mushpea
31-12-2011, 08:40 PM
I am trying to cut down on the plastic type toys and want to introduce a more natural play enviroment. I am going to get rid of some toys but am feeling its a scary step incase i get it wrong!, I would like to have a few basic toys and then let the kids use their imagination so for example keep the people from happy street but not the buildings and then have some materisal scraps and wooden bloks so children can build their own homes etc . I have a unit with space for 9 toy boxs,, what would be in your 9 boxs of items that you would keep?
(this is for indoor play and would include prams, babys and a toy kitchen and also den building items that wouldnt be included in the 9 boxs,, so all this plus 9 extra box of bits).
Carol M
01-01-2012, 10:40 AM
I've started to do the exact same thing!
My lo's have loved my natural play things. I have a "loose parts " basket which is full of things like:- bottle tops, brushes of all sorts, plumbing tubes and connectors, ribbon,phones,funnels, jugs,chains,petrol can, cardboard tubes, cotton reels, scourers,paint brushes and I have a stack of things from the Resource Centre e.g. lenses from glasses,sweet jars,off-cuts from manufacturing( don't know what they are but it's amazing what the children use them for).
Conkers,pinecones , stones and twigs.Cardboard boxes are always a hit.
They also love my bangles stacked on kitchen roll holder or mug tree. And at the moment one child's fav is a dustpan and brush!
Enjoy this exercise, it's great watching what they do with things and it covers all areas of EYFS easily :D
Carol xx
sarah707
01-01-2012, 10:50 AM
Rather than making decisions on behalf of the children about what to keep... watch them during play and see what they use, what is ignored or thrown, what is popular during outside play etc.
Ask older children what they enjoy using - maybe give them cameras so they can photograph their favourite or least favourite toys and areas of the house and garden.
This way you can make changes to suit the children and their current interests etc :D