Little Blog on the Prairie

Remember a time when screens were something you put in your windows – not trance-inducing devices that encourage endless hours of sitting and staring; when you looked outside to see children playing and making up their own stories instead of trying to reach the next “level” in a computer game? Remember when toys were made of wood, metal and fabric instead of just plastic? … read more

What is Cozy?A “cozy” can be the quilted cover for a tea pot. It can be the crackling of a fireplace or the effect of curtains added to a room. If we’re lucky, cozy surrounds us during the holidays in all its wondrous forms. It swaddles us in padded coats and wraps us in warm, fluffy scarves. It fills the air with the smell of freshly baked cookies, mulled cider and pies coolin … read more

When the Ingalls family first arrived in the village of Walnut Grove, they were outsiders. They lived outside the village proper and had roots in another part of the country. In sharing the beloved stories of her youth, Laura Ingalls Wilder touched on universal feelings of insecurity and vulnerability that come with moving to a new place. During those times the trivial concerns … read more

Everyone enjoys stepping out of their own shoes occasionally. It allows us to try on someone else’s and helps us imagine the world from a different perspective. Who hasn’t dreamt of being a king or a queen for a day? Maybe that’s why Halloween’s popularity continues to grow year after year. Dramatic play doesn’t start and end in preschool. It starts before and continues well in … read more

Quality toys can be much more than just a diversion or distraction. Especially during early childhood development, toys which include recognizable characters from favorite storybooks can encourage dramatic play through manipulation of figures (or even dressing as those characters) while at play. According to Will Erstad of Collegis Education, when children act out scene … read more