What's This For?

There are toys that have returned to the playroom – things the children have seen/used before but not recently.  Every weekend I rotate toys in and out of play.  The children often refer to returning toys as ‘new’ but really they are old.

There are new toys in the playroom too.  There is one newly purchased item that I will talk about in a separate post.  The items that I am referring to now are ‘loose parts’ – random things that I sometimes purchase but most often then are things I toss in the playroom instead of the recycling bin.

Of course there is a big box.  One of my favorite aspects of the most recent playroom arrangement is that there is more open floor space which will make it possible to have empty boxes in the room on a regular basis.  The children love boxes and they are never unsure what to do with an empty box;

The other new items in the room did elicit “What’s this for?” questions.  These items are pieces of packaging that came in various boxes.  These items don’t have a defined play purpose.  They are open-ended items.

Sometimes they are used just for carrying around and dancing with;

Sometimes they become a place for other toys to play;

 

The box is good for this too;

This box is big enough for two friends to go on a trip together – love that they remembered to put on their seatbelt;

And here some packaging pieces were combined with the box to create gas and brake pedals for a super fast car;

Even the old toys and instuments have been used for another purpose.  Perfect!  So much more imagination required when toys don’t have instructions.