Imagination has fueled the play this week in Sandstone more then ever! The block corner is bustling with important projects. It usually starts off with a tower, that is until it comes crashing down. Picking up the pieces the children scamper off into groups of two or three, with the right blocks to extend the play they are engrossed in. Griffin and Audrey took the taller blocks and set them upright, sitting on them, they pretended it was a bus taking them on a shopping trip. The blankets were brought in and Max, George and Angus used the blocks as pillows to take a nap. Some of the girls have been utilizing the house corner and dress up clothes to pretend they are princesses. A few times songs have broken out in play and a princess dance party has started appearing. To extend both the imaginative play in blocks and the house area we brought in a doll house from Jasper room. This was a new novelty here in Sandstone as we have not had it in our classroom before. There were many lessons to learn from playing with such a large communal toy. The first thing we discovered about the house is that, only a few friends fit around it at one time to play. Hmmm? How was everyone going to get a chance to play? Haddie, having experience in taking turns with a prized toy before in Sandstone was quick to introduce the timer to the rest of the class. We had a discussion on watching the sand fall and when it was all gone finding a different activity to do so others had the chance to play and take a turn. The timer was a big hit! A few children just loved to sit and watch the sand fall, then be the announcer that  said “sand is gone” to the rest of the class. We took turns with the timer and playing for almost fourty minutes. The next day when an issue presented itself with turn taking one of the children suggested in problem solving that we use the timer again. We welcomed this new tool to use in Sandstone as it is a great visual for children to start to understand the concept of time. What different ways do you experience taking turns at home? Maybe it’s in the car at a red light, or in line at the store to buy groceries, or maybe it’s waiting for a sibling to be done with a book or toy? We would love to hear your families ideas. Have a great weekend!