It is Tuesday and time to write a 'Slice of Life."
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I moved the dollhouse upstairs to the corner of the landing, next to a bright sunny window, and set it on an old coffee table. Now it is at a good height for the children to play, and they can feel somewhat autonomous up here in this nook, while remaining within earshot of us as we work in the kitchen. I unearthed some furniture pieces from the attic crawlspace and set these up for Frog and Bird before a recent visit.
I couldn’t find any dolls, I’m sure these migrated to my preschool classroom over the years. I grabbed a couple Duplo figures, a forgotten Star Wars figure, and an angel from our Christmas ornaments that had lost its ‘hook,’ and set these up as ‘family.’ That little angel made an impression on the girls – they now refer to this play area as “angel house,” as in “I’m going to go upstairs and play at angel house,” which I find adorable.
At the craft store, I found some little wood figures and spent a sweet morning painting ‘people’ for the girls’ play. Now, everyone’s in the mix, one big doll community – the Star Wars guy, the Duplo, the angel, and the wood figures.
I am absolutely enchanted by the little stories they act out here at the dollhouse. They are thoroughly engaged by the varied pieces, setting up these sweet scenes and mini-dramas. I have not yet been successful at catching all their words, but have overheard words about working and dinner and Mama, Dada. I need to be a better spy, and capture their stories.
The dollhouse feels new and special to Frog and Bird, though it has been around forever. Between the pandemic and our home remodeling, it basically collected dust in a corner of the basement. Now, there is new life!
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I love hearing those stories kids come up with. I’m glad you’re able to give them this space.
They are enjoying the space, thank you!
Oh, Maureen, your dollhouse and post is absolutely precious. I’m always amazed by your thoughtful creativity. Simply love the last line of your post! Perfect words to close with!
Thank you, Barb. It is a very sweet corner of our home, when the girls are visiting.
Maureen,
You have taken me back to my own childhood and memories of my dollhouse. I can’t help but wonder how many children are taught to empower only a certain race and gender based on their play. I can’t help but think about how much more inclusive our culture would be if we had the diversity of Frog’s and Bird’s dollhouse. I just love this all so much. I also love the simplicity of the house itself and think about how we teach kids to value money and material things by the doll houses we provide them. Looking at you, Barbie’s dream house.
Thank you, Glenda! I, too, thought these little wood figures would be perfect for them to imagine people – no need for me to make them too detailed. I did try them for a day or two as just plain wood – but, I just wanted to get my paints out, lol. I am always trying to do things ‘on the cheap,’ and to teach the children that they can invent/find a way to have fun, simply.
Oh, those dolls and scenarios. I love how children view the world–all the little “people” belong in this family together. This Angel House will stay with Frog and Bird in their sweet childhood memories. Thanks for the great photos that make it come to life even more.
Thanks, Denise! It is particularly sweet to me that they call this their angel house!
Maureen, such lovely photos – – and I LOVVVVVE the details! This takes me back to childhood – – my grandfather built me a wooden dollhouse, and I remember being so excited to add furniture pieces to the place! I had wooden people and my heart still melts when I think of them. Thank you for giving me these memories today. I know your grandchildren love the time with you!
Thank you, Kim! We are having lots of fun with this house. I think the girls and I will make some more furniture pieces for it, in the near future. (We noticed that I have no beds for the figures…we’ll find a few small boxes, I think.) Anyhow, it is great fun, together.