I love when I visit a first grade class and they recognize the Wonderhood box and beg to play with me! Their teacher and class choose the Wonderhood sets for play during their “Smart Time” each morning. Boys and girls have even asked to stay in for recess so they can keep building together. Building started right away with one of their newest sets, Pet Place. Izzy volunteers after school at Pet Place where they rescue animals and she takes notes in her journal. It’s interesting to see how some kids just start building while I found one little girl quietly reading Izzy’s journal and engaging with me about its content. “What’s a conservationist?” “I have a dog at home.” With 12 double-sided building panels, kids set up the doggie bath, pet clinic, play yard, groomer, toy shop and aquarium, for customers to have a full pet experience. Izzy and her pet bunny and dog were favorite props as well as the exercise wheel! My clever kids even used Izzy’s journal for a building piece, the roof that could peel back. The 5 design challenges are like word problems, including the animals are loving the exercise wheel but it is too loud next to the clinic. Can you design Pet Place so they are far apart? The “Pet Place Adoptions, Supplies, Grooming” panel invited a lot of conversation with the open window where kids put a figure on each side, “Hello Izzy, my name is Layla (from the Town House set). Do you want to be my friend? Can I get a pet?” Cut-outs with a counter are wonderful for pretend play as kids face off with characters and have conversations, building their language skills and developing a story. Wonderhood Toys knows how to pair physical construction and language building all in one fantastically fun set!
Available at Wonderhood Toys. Click here
