AnjiPlayDate #9: What happens when a lot of people show up?

Whew!  Sixty people showed up today and of course it was the first time that I introduced some new pop-up tunnels that take up a lot of floor space so it felt a bit.... crowded.  Here's a quick peek to give you a feel for the room:

 

 

But despite the extra chaos, the kids still found a way to play.  Here's a few shots of the new tunnels:

 Love that someone figured out how to keep a curve in the tunnel!

 

There was also plenty of clay play:

Um, maybe pretend eating instead?  :)

 

Even some play on the clay table without using clay!  I love watching this little one fill and empty this tube:

The cardboard box drew a lot of attention again.  This time with the addition of a bungee cord:

Bungee cords were also used as belts:

 And that belt was used for hauling a spool across the floor (hard to see in this photo, but there's a blue rope connecting the spool to his "belt.")

 

More spool-foolery:

I caught this great balancing act:

Check out this awesome inter-age play!

 

Here's an interesting interaction.  As an adult watching, don't you want to say something to the girl who knocks down the blocks?  But check out what happens when no adults step in to problem solve for the kids, but instead let them handle it on their own:

Here are some play stories from today.  Can you spot any connections to the photos and videos above?

Please note: "Anji Play,” refers to a specific philosophy and comprehensive approach to early education developed by Ms. Cheng Xueqin in Anji County, China. I use the term "Anji Play" to describe my programming and throughout this blog with the explicit permission of Ms. Cheng because our programming has been developed as part of a close collaborative relationship with her and her team of Anji Play educators. If you are interested in learning more about how you can bring Anji Play to your community, please visit www.anjiplay.com

The App Fairy Podcast

You.

Guys.

I. have. a. podcast.

Sponsored by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop.

What??

This has been a brainchild wish of mine for almost two years and it is FINALLY coming true and I am SO geeking out over it.

Check out my blog post on the Cooney Center's site here.

Check out the podcast here.

Then, leave me a review in iTunes (or wherever you get your podcasts from) or leave a comment here on this post and tell me what you think!  Do you have a favorite app developer you'd like to see interviewed?  Do you have a burning question you've always wanted to ask app makers?  Do you think I giggle too much during the interviews (hint: yes)?  Chime in!

AnjiPlayDate #8: Let's play together now!

In which more children begin to interact with each other. 

This week, some things were built.  Some kids preferred to build alone, others built with the help of another kiddo.

 

Here's some more fun play with the tunnels.  Her mom told me that this was the first time that she made the tunnel flat by herself (usually she asked mom to do that part):

The paper-covered table offered a nice large surface for drawing on!(note: I found out during play reflections the following week that this is a drawing of a washing machine.  And the circles on top are all the clothes.)

This was an interesting way to use the turntable!

Please note: "Anji Play,” refers to a specific philosophy and comprehensive approach to early education developed by Ms. Cheng Xueqin in Anji County, China. I use the term "Anji Play" to describe my programming and throughout this blog with the explicit permission of Ms. Cheng because our programming has been developed as part of a close collaborative relationship with her and her team of Anji Play educators. If you are interested in learning more about how you can bring Anji Play to your community, please visit www.anjiplay.com

AnjiPlayDate #7: A taste of the outdoors!

With bizarrely pleasant February weather, we just couldn't stay inside the whole time!  This week's play spilled out onto the back sidewalk, but first, we started inside.

The cardboard box saw a lot of activity this week, especially with blocks being loaded in and tossed back out.

 

 And people being loaded in and clambering out

This child was struggling to get out of the box until his sister set up a spool inside and outside the box.

 

Later, he tried two spools.  Notice how he adjusts to make it safer (food for thought: do you think he would have made the adjustment even if an adult hadn't said, "careful!")

I love this video of three (maybe four!) different ways to be inside something.

 

Check out the awesome, "I did it!" expression and gesture below as this child got cylindrical blocks onto all of the blobs of clay:

These pop-up tunnels have proven to be quite versatile!

This week's block play saw some studious building:

 

(keep an eye on the bottom left corner of the video below)

 

And then the block play moved outdoors:

In this photo, a younger child was trying to knock over his structure, but instead of shouting or pushing, he simply placed a firm hand on top of his tower to keep it steady (and to mark his territory) until the younger child moved on.

The blocks were also incorporated into a racing game.  First video is the set-up of the rules of the race, second video is the race itself.

and some lovely pieces of nature were scavenged.

There were some fantastic adult reflections this week and some great drawings by kiddos too.  I hope to add some of those in this space soon!

Please note: "Anji Play,” refers to a specific philosophy and comprehensive approach to early education developed by Ms. Cheng Xueqin in Anji County, China. I use the term "Anji Play" to describe my programming and throughout this blog with the explicit permission of Ms. Cheng because our programming has been developed as part of a close collaborative relationship with her and her team of Anji Play educators. If you are interested in learning more about how you can bring Anji Play to your community, please visit www.anjiplay.com