The Apple Market and Bakery

This year I gave up my housekeeping set for a bunch of different reasons.  I am, however, a firm believer in the importance of play in Kindergarten, particularly dramatic play.  I rotate my dramatic play area monthly and I wanted to try something new for September.  I came up with The apple market and bakery to coincide with my usual apple unit that takes place during September.

The following are pictures and tips for creating and maintaining this area.

I used recycled plastic jars and bottles and made labels for them that say "apple sauce"," apple pie filling" and "apple cider".  I didn't want a whole bunch of "stuff" in the area to distract from the actual play.  I re purposed a plant flat as an apple sorting  station and put pictures out that show the price and where thing should go at clean up.

This is the bakery portion.  I have very few items, again to encourage imagination, sharing and easy clean up.  I included containers labeled for sugar  and flour, an empty egg carton, vanilla bottle and cook book I made with picture recipes.
There is 1 large bowl, 1 large spoon, and a few measuring utensils and pots and pans.  The sink/stove is originally from IKEA but I got it from a neighbor who was giving it away.

I used google images to create a simple cook book with picture steps to make apple pie and apple cookies.

This "orchard" consists of 3 trees and a variety of different colored, laminated paper apples attached to clothes pins.
I think there are about 9 of each color.  They are attached to the low branches for easy picking.

Apple close up.

Originally I tried to hot glue the apples to the clothes pins, but soon discovered that they just fall right off so I ended up using masking tape to secure them.

Dramatic Play- The Campsite

I have long been a believer that when it comes to dramatic play variety and rotating stations are key and less is more.  The less stuff provided the more imagination takes place.  This is why I was so excited to try the campsite.  I used it the last week of school but ended up wishing I had given it a month of play.  My teaching team found 2 boxes of camping stuff that someone in the neighborhood was giving away.  They nabbed the boxes but the boxes sat in storage for months.  I was looking for something simple and different to keep my kids engaged the last week of school so I pulled the boxes out, went through them and discovered a treasure of imagination.  There a very few props but the kids had so much fun being in the tent and cooking over the fire.  In later pictures you will see trees around the tent.  We have these for various activities in kindergarten and they made a nice forest.

I am hoping to put together and apple orchard dramatic play area for the fall.  I am giving up the house keeping center all together because it originally belonged to another program and they really wanted it back.  I don't think I'll miss it.  I'll keep you posted!

The tent and camping dishes were a "give away" find in my neighborhood.

The campfire is a group of paper towel tubes and red, orange and gold tissue paper under a cooking grate.

There is a camping pad inside the tent and a backpack with a set of 4 plates, cups and spoons and 2 frying pans and 1 spatula a life vest and a minnow bucket and a small broom and dust pan.

The kids supplies the imagination.

The Science Lab

The Science lab is a dramatic play area created to encourage budding chemists by using simple tools  to mix common kitchen "chemicals" and observe the reactions.  I used clear plastic containers, spoons, eye droppers and dosing syringes to measure and mix vinegar, water, salt and baking powder.  I also included small vials of colored water.  I introduced this area with specific rules, spoons are for powders and mixing, eye droppers and dosing syringes are for liquids.  No Pouring!  This was enforced so that there would be enough compounds for a group of 4 to share and helped with fine motor development and self control.  It also managed materials so that they did not have to be replaced.  I had the center out for 3 weeks and used 1 box of baking soda but still have salt, baby oil and vinegar for other projects.  If a group ran out of a compound, it was not refilled.  I refilled them for the next group the next day.            

Students use small plastic containers, like from fruit cups, to mix chemicals and observe reactions.  Part of their job was to was out their containers to prepare the center for the next group of students.

I used clear plastic cups with lids and labeled them with painters tape.  The vials of colored water are clear, film canister sized containers.  The large bottles are "discovery bottles"  that have been glued closed.  These are ways to observe different liquids.  These are and idea from Dr. Jean at drjean.com

Okay, I confess, I always wanted the game, Hungry Hungry Hippos as a child.  I believed (and still do) that Hippos gobbling up marbles at high speeds is fun in a box.  I mean, who came up with this?!  So when I saw the game at a thrift store, all pieces intact, I was thrilled to bring it into the classroom.  The day I put it out one of my students came in and exclaimed, "I have always wanted to play that game!"  It is a hit!  I did find out why it was donated though, it is loud!  So, I have the kids play it on the carpet to cut down on the noise, and we have a "one hand on the hippo handle" rule to prevent over zealous play.  This game also helps with the concept of greater and fewer as the player whose hippo gobbles the greatest number of marbles wins.

