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| Drama DAZE |
c.2005 - 2008 |
Dramatic play is an essential mode of learning for young children, and prop boxes play materials grouped by theme, make this activity even more effective. Find out how you can use these educational tools to guide your students toward meaningful role-playing and creative exploration. "Prop boxes" are groups of dramatic play materials that are organized around specific themes. Those themes range from simple subjects like the beach or the farm to the more complex bank, dentist, or science lab. The boxes often are placed in a dramatic play center to spark students' imagination and promote role-playing and exploration. "Prop boxes enable children to act out what they know, cement their concepts, practice skills in a meaningful context, and learn with and from other children who also are engaged with the materials," explained Barbour, the co-author of Prop Box Play: 50 Themes to Inspire Dramatic Play. "If the materials in the box encourage children to adopt different roles (i.e., chef, server, customer, cashier), children not only have opportunities to try on different roles themselves but also to practice taking someone else's perspective and responding appropriately." Play That's Relevant and "Real" Because dramatic play is the prevailing form of play among three- to six-year-olds, prop boxes are especially appropriate for that age group. Depending on the theme, Barbour suggests that they also can be used to support units of study in the elementary grades. Most important is selecting materials that are relevant and suitable for the developmental levels of the students who use them. While a wash day or bedtime prop box would be ideal for younger children, the travel agency or pioneer box would be a better fit for older students. According to Barbour, the key to great prop box play is choosing themes that students have had firsthand experience with. If they have been to a bakery, they will possess enough understanding of bakeries, for their age level, to play out what they know and to expand their understanding. Wonderful materials only generate wonderful learning experiences when the theme is relevant for the children. What is a Prop Box? A prop box contains materials and equipment that encourage children to explore various roles. A prop box should be light weight, easy to store, the same size, clearly labeled, and easy to carry. A book or two can and should be incorporated to reinforce the theme. Materials should be non sexist and multi-cultural. Rotate prop boxes to compliment your themes. Preparing a Prop Box A Prop Box should only be limited by your imagination! Collect a variety of items to encourage spontaneous play and facilitate planned activities. Keep items in a box or bag that can be easily transported for Indoor or outdoor play. Rotate and change items often to reflect the season, children's interests, or your curriculum. Provide examples of the following materials in a basket or bucket within your environment to spark curiosity, discovery, experimentation, and hands-on learning. Depