe

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The color scheme for the winter-themed Snowflake Café dramatic play center is blue, white, silver, and gold.

Snowflakes in various sizes and materials make up a large part of the play food. In checking my supplies and scouring stores in our area I found them in felt, foam, acrylic, and wood.

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The wooden snowflakes are painted with gold, silver, or shades of blue acrylic craft paint to match the color scheme.

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Including play spaghetti in my dramatic play centers is so fun. In the café iridescent necklaces cut into strips are the noodles, and small snowflake-themed bells are the meatballs.

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Styrofoam balls are snow cupcakes or muffins.

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Disposable frosted goblets and silver trays add elegance to the center.

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Little learners love to mix and match supplies in the snowflake café and use their imagination to decide what play food the loose parts will be. They relish in preparing food, serving it to customers, and handling play money.

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Variation Of The Snowflake Cafe

Below, the loose parts and clear tableware in the Snowflake Cafe along with a few additional supplies set the tone for an inviting dining experience on the light table.

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Winter Pretend Play Tablescape

Lemonade Stand Dramatic Play

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Paper Plate Turkey Craft

October 8, 2023 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Paper plate crafts are always a hit, and this paper plate turkey craft is a super cute one. Fit it during a farm animal theme or letter T mini-theme, or save it for a Thanksgiving Day celebration. Download the free turkey template to prepare this craft with ease.

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Supplies To Collect

For this adorable farm animal craft, gather the following supplies:

large paper plate
red, yellow, orange, and brown construction paper or cardstock
red pipe cleaner
wiggly eyes
white glue and glue paddle
glue stick
glue gun

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Paper Plate Turkey Prep

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To prepare this animal craft, first cut a paper plate in half.

Next, cut a large circle from brown construction paper or cardstock, and two sizes of smaller circles from red, orange, and yellow sturdy paper.

Then cut a narrow diamond and two small hearts from orange paper.

The last thing to do is snip a three-inch strip from a red pipe cleaner.

To make things easier, download this free turkey craft template to use for cutting out the shapes.

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Paper Plate Turkey PrintableDownload

This printable is for individual or one classroom use only.

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Tip: Paper punches are very helpful in preparing this craft.

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Making The Paper Plate Turkey Craft

To make this cute turkey craft, start by using white glue and a glue paddle to adhere red, orange, and yellow circles to the semi-circular plate.

Next, glue the brown circle to the bottom middle of the straight edge of the plate, allowing a little bit of the circle to fall below the edge. This will be the turkey head.

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Then glue two wiggly eyes to the large circle.

Afterward, fold the narrow diamond shape in half to make a beak. Glue the folded bottom half of the beak underneath the eyes.

Then fashion the red pipe cleaner strip into a narrow loop. Glue the loop to the beak so that it hangs down as a snood.

Finally, glue two heart-shaped feet to the bottom of the turkey head.

Let the crafted turkey dry overnight and it will be ready for display.

Note: A glue stick or glue gun will also work to adhere the shapes in this craft.

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This paper plate turkey is made entirely of geometric shapes, so the craft presents a great opportunity to discuss and review them.

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Paper Plate Turkey Headband

For a fun twist to this craft, turn the paper plate turkey into a headband.

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First, make sure to adhere the bottom edge of the turkey head to the straight edge of the semi circle.

Next, glue on the eyes, beak, and snood as in the first craft.

Then cut two 1 ½ x 11 inch strips from a piece of cardstock. Glue the two strips together on one side, and then adhere the paper plate turkey on top, lining it up with the bottom edge.

Measure the headband to fit the wearer, and glue the remaining two ends together.

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More Turkey Activities

Coffee Playdough Turkey

Thanksgiving Tablescape Pretend Play

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[Read more…]

Paint Chip Watermelon Art

August 17, 2023 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Create beautiful watermelon art with paint chip samples. The colorful watermelon slices can be used in many different activities.

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Paint chip color samples with their gorgeous lined-up hues are truly something special. They come in every glorious color scheme you can imagine and make any kind of art activity extra beautiful. In this post, they shine in paint chip watermelon art that lends itself to a variety of fun activities for children.

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Not Just Red

The only color of watermelon I experienced as a child is red, but did you know that there are also yellow, orange, pink, and white watermelon varieties? All these hues are featured in this fruity art activity.

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Supplies To Collect

Gather the following supplies to make paint chip watermelon art:

paint chip samples in hues of red, pink, orange, yellow, and green
black cardstock
hole punch
glue stick
scissors and pencil

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Paint Chip Watermelon Art Process

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To create this juicy art activity, trace and cut out half-circle shapes from paint chip swatches donated from hardware stores.

Note: Watermelon comes in at least five different hues, so multi-shade paint chip strips in yellow, orange, pink, red, and white all apply.

Next, trace and cut out thin half-circle watermelon rinds from green paint color samples.

Afterward, use a glue stick to affix the green rinds to the curved edge of the half circles to create watermelon slices.

Just add seeds to these fruity slices to create watermelon art. The juicy slices can be used in many differnt activities for litlle learners.

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Then punch dots from black construction paper for watermelon seeds, and glue a few onto each watermelon slice.

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Paint Chip Watermelon Activities

The created paint chip watermelon slices can be used in several ways with little learners:

Watermelon Slice Collage

Invite little learners to glue watermelon slices to a large sheet of paper for a pretty watermelon collage.

Craft watermelon slices with paint chip samples and use them in a pretty watermelon collage. A beautiful. all-ages art activity.

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Counting and Color Recognition Activities

Use the juicy slices as props for counting and color-recognition rhymes, songs, and charting activities.

Paint chip watermelon slices shine in this fruity math chart where little learners can count the seeds and add the corresponding number.

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Paint chip watermelon art used in a fruity color chart where little learners can practice matching color words to watermelon slices.

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Pretend Play Food

The crafted fruit slices make attractive pretend food for a play kitchen.

Paint chip watermelon slices make attractive play food for a pretend play kitchen.

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Watermelon Necklace

With a hot glue gun, affix small paper clips to the back top of three watermelon slices. String pony beads and paper watermelon slices onto a 24-inch piece of thin lacing cord and tie it off.

Supplies to make a beaded necklace with paint chip watermelon slices and green, red, pink, and clear pony beads.

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How to make a beaded necklace with paint chip watermelon slices and green, red, pink, and clear pony beads.

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Color Discussions

After little learners can recognize the basic colors, use the paint chip watermelon slices to discuss lighter and darker shades of color.

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Paint Chip Fruit Drink Art

It is easy to transition this paint chip watermelon art activity into a fruit drink craft. To do this, cut paper glasses from construction paper colors of choice. Then cut half circles from paint chip swatches in fruity hues. Offer each participant a paper glass, glue stick, and six or seven half-circle fruit wedges to create a lemon, lime, or orange paper drink. Add an additional fruit slice to the top of each glass.