Ocean

In honor of our ocean unit I created this mini ocean/water table as a dramatic play area. I used a large plastic storage box and filled it with about 3 inches of water. This is enough water to play with but not so much that it is easy to splash it out of the container. I used food coloring to dye the water blue.

I taped bubble wrap around the desks that hold the water table to help minimize spilled water and to make the area more thematic.

I added different types of containers, scoops, eye droppers, corks, basters and plastic ocean animals. The children really enjoy this sensory play and use problem solving skills when filling and emptying containers.

Management tip: I limit the number of students who can use the table to 4. I keep a check list of students who have used this area so that each student has the same number of turns.

Animal Hospital

Children love animals and they love pretending. I created the animal hospital so that they could practice being veterinarians. This area includes an office desk complete with post it notes and animal themed papers, because every office has forms to fill out. The animals in this hospital include puppies, kittens, monkeys, birds, fish and rabbits.

The doctor tools are arranged on a tray for easy access and clean up. Dress up scrubs are available too.

Animals can be carried around in re purposed lunch boxes. Plastic containers serve as water and food bowls.

The Pizzaria

One of my favorite dramatic play areas is the pizzeria. Set up consists of a few basic props and it is hours of language development, writing, math skills and fun! One corner houses a phone, (for phone orders), a cash register and an order pad.

I cut toppings out of paper which have lasted several years, unlaminated. (I coached the kids to be careful) They are sorted into pie tins. This provides sorting practices. I use large corrugated cardboard circles as the base of the pizza.

I made some very simple menus to help with environmental print and language development.

And of course, no restaurant would be complete without a seating area!

Puppet Theatre

This Dramatic play center help students with their communication skills. The puppet theatre give student the opportunity to act out familiar stories and create their own!
I used a shoe rack as a puppet stand and organizer. This puppet theatre is made from a large box cut to this shape and covered with contact paper.

For an extra touch, chairs for an audience can be added.

The Bakery

During November the dramatic play center turns into a bakery where students can create different foods out of play dough.Aprons and chef hats help students dress the part.

I added different kinds of utensils, pots, pans and shakers.

Cylinder Blocks

I have been collecting oatmeal, hot chocolate, Pringles and whey powder containers all summer. I added them to the block area this week and the kids love them! They can build castles and taller towers! All I did was leave the lids on and put some light blue contact paper around the outside. My students really enjoy building towers that are taller than they are! ( I even saw them take out the measuring tape and "measure" their towers). I really enjoy that they make so little noise when the towers fall.

Flower shop With 2010 Updates

Here are the 2010 updates.

Try this fun and easy spring time dramatic play center. Create a classroom flower shop. The main ingredients are a variety of silk flowers that are usually very easy to find at thrift stores and garage sales.I like to offer the students different sizes of containers to hold their floral designs. I found some pretty iron window box type containers that add a nice touch to the area. Because kids love to dress up, I included some plastic fiber hats (so there is no lice worry) an some baskets an hand bags. I included a phone for taking orders and a camera.

I also added a cash register and old computer key board and mouse for taking order. I also put in some fancy colored pens and paper to encourage writing.

This area really adds a festive air to our classroom!

October Dramatic Play

This is the easiest dramatic play area that I have ever put together or set up. I put my costume box into the dramatic play area along with, a set of 4 Halloween or fall themed plates, cups and napkins, some invitations that I made up on my computer, a table cloth and some miscellaneous decorations. (All these things I got at thrift stores or the dollar store). The children love it and it actually relieves some of the "Halloween Hype" because they get to act out the event without the sugar rush.

I also created a themed writing bag called the "Boo Bag" This contained some party invitations, black and orange pens, envelopes and some Halloween phrases that we brainstormed as a class and I wrote on orange construction paper. The "Boo Bag" can also be used during independent work time.