I’ve wanted to put together a DIY light table for Miss for ages now, but as simple as it is, it’s just never happened. There are so many really easy tutorials on how to create light tables using plastic bins and portable LED lights {like this one from Teach Preschool and this one from Happy Hooligans}, but the problem is that I haven’t come across the perfect shallow plastic bin with a flat, clear top {or bottom}.
{this post contains affiliate links}Miss G has talked about one day having her own dollhouse for a long while now. I did do some poking around back when we were still in Vancouver and found several that I absolutely adored {like this doll chalet, this all season home, this high-rise, this eco house, and my very, VERY favourite, this ‘green’ dollhouse by plan toys}, but knowing that we were moving overseas, it just didn’t make sense buy something only to have to leave it behind.
The thing is, now that we’re here in Kuwait, I’ve been having a hard time committing to purchasing one here. First off, the ones I really love are not readily available in Kuwait, and secondly, decent wooden versions that are available are really pricey. The fact that we don’t know how long we’ll be here for doesn’t help either as I don’t want to purchase a gorgeous {expensive} dollhouse and have to leave it behind in a year or two.
Today Gracen and I put together this very simple sensory bin stand for her brand new {big} bedroom. It was an idea I’d seen on Ikea Hackers a few years back, and I’m so glad I remembered it. It’s simple, inexpensive, multipurpose, and fully customizable, which I love. And now that we’ve put it to the test, I think we may even get another one to add to our collection.
Our makeshift puppet theatre got LOTs of play and it was {well past} time to switch things up in our little Ikea SKYLTA Market Stand. Because we’re amidst our 5 days dedicated to packing our entire house, it had to be something super quick and easy to set-up, but highly engaging in order to keep Miss G happily {and independently} playing for as long as possible.
To get things started, I made a little ‘Popcorn Shop’ sign that took less than a minute to make, and popped it into the structure’s sign slot.
Then Grae and I made a big bowl of plain stove-top popcorn (in coconut oil of course) and she grabbed a measuring cup to act as her scoop while I grabbed an old salt shaker that works terribly (it barely lets anything out, and in this case that’s perfect) and put a little sea salt inside.
While I’ve seen really cute old-fashioned popcorn bags at our local dollar store, I’m a big fan of using what you have on hand if you can, so I grabbed some paper bags I’d used at a recent craft market and quickly wrote ‘POPCORN’ across the front of each one. Together we decided that the small white ones would be the shop’s personal size and the bigger brown ones would be family-sized.
After retrieving an apron, Miss G opened her popcorn shop for business.
She took orders, asking us about our size and salt preferences, and carefully scooped popcorn into bags. When an order was ready, she’d deliver it to us wherever we were working in the house, then check back in a few minutes later to see if we needed a free refill… Now that’s what I call service!
Our popcorn shop was a total hit with Grae and my guess is that she’d continue dishing out bags of popcorn as long as I’d continue filling the bowl.
This inexpensive cardboard contraption has brought us a ton of fun already and I fully plan to take advantage of it for the last few weeks before we move. ☺
To see the other ways we’ve used our cardboard market stand, click here.
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With our fruit and veggie market being a huge hit for a solid week or so, today we decided to switch things up a little. Given a few options, Miss G confidently chose to convert our cardboard market stand into a simple puppet theatre this time around.
And when I say simple, I mean simple! Because our designated market builder seemed to miss a couple of steps in the process (*ahem* not me!) we have a couple of open slots near the top of the stand that were perfect for slipping a lightweight cotton scarf through to give the feel of a curtain. If we would have had a long, thin dowel, I would have attempted to fashion a working curtain, but no such luck. Of course, Miss G doesn’t seem to mind in the least.
The other small step we took to transform our market stand into a puppet theatre is to create a super simple welcome sign. We simply slid it into the poster holder in front of the fruit and veggie shop one and we were good to go.
All that was left was retrieving a few puppets, and luckily, Miss G had that covered.
These guys were up for some exercise and ended up jumping and ‘practicing falling’.
After playing with her traditional puppets a while, she pulled out her homemade wooden spoon puppets to switch things up a little. They talked about their favourite colours, decided to go to the park, and ended up finishing the play date with a kiss! ☺
Next up was the finger puppet crew. These guys did their usual performance – 5 little monkeys jumping on the bed.
So far, this little cardboard market has brought about a ton of fun and I know there’s a lot more in store!
To see our fruit and veggie market, click here.
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For extra fun, like us on Facebook here and find us on Instagram here.
Several weeks ago, while slowly making our way through the children’s section of Ikea, I spotted this cardboard play market. Now it’s not like me to purchase play things on a whim (we sort of operate on a minimal toys basis in our house), but with all of the all of the possibilities and a $12.99 price tag ($14.99 in the US), I couldn’t pass it up.
For the last little while, it’s been Grae’s Fruit & Veggie Market, where she sells all sort of {felt} fruits and vegetables for ridiculously low prices (and she even throws in a free reusable bag with your purchase!)
One of Gracen’s very favourite pretend play games is ‘store’, so it goes without saying that this has been a total hit, plus I love the fact that it encourages all kinds of communication, manners, and role play.
Next up, our cardboard market is being put to use as a puppet theatre!
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For extra fun, like us on Facebook here and find us on Instagram here.
Somehow a quick fan stop at Home Depot became a morning at IKEA. Oopsies! I blame it on Grae… Clearly she’s the one that loves the place. ☺
moving in // lounging
bed tester // “blankie, Mama?”
no hands // soup taster
hiding // new fabric
convinced Mama to buy restaurant food // first ever white flour pancake
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Taken with Instagram. Find me under jkossowan.