What To Do This Weekend: Stock a Little Shop

So you've made your kids a play kitchen, but don't have the time or inclination to sew some felt food - stock a shop for them! Amida made this one by stuffing food packaging with pages torn from a phone book. Your kids can put it on their kitchen shelves to "cook" with or they can play shop (at these prices, we're shopping at your house, Amida!).

Check out Amida's post at her wonderful blog, Journey Into Unschooling, to see what direction her kids took this (hint: coupons, cash and credit cards) and to check out some of the "fresh" food she made.

(For more inspiration, revisit Jakob's supermarket.)

Categories: Family, Elementary, Toys

Posted by Carrie McBride

As Apartment Therapy's Family Editor, Carrie covers design and modern homelife with children. A lapsed librarian, she lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two kids and is in contention to break the record for most hours spent at the playground.
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Comments (8)

I've done the saving of packages too for our play kitchen. Love this though.. much more ambitious than mine!

Very cute. I do this, too. Empty spice jars seem to be the biggest hit at our house.
If anyone is ever in Portland, Ore., be sure to visit the Children's Museum and check out their pretend grocery store. It's adorable, and I want to replicate it on a smaller scale in my daughters' playroom one day (if they ever figure out how to share a bedroom so we can actually have a playroom). At the museum, the kids can put on aprons and pretend to be checkers. A scanner makes a beep sound as items pass over it. Super cute.

The only problem with this wonderful idea is that my children want to open everything up! :) So, empty spice jars work better. Really cute idea though - many preschool programs do this regularly (since the kids try to open them up, heh heh).

I've always seen this at children's museums and thought it was so adorable, yet never thought to do it at home! Great idea.

Growing up the only food we had for our play kitchen was boxes like that. All of the neighborhood kids loved to play at out play kitchen.

I went to a daycare that had one of these when I was about 3-1/2 or 4, and I remember having a *blast* playing "grocery store." I really, really wanted one at home.

this is a great idea. my daughter would probably try to eat the paper thought. love the empty spice jars idea from heather

http://prudentadviceformybabydaughter.blogspot.com/

I like to "laminate" my empty food boxes with clear packaging tape - they hold up better and don't get opened that way!

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