Transforming Christmas Lists

More toys to clutter the play room is exactly what we all need this time of year, right?  No?  Then what gifts do you wrap up to fill your children with wonder for the holidays?

After taking the Playful Learning Spaces Workshop, I totally revamped my children's (and my own) Christmas lists.

When I first started their lists (on Amazon...it makes relatives' lives so much easier) I was just trying to come up with things that were reasonably priced, and made to entertain their age-range.  They don't actually need (or want, honestly) any more toys.  After watching the very first video from the workshop, though, I knew it had to change.  Each following video and lesson gave me great ideas for things that wouldn't just clutter the play room, but add to it in an inspirational and educational way while still sparking the excitement we all love on Christmas morning.

So what sort of things are on the lists now?  Lots and lots of art supplies, made specifically for their ages, along with a few other things that inspire pretend play and outdoor exploration.  I've listed many of my ideas below.

Art Supplies:

• Preschool scissors
• Triangular colored pencils
• Triangular crayons
• Triangular pencils
• Tabletop easel
• Blank sketch pads (these could also be handmade)
• Dry erase markers
• PlayDoh and accessories
• Alphabet stamps
• Window crayons
• Toddler craft kits

Dress-up and Pretend Play:

• Dress-up clothes 
• Role play hats
• Pretend play broom and duster
• Pretend play kitchen accessories
• Felt vegetable garden (handmade or you could probably find it on Etsy)

 Outdoor Exploration

• Explorer kit
• Binoculars
• Magnifying glass
• Bug catching kit
• Umbrella
• Raincoat and galoshes

 Other ideas:

• Toddler instruments
• Chalkboard writing set (easy to make, from Playfullearning.net)
• Memberships to the local zoo, aquarium and children's museum
• Use this link to find a zoo or aquarium near you
• Use this link to find a children's museum near you 

I could go on, but I'll stop here and hope that some things from this list provide inspiration for your lists this holiday!

Playful Learning Spaces

I count myself lucky to be a part of the Playful Learning team and was over the moon at the opportunity to take part on their Playful Learning Spaces workshop this past month.  The experience gave me a whole new perspective on the areas I have designated for the girls and made me completely rethink the Christmas list we were sending out to the family (that's a whole other post!).

My  favorite part is the fact that I am able to revisit the lesson videos and links, as well as the inspiring comments and pictures of the room transformations shared by the other women in the workshop.  Inspiration can continue to be reignited each time I look back on these awesome resources (because we all know that we never have time to do the things we want WHEN we want to do them).  :)

My rooms and spaces are far from done, but I already see the difference these small changes are making in my girls' interactions and in the way they entertain themselves and one another.  Here are a couple "before" photos that I took of our play room on the main floor.  I intentionally left it messy so that the amount of toys available to the girls was captured.

It was both over-stimulating for the girls, and overwhelming for us to take on as a task to clean it up every evening.  It was so jam-packed full of toys that I wasn't even sure where to start with it's transformation.  These suggested blog articles were a HUGE help:

• Child's Play: The Art of Toy Rotation
• Toy Organization: Tackling the Living Room
• Rediscovering Your Child's Space
• Seven Guiding Questions for Creating Playful Spaces
• Child's Play: Organizing One Toy at a Time

As I said, the room makeover is far from complete, and I'd still like to downsize a bit, but I already feel better about the amount of toys I have available for the girls at any one time, as well as the organization, making it easier for them to clean up after themselves.

I hope to continue to share updates as they happen, as well as my daughters' reactions to them.  So far so good!  Their attention spans seem to have tripled with fewer toys in the room.  :)

It's a wonderful, rewarding experience that I just couldn't keep to myself and wanted to pass on in hopes that one of you will find it equally as encouraging.  If you're interested, check it out here: