The first of December started off big with our Christmas Chalet play scene. We got our ski chalet dollhouse last December and the kids loved playing with it up until Christmas. They’ve been asking when it will make an appearance again this year. I bring it out on the first day of the month so we can get lots of play with it before Christmas. The house itself was a thrifted $25 Marketplace find that I fixed up with a bit of paint and “wallpaper” (wrapping paper). A few things are new, but many parts of the set up are toys we already had and have been rotated out of play for a while, so they will seem new to the kids. The whole scene is propped up on our Nugget couch pieces, with some white fabric and snow blankets on top.
Both my kids love the tiny details and, thank goodness, they are finally at ages (3.5 and 5.5) when I don’t have to worry about them putting things in their mouths. This year, I added a bunch of tiny extras for them to discover and to compliment their tiny play scenes.
Of course, it’s not a ski chalet without a ski hill. My 5.5 year old daughter loves to ski and my 3.5 year old son will be starting this year (fingers crossed). We all love toys that allow re-enacting things from our real life. The basket “ski lift” (from Kraul) was a Christmas gift for my daughter last year. The kids have loved using it to carry their mice and other treasures up the hill. And when they get to the top, what could be more fun than a little Santa and Mrs. Claus village? My daughter already made the Michaels Santa’s Workshop this year and I thought it would be a fun addition to the North Pole.
When the mouse family needs a change from skiing, they can put on their skates and try out the skating rink. The rink is a DIY my daughter and I made last year of cardboard, paint, glitter and cotton balls.
And the gift for today? The Mom and Dad Winter Mice from Maileg, complete with their own skis. I think the kids have had as much fun playing with it as I had creating it.
And just to prove how much kids enjoyed this little scene, here’s a proof-of-play photo.
The highlight for my daughter has been using tiny loose parts in jars to “cook” in the kitchen. I had not anticipated the jars being opened and dumped out, but I took a deep breath and reminded myself that the mess is worth their delight. Happy first day of advent.
Pixy Update
The pixy arrived sitting on top of the kids store-bought advent calendars. With all the excitement this morning, they didn’t seem to notice the pixy much. I’m going to continue to play it low-key. I think it will make it more exciting for the kids when they realize he moves around.
