Play Spaces: The Bathroom(!)

This was not my idea.  It was Ladybug Girl's - and I absolutely adore it!

Ladybug Girl and I were doing a little project together, when she disappeared for maybe twenty minutes while I kept painting.  She was clearly busy - I could hear her chattering as her footsteps went back and forth along the corridor.  

She came back and said "let's go to the zoo!"

I thought it was just one of her usual outbursts because of the books she reads ("Let's go to Australia!  Let's go to the library!").  But this time she said "come on, mommy, I'll show you!".  

She led me to the bathroom.

She had a made a zoo in it.

This was the petting area where you could feed the animals.

Over here by the door was a "fish".
There was water in the bowl, and she had drawn grass on the wall using her bath crayons.

In front of the toilet were more animals like "ladybugs" and "fireflies".

You could buy "food" for them over here.
(Notice how we keep the bath crayons accessible?  I can't find any in Manila, but see here for an easy DIY-version)

Inside the shower-tub area she had put the special animals...

... like the lion!  

This may look like chicken scratches to some, but to a mom they're  the beginning of fine motor and concentration skills.

And memory skills too.  We love going to Singapore for their zoo, and she remembered that only bushes separate the animals from the people.  If I were to draw a zoo from my childhood it would be lots and lots of cages.

We spent some time inside playing pretend.  I thought this was a great play space created by Ladybug Girl - so creative to use the bathroom of all places, even beyond bath time.

This time it was all her idea.  Such a spark in her eyes I saw.

Early on I wrote this round-up of bath play ideas we would do.  I love that Ladybug Girl is getting old enough to add to this list, too.