Guest Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 I was just wondering how everybody organises there role play equipments/toys? Are they in boxes? Do staff or parents help contribute? xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 15 views and no tips?? You guys must have some top ideas for collection or storage?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beau Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 Actually I was waiting to see what wonderful tips people had! I love organising things but the role play items always stumped me and I never really came up with anything I was happy with. The last time I had a sort out I put things into boxes, arranging them in terms of shop, home, hairdressers, garden etc but there was so much overlap that U didn't find this satisfactory! Every time we set up a new role play area we would ask parents if they had items to contribute too. Slowly over time we built up quite a good selection of equipment this way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmajess Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 I think part of the problem is that you want to have things handily collected together for children who want to play doctors, for instance, but also want to be really open ended about how resources can be used, not being prescriptive by putting things (literally!) in boxes. We have our role play area set up as something specific and equip it with props related to that role play area. We store boxes (and boxes and boxes) of topic based role play, such as hairdressers, postoffice, garden centre etc in a big teachers' cupboard and get these out to equip role play areas we set up following topics / key interests etc. We also have some boxes with role play basics for children to access independently at the role play area, so they can be resourced at some level to pursue any role play scenario they might choose. Here we have dressing up clothes, a basic doctors role play box, role play food, cups and plates etc, tills, bags and purses, toy tools, baby role play box... It works quite well, but like Beau I'll be interested to see better ideas! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 I have about 4 very large boxes in a teacher's cupboard these house: dolls and their clothes, dressing up clothes; garden centre; home corner; food and tills. This has stuff only adults can get out whenever we are changing a role play area. I then have with my small world provision boxes that contain: doctors kits; plate bowls cutlery; material. these the children can access whenever they want and use wherever they want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 Sorry no better ideas...although i wish i had some.Ours in is the obvious boxes however we do have a dressing up rack with drawers that contain more open ended things for the children's own play such as bags,hats,shoes,phones,food etc Angx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panders Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 We run a packaway pre-school. We use galt's packawayrollaway cabinet to store resources in, it opens up with two doors with windows in one with a curtain on it - the children use the cabinet as a shop, puppet theatre etc. we store in small baskets inside things like hairdressing role play, playfood, telephones, cameras - anything can go in it there are two shelves for storing these items on. We offer a lot of resources - but not huge amounts of each if you get my drift!! For dressing up clothes, along side the above trolley we have a Dressing up trolley, it has a mirror at one end and a cabinet at the bottom, a hanging rail and a shelf across the top, the children can reach most things, but perhaps the shelf on top is a little tall for most. Babies and dolls clothes are stored in large plastic crates along with animal type dressing up clothes. We have a home corner/kitchen area set up for the children, whcih we share with the toddler group. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inge Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 it really will depend greatly on the set up you have... we had a home corner set up where all went into the cupboards, just as if at home, Ok it all got thrown in by the children but you get the idea.. we felt why have empty cupboards and boxes to store the equipment... (we were pack away but this was one are we could leave out every day.. we were lucky with that one!) clothes were on a hanging rack, coat hangers were used and children quickly learnt how to use them, boxes had bags and hats in , we had other set ups like shop items etc in a box, and they were often used alongside the home. space, area , childrne will all have a brearing on how to use the space, and it was always changing, depending on staff ot childrens ideas.. and parents helped with washing,& mending and supplying some items . Inge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marion Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 We have role play boxes that we set up a few years ago and top up as needed. It means we can quickly follow children's interests and resource the area with little effort. The Little Book of Props for Role Play offers lots of good ideas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 Yeh i have boxes to with props for pet shop. hairdressers etc....i think it is hard to store them in any other way! We probably all have the same problem..... space!! I would love to see any pictues of your home corners for some ideas on how your store everyday resources ???xx Thanks for your replies so far...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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