I have been working on it for ages. And truthfully, I am still not over.
It was (is) long, and I got to remind myself many times how in an other life, once upon a time when all toys were handmade, children didn't have too many, because parents didn't have TIME for that. I think handmaking toys is a rather radical but effective way to ensure not becoming overwhelmed by them ... ;)
E is in a phase of naming, and categorizing. I know sorting will be a soon step. But for now, he like to observe, manipulate, and figure out what he has in his hands. What goes with what, but without knowing names or anything alike. Not so long ago, all animals were horses for him. Whether he saw a dog, a horse or a cat, he would make the sound of the horse, and point to the animal. He has now changes his categories. He knows dogs barks, and cat meow.
The same is happening with food. And here comes the idea I had from him:
Felted fruits and veggies (well, I am still working on the veggies...) made to open (they are velcro food).
What I love about them is that he can freely manipulate and explore food without it getting spoiled. For a while, I had him play with really fruits (and he still does), but of course, I could not leave them in a basket for him to play with at his convenience (for obvious reasons...). With those, I can. And since I have decided to make true to life versions of them, he can see what the inside of the fruit looks like.
As I said, it took me a lot of time, and I am not completely done. They are surely not perfect.
But, with that being said, I am really happy with the result. And E loves it. This sure gives me the energy to keep going with the few pieces left to do.
I can see a lot of activity to do with them: naming, sorting, colors, sorting to cards of the outside, of the inside and so on.
But in the meantime, he has found his own way of playing with them
They are most used here:
and that is fine by me <3
Happy new year! See you in 2012
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