loose parts

Lemonade Stand Dramatic Play Center

August 28, 2022 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Today is Lemonade Stand Day in and around our city. Children are invited to set up a lemonade stand to raise money for a local children’s hospital. All supplies are included, so it is easy for them to do. A lemonade stand dramatic play center is a fun way to extend this lemony theme at home or in the classroom.

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Supplies To Collect

Spring and summer are the best seasons to find lemony tableware and home décor items. And collecting fruity, yellow play pieces to stock the stand is so refreshing!

It's refreshing and fun to gather props for a lemonade stand dramatic play center.

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Included in my lemonade stand are:

artificial lemons in different sizes
rubber lemon counters
lemon branches in vases
plastic beverage dispenser
yellow plates, bowls, cups, cutlery, and ice cube tray
lemon-themed spatula, tableware, placemat, potholder, and tea towel
green and yellow rainbow erasers and apple sauce screw-top lids
transparent pebble gem “ice cubes”
citrus juicer
menu
signs with lemon quotes
play money

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The Lemonade Stand Dramatic Play Center

The supplies for this lemonade stand can be spread around shelves and tables. A wooden food stand makes a great centerpiece for the play center.

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The menu includes lemonade and lemon pie, and loose part treats such as lemon cookies, candies, and donuts. And there are lemons in a variety of sizes available for purchase.

Home décor pieces such as lemon branches in vases, a tea towel, an ice cube tray, and lemon-themed tableware are also for sale. Lemonade quotes add ambiance to the center.

A lemonade stand dramatic play center with much more than lemonade for sale! Loose parts complement the center offerings.

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A table and chairs set up near the lemonade stand offer early learners a chance to hang around and pretend to sip lemonade and eat play food.

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Click here to view a video of the Lemonade Stand.

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A lemonade stand and dramatic play center with much more than lemonade for sale! Loose parts complement the center offerings.

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This lemonade stand dramatic play center goes hand and hand with the lemon-inspired play kitchen featured in an earlier post. The supplies used here easily transfer over to a play kitchen.

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National Lemonade Day

National Lemonade Day is celebrated in early May and/or late August in many areas of North America. Children and teens are encouraged to participate in setting up a lemonade stand as an entrepreneurial venture. In doing this, they get practice in goal-setting, working as a team, handling money, and engaging with the community. Next time you see a pop-up lemonade stand, be sure to stop by and purchase a glass of the refreshing citrus drink!

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Related:

Apple Stand Dramatic Play Center

Dessert Bar Play Center

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Watermelon Dramatic Play Center

August 27, 2022 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Watermelon is a sweet, juicy fruit chock-full of vitamins and health benefits. All parts of watermelon contain nutrients. Filled with 92% water, the large, low-calorie melon is an effective thirst quencher on hot days. And it just happens to make a colorful, cheery, theme for a watermelon dramatic play center!

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Supplies To Collect

Watermelon-themed picnic tableware and loose parts add a welcome burst of color to a dramatic play center.

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Summer is the best time to collect supplies for a watermelon dramatic play center. The watermelon theme is easy to find in picnic and outdoor living tableware and décor.

Loose parts in complementary colors add interest and extend play possibilities.

Here’s what I included in the play center:

watermelon cups, plates, and bowls
red cutlery
green and red serving spoons
red flowers in a vase
pink, red, green, black, and white pompoms, buttons, and gems
pictures of watermelon slices
fans with a watermelon theme
checkered red and white placemat
watermelon-themed tea towel
red and green rubber frogs

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The Watermelon Dramatic Play Center

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The watermelon-themed supplies are arranged in a tablescape here but can be placed on appliances, furniture, and shelves in your play kitchen. They will instantly transform the area into a vibrant role-playing space, bound to be inviting to your little charges.

Reusable shopping bags have lots of learning potential and can be incorporated into centers. Here, watermelon slices cut from a bag make economical and eye-appealing play food. They add artistic flare.

