No matter how much time goes by, or what country I’m in, certain activities remain perpetual favorites with children. I see an empty box and think about the work of breaking it down and putting it into the recycling bin and did that little tiny thing really need to be delivered in a giant huge box. Our kiddos see a big empty box and think — fort!
In spite of all of the many toys here at Oak Lane, big brown boxes are a favorite. They have recently been transformed into a pirate ship, choo-choo train, train station, a beach, and, quite simply, a cozy hiding space. There is no limit to what our teachers and students will create with these things. We have to put signs on them so our cleaning staff doesn’t take them away.
Today, our nursery school room created what we all think of as a fort. (Regardless of what a cozy little space is used for, it’s always called a fort, isn’t it?!) A space under a counter, that as of yesterday stored nap mats, is now a bear cave. It has been draped with a blanket (classic feature of a fort, right?) and supplied with cushions and fairy lights and stars. Throughout the morning, books were added and there has been a rotating cast of kiddos in and out. They’re now talking about having a nap in there — very fitting for a bear cave!
Our toddler class loved the idea. They’ve been spending time in there this morning as well and have now created their own space. It’s ‘D’ week for our toddlers, so they also draped a blanket — is it actually possible to create this kind of thing without a blanket? — over a table to make a dinosaur cave. This temporary structure has led to the creation of a cozy corner in their own room, for purposes that I’m sure will evolve over time.
I have a large opening under my desk, between the large file drawers. Hhmm…