๐ŸธMy Etsy Sh๐ŸŒŽp๐Ÿธ

Saturday, January 31, 2015

BIG CHANGES

BIG CHANGES


Big Changes are coming to Whimsical Ways!

You might have already seen a few changes. I needed a fresh, new, clean, modern look for 2015.  The header is new and oh-so fancy. There's a new Subscribe area to the right > so you can sign up with email and never miss a post!  Also, I have added my Etsy store (www.etsy.com/shop/mybigworld2015) to the right > as well.  New things will be there soon! I am so excited for these changes!

Friday, January 30, 2015

Mouse Mess themed snack

If You Give A Moose A Muffin Snack

book themed snack2

I LOOOVE this book.  It would be so easy to whip this up!  And G would love to make the muffins.

Book Themed Snack

Book themed snack

It's G's turn to bring snack to preschool soon!  So...I am coming up with some children's book themed snack combinations.  The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear was the first one that popped into my head.

Cold Enough For Penguins & Polar Bears

We may not have gotten as much snow as out east, but it sure is cold here. Cold enough for penguins and polar bears. So I gave in and thought, "why not celebrate the cd?" I gathered all the polar animals ~ penguins, polar bears, moose, snowy owls (even a couple cats were brought to the mix!๐Ÿ˜€) toys that l could find and then found all the cold weather themed books. It's been a fun inside cozy kind of morning. (Mentally, I am still wishing for June-like weather.)

Have a playful day & stay warm!

Friday, January 23, 2015

What we are playing with today...

 PBS's Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood (based on Mister Rogers Neighbood Land of Make Believe ) is a HUGE hit with us. These adorable toys came in a set of 5 for $9.99 at Toys are us. There not no small parts, so little sister plays with them, too.
 Nickjr brought Peter Rabbit to a new generation. The computer animated series is sooo cute and has a good lesson in it.
What can l say? I live Schleich horses as much as the girls. They are all hand painted and have incredible detail. Now add the 3 sets together and oh, the stories l have heard today!

Have a fun and playful weekend.

Mel๐Ÿธ

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Size doesn't matter

 Size doesn't matter...I know what you're thinking.  But when it comes to play, size doesn't matter.  Children do not care about equal proportions when it comes to their playthings.  Yesterday, I came across the above grouping.  It was Papo and Schleich and Lego horses with Lego Friends as the horses' caretakers in a Breyer barn.  And it was magical.
 Here, Papo polar bears play harmoniously with Duplo and Little People polar bears.  Children naturally categorize and group like items.  And it's okay.  Kids don't have to have all the same brand or the entire playset of something.  I have found that the less the play is directed, the more the imagination kicks into high gear.
Why is that important?  Play is learning.  Let me say that again. Play IS learning.  As a child acts out a scene where the Lego Friend take care of the horses, it is imagination at work.  But it's also language - they are creating a story, acting out a scene, using vocabulary, describing what they are doing, engaging.

"Imagination is more important than knowledge." -Albert Einstein  Now, who's going to argue with genius Albert Einstein??? :)  Play is important - uninterrupted, unscripted, undirected.

Sunday, January 18, 2015

Dream Big

 Putting behind me the tragedies of 2014 - the lost of my beloved grandparents and my wonderful father in-law - I am facing 2015 with new hopefulness.  I saw this big "Dream Big" sign on pinterest and thought it was a sign.
 I found these amazing buttons by dress it up jesse james company and fell in love with the detail of these little things.
 There are gnomes and teddy bears...
 smiling baby faces...
 baby boys bundled in blue...
 and these flocked peapods.
Little Miss Ruby gravitates toward small toys - anything she can grasp in her chubby little hands.  Care Bears, Little People, Schleich animals, and Littlest Pet Shop.  I couldn't resist snapping a picture of this peculiar grouping in the sunlight.