Watermelon slices cut from a reusable bag make excellent play food for a dramatic play center.

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Loose parts can be transferred from jars to tableware, and little learners will think of many ways to incorporate them into their play.

Keeping an eye out for themed accessories when shopping helps you find items that add interest to a pretend play center. Watermelon fans fit the bill!

A themed fan and button loose parts add interest and play possibilities to a watermelon dramatic play center.

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These rubber frogs are included because they are red and green! My little learners had fun reimagining them as cupcakes and candy.

Rubber fogs and gem loose parts add interest and play possibilities to a watermelon dramatic play center.

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Pompoms in red, pink, green, white, and black set in an almond-shaped watermelon bowl add a soft touch.

Pompoms in red, pink, green, white, and black add interest and play possibilities to a watermelon dramatic play center.

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Watermelon accessories add a burst of color to the play kitchen, welcome any time of the year. Try this fruity dramatic play theme in late winter or early Spring. When outdoor colors are drab, the bold palette is sure to be a mood booster.

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A juicy, watermelon theme pretend play center your little learners will love. Loose parts are a highlight of the center.

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White Lilacs And Black Playdough

June 11, 2022 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Try this unexpected white lilac and black playdough combination. It goes well with cookie cutters and white and transparent loose parts.

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When I first decided to make black playdough, it was for a space theme. And lilacs were going to be used in a sensory play tub. Some white lilacs did end up in a sensory tub along with a generous supply of purple ones, and I used black playdough for the space theme as planned. But I also discovered that white lilacs and black playdough make an interesting and unexpected combination.

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For the black playdough in this post, I use a recipe featured in a blog post by Left Brain Craft Brain. It is easy to make, and produces super black playdough!

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White Lilacs And Black Playdough Tray

Set up this unexpected white lilac and black playdough tray. Striking creations will surely be the result.

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The supplies gathered for this effortless playdough tray are:

white lilac sprigs
clear gems
transparent hair ties
reusable transparent star ice cubes
white pony beads
wired white leaves
flower, bug, and butterfly cookie cutters
scissors
rolling pin

Set out on a serving tray with compartments, the supplies make for an aromatic play invitation.

The lilac sprigs can be snipped and kneaded into the playdough.

Loose parts and tiny lilac petals are available to embellish playdough shapes.

The flower, insect, and butterfly cookie cutters are unexpected and result in striking creations.

White lilac and black playdough creations using flower, butterfly, and bug coolie cutters and white and transparent loose parts.

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Black playdough and white lilacs make the perfect combination for a dynamic playdough invitation.

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Alternatively. the lilac and black playdough work wonderfully for a space theme. Star-shaped gems and reusable ice cubes, grey painted rocks, white pony beads, clear acrylic gems, and an astronaut and spaceship are included in the play invitation below.

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Black And White Playdough Tray

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If you decide to forgo using lilacs, black playdough works well on its own with white and transparent loose parts and cookie cutters. Gathered for the tray above are:

striped black and white straws
white buttons
black and white game pieces
bottle caps
baby bottle lids
white beads
pizza lid box stands
flower, butterfly, and bug cookie cutters

An striking black and white playdough theme with flower, bug, and butterfly cookie cutter shapes.

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Spider, bat, and skeleton loose parts are also a good fit for this playdough.

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A sure-to-please outer space playdough setup.

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More Activities With Flowers

Balloon Painting Flower Art

Tea Set Water Play

Dish Wand Print Flowers

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Contact Paper Flower Art

Petunia Flower Sensory Tray

Eye Dropper Flower Art

Create a beautiful flower with a super fun eye dropper painting technique. A paper craft that looks stunning displayed.

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[Read more…]

St. Patrick’s Day Tablescape

March 16, 2022 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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My preschoolers love loose parts. One of the places they especially enjoy using them is in the play kitchen. Lately, unless loose parts are added to the center, they aren’t too impressed. And so for the first few weeks of March. I set up this St. Patrick’s Day tablescape.

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Supplies To Collect

Set up this inviting St. Patrick's Day tablescape that is filled with green and gold loose parts to spark creative, imaginative play.

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Here are table décor and loose parts to gather for an eye-popping St. Pat’s tablescape. You can go all out in adding accessories or just choose a few items.

shamrock-themed plates, cups, napkins, and serving tray
green bowls, serving utensils, and ice cube tray
orange, green, and yellow cutlery
plastic shamrock “coasters”
yellow, green, and orange fruit and vegetable play food
felt “cookies and pretzels”
green buttons, bottlecaps, eggs, and marbles
leprechaun hat, rainbow, and shamrock erasers
green beads and bead strips cut from garland
yellow and green pom poms
gold and green coins
light up green teddy bear
St. Patrick’s Day necklaces and bracelets
metallic shamrock table scatter
white and green carnations in a plastic jar vase
green or orange plastic tablecloth

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The St. Patrick’s Day Tablescape

Arrange the table décor and loose parts on toy shelves and in play kitchen appliances. There will be many inviting pieces for early learners to explore and use.

Set up this cheery St. Patrick's Day tablescape that is filled with green and gold loose parts and plenty of shamrocks.

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The tablescape above is mostly done in shades of green with a little bit of gold. In the set-up below, an orange tablecloth and green, yellow, and orange produce add color to the play center.

Set up this inviting St. Patrick's Day tablescape that is filled with green, yellow, and orange loose parts to spark creative, imaginative play.

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Including a variety of loose parts allows children to use their imagination in dramatic play. Garland strips become green noodles, marbles transform into pickles, and pot of gold erasers are served as popcorn. Other pieces are used to make cake batter for a triple-layer cake. This serves up a whole lotta fun!

As said earlier, it is okay to set out just a few of the above supplies. They will add interest to dramatic play activities, and help your early learners join in on celebrating St. Patrick’s Day.

Set up this cheery St. Patrick's Day tablescape that is filled with green, yellow, and orange loose parts and plenty of shamrocks.

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Related: St. Patrick’s Day Store

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St. Patrick’s Light Table Tray

March 15, 2022 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

A cheeky leprechaun is the highlight of this low-maintenance, easy-to put together St. Patrick's Day light table tray.

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St. Patrick’s Day accessories lend themselves so well to sensory activities and can be used in many different ways. Keeping an eye out for transparent supplies is the key to making this easy, mess-free St. Patrick’s light table tray.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Supplies To Collect

Transparent gems, gems, and more gems work well for this tray. Select them in different sizes in the colors green, yellow, and brownish gold.

Other supplies to gather are shamrock reusable ice cubes, shamrocks cut from wall decorations, a black pot, a leprechaun figurine, and mini green tongs and drinking cups.

Dot markers and a piece of transparency copy paper come in handy for creating a rainbow.

A clear compartment tray works wonderfully for the bin.

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The St. Patrick’s Light Table Tray

How to put together a St. Patrick's Day sensory tray for the light table.

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First, select a clear compartment tray for the sensory activity.

Next, use dot markers to create a large rainbow on a piece of transparency copy paper. The ink dries rapidly and doesn’t smudge at all. Or draw a rainbow with felt pens on regular copy paper. Afterward, cut the rainbow out and tape it to one end of the tray.

Then add a variety of acrylic gems to the tray.

Set in the shamrock ice cubes and wall decoration pieces.

Lastly, add the drinking cups, salad tongs, pot, and leprechaun. Then set the sensory tray on a light table or light box for early learners to discover.

Children will be excited to sort and rearrange the loose parts in the tray and may spread them all over the lighted surface.

Note: This St. Patrick’s light table tray is low maintenance. It is mess-free and doesn’t require a base ingredient. It works well as an activity on or off the light table.

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Related:

Leprechaun Sensory Jar

Leprechaun Sensory Play

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