Back to the Salt Mines
Many of you probably returned to working in the salt mines yesterday after a holiday break. I have been working in the salt mines for several weeks now without a break in sight.
growing & learning with him
Many of you probably returned to working in the salt mines yesterday after a holiday break. I have been working in the salt mines for several weeks now without a break in sight.
My husband says I’m heading back to the salt mines almost every morning. I’m not sure if that is why JDaniel loved to pretend to work in the salt mines so much or it could be the Mighty Machines video on machines working in the salt mines that we have watched over and over again.
As JDaniel told his friend Nathan when he came over to play and was invited to work in the mine, “I work here almost every morning.” He does work in the salt mine every morning with me by his side. There is a space between the futon and closet in the guest room that has been transformed into the mine. There is also a brace that supports the futon that is the perfect tunnel for the machines to slip under to begin their work.
There used to be only construction trucks and machines on site. They would dig up the salt and transfer it to other machines that would carry it out of the mine.
Then the whole operation expanded. JDaniel has dragged or driven in almost every machine he has across the hall from his room into the mine. When I asked him about it, he said they all had to be there for a reason.
Now there is a fire truck that waits just outside the mine encase there is a fire after salt is dynamited out of the mine. You won’t want to have a fire and not be able to put it out immediately. The ten feet between JDaniel’s room and the guest room is just too far for the truck to travel.
A lawnmower that makes popping sounds when you push it is used to dynamite the salt. The pops of the ball in the mower are the sounds that come from the explosion. We have to back away from the mine and close our eyes during all explosions. Salt in our eyes would really hurt.
A drum has been added to the mine too. It is a salt drum crusher. Once the salt has been extracted from the mine, it has to be brought over to the crusher to be banged on with drum sticks. In the Might Machines video, there is a crusher and we couldn’t leave it out of our pretend to play.
There are tons of assorted cars and tractors parked on the edge of the mine now too. They belong to the mineworkers. Other than the plastic dogs that drive the fire truck JDaniel and I are the only mineworkers I know off, but apparently there may be others I just haven’t seen them yet.
What pretend play are you doing at your house?
My daughter got a shopping cart for Christmas and she is having so much fun pretending to shop for all of her toys.
Also, she likes to pretend she is flying while wearing fake wings 🙂
my son is big on playing store and cooking.
Heaven is starting to have a GREAT imagination, yesterday she ran in the room and told me she was scared cause there was a shark, then told me the shark was mad at me and went back to her little chair that Im assuming was a boat..lol This week were on letter Q so were gonna dress up like Queens =)
At my house it was usually cooking and shopping. When I was little, I did a lot of teaching. 🙂
The central characters is our house right now are Buzz, Diego, Baby Jaguar, Ham, and Woody. They all form a happy family. They are a little devious though, as they tend to remove the batteries from other toys if I don’t keep my eyes on them.
“There are tons of assorted cars and tractors parked on the edge of the mine now too. They belong to the mine workers. Other than the plastic dogs that drive the fire truck JDaniel and I are the only mine workers I know off, but apparently there maybe others I just haven’t seen them yet.”
This is just too cute. What a creative little boy. As for the salt mines here, I went back on Monday also. Due to budget cuts (the economy) I’m running at half staff for the foreseeable future and just found out an employee is pregnant. 2011 is going to be challenging here at the salt mines. Have a great New Year yourself, D!
My girls pretend to do tons of on-line shopping…and play fashion show. lol
That is so cute.. I love playing trucks. His salt mines are so elaborate, with the fire trucks standing by.
Georgia loves to play Mommy. She puts her favorite doll to bed in her beanbag. She really likes me to “tuck her in.”
How fun! I love the creativity of kids!
Around here, my boys are doing lots of imaginative play involving battles. Always battles of some kind. Right now, my oldest is using blocks to act out some of the scenes from Chuck Black’s Kingdom series. He just described to me who were the Silent Warriors and who were the Shadow Warriors and who was Leonid, etc. I’m smart enough to know that I shouldn’t say to him, “But they’re just blocks!!” 😉
Awwww, cute. Well, my Dad is back from Africa for a few months and my son is quite enthralled with his grandfather (who is a mountain of a man). So the other day he was role playing that HE was “grampy”. So cute. My Dad got such a kick out of it!
Oh yes Salt Mines I haven’t left them in years … lol
My boys are all about the “Working Guys” toys 🙂
That is so interesting. I didn’t know there is such a thing 😉 thanks for stopping by. Following you back. If you are looking for FB and Twitter followers too, I will be gamed. Have a great day.
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BTW- I stumbled this post
For weeks, no months, I have been Miss Debbie (former daycare teacher in an earlier room) and Lily’s been Miss Shauna (also from the same room) and we’ve had kids (stuffed animals of various sorts) and we’ve fed them and cooked for them. Occasionally I’m the teacher and Lily’s the mom who drops off her kid and goes to “work” which consists of sitting in a chair across the house and doing a little jig while singing “work work work I’m doing some work work work.” If only… 🙂
I LOVE that his salt mine is so busy and populated by worker vehicles. I have a feeling you have a genius on your hands! 🙂
That is so awesome 🙂 What great play and so complex.
My youngest has been spending lots of time being a cowgirl or playing with her cowgirl dolls.
Oldest keeps pretending to be a school teacher, then getting grumpy when youngest does not want to be a student 😀
don’t you just love their imaginations? The way they start something off and then carry on building on that idea till they have created a whole world of their own!
It’s really lovely to see children being given the chnace and time to develop their play this!
Pipx
http://wormseye-view.blogspot.com
Ha! That is so cool! And funny that I thought you literally meant a salt mine…LOL!