along..err..pretend along!
Let me confess, I get bugged with the Princess syndrome the toy and animation companies promote – every living moment! They are almost Princessifying the world of little girls. While I don’t mind Pari making her own toys or Princesses or dolls and doll houses I don’t like to buy those Princess castles and Princess beds and all readymade Princess stuff to indulge her fancy.
As such, I think any ready-to-play thing does not help the child play as creatively as a handmade shoebox doll house will or paper pag puppet and such. There’s something else about the toy that’s been made in front of their eyes using junk/waste by a mom or dad or better still – made by their own hands.
But that does not mean we never buy toys or that I’ll deny her the indulgence once in a while. After all, every little girl’s dream world is made of dolls and dollhouses, fairy-tales and flower fairies, pretend kitchens and cooking. And they paint all these dreams in pink!
This Monday, we had a Princess party or should I say – a pretend-play or drama!
Because, part of it was scripted – by Pari – and part was unstructured play-party. For props, decor, food, games – we made use of whatever handy and unused we had at home.
Carry on to see the most gorgeous pictures and read to know how this drama-party led to hours of playful-learning.
On face-value – it seemed a party alright, but the learning, exploration and interactions were so vivid and enriching, I am tempted to conclude that such parties can substitue a day’s school every once in a while. (wink)
Long before the party, Pari started conceptualizing it in the form of a drama or a play. She even wrote down each Princess’s part, how they meet and become friends. At first she planned to have a step-mother as a character but then decided against it saying – “no, let’s all be happy princesses”. Now, that’s really a positive outlook in life, won’t you agree!
Here are a few (actually, many!) snapshots of the precious moments – all pretty and pink!
Pour some tea/coffee for yourself and watch this musical extravaganza!
Wait, we do have music for you. Click the video and you’re all set!
Here’s “My Wish for You” (smiles and grins!)
Enter the Princesses – Aurora, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty – to walk strut down the Red Carpet with the Fairy in tow!
But before they enter the castle, they must seek the Queen’s blessing to stay safe from the witch..
The little fairy wants to wave the magic wand and grant them wishes…Here’s the castle – all pretty pink, red and polka dotty – standing tall and happy to welcome.
The chairs royal chairs were decorated by none other than Pari Aurora herself spending hours tying the ribbons and improving her fine motor skills.
A ginger-tea by now would be oh-so-welcome!
So, she pours it gingerly…her wrist adorned in pearls…
The fairy meanwhile is busy ripping apart her wand…as SHE works on HER motor skills
The tea perks up the mood for some art and reading.
What do Princesses read? Fairytales ofcourse!
The fairy is not the one to be left behind. It’s another matter though that she likes exploring the pages by putting them first in her mouth…!
And, the floor’s set for dance.
There’s only one Prince but we’re not jealous. We can take turns.
Or, dance with fellow princesses“
What do Princesses eat?” “But, cake of-course?”
In between all this, we manage to lose Sleeping beauty to the Witch! So, helter-skelter we run to seek out our friend…
We go on a treasure hunt and collect some gemstones (shhhh…! from Mommy Lab’s meditation table) but manage to get trapped. The Mommy Labs person rescues us out with a walky talky and we come out richer – gems, diamonds and all!
The End!
Okay folks, turn back to me for a chat..
Hope you liked our Princess/Fairy show!
Incidentally, Feb 26 is a ‘Tell a Fairytale’ Day. One of my Facebook friends just told me this.
If you’d like to know some interesting Princess and Fairytale reads for your little girl, here’re some recommendations from the Mommy Labs girls!
- The Very Fairy Princess – Creative language, imaginative, beautiful illustrations
- The Paper Bag Princess – Turns the Princess stereotype upside down! Girl-power and all!
- Princesses are Not Quitters – Three bored Princesses trade places with their servants to discover life can be tough and adventurous. Humorous and light reading that show how each of us can discover our capabilities and passions!
- Do Princesses Wear Hiking Boots: An inquisitive girl has lots of questions about princesses – what do they eat, how doe they sleep, what do they wear. Her mother answers all these patiently with the message at the core of it all that – being a Princess is an inside-out process!
- The Storytelling Princess: A princess charters her own course of adventure and life. She’s “lost but not helpless”
- The Princess Knight: Violet is a young princess who sets upon to show the world that she is just as brave and strong as her brothers. She participates in a knights’ jousting tournament, wins and reveals her identity!
- The Cloud Princess: (Audio Book) A story from Nelson Mandela’s favourite African Folktales
On this note, here’s a beautiful article by Melissa at Imagination Soup titled “Why Fairytales are essential to childhood“