PLAY

A great morning to have a baby... or a great morning to make "sweet potato pie"!  

Grace Louise has been outside all morning sifting, mixing, kneading, and adding interesting ingredients to her culinary masterpiece (flour, water, and garden herbs, which she is calling sweet potato pie- and which will be served up on little princess plates in a matter of minutes).  

As we have watched this little girl's imagination explode (imaginary friends and all), I've been wanting to incorporate more opportunities for PLAY, undirected interaction with the real world around her.  She loves to learn and we both enjoy doing little workbooks together, arts and crafts, and other learning activities, but simply playing, I realize has far more benefits for children her age.  

Other than the usual open-ended toys that I love to see her playing with (marbles, blocks, beads, dolls, etc.) I've recently been inspired to think outside of the box.  There are so many cool ideas out there, most of which require simple every day household supplies.  

I particularly like the pre-schoolplay blog.  It's easy to just look at the pictures, grab an idea for the day, and go with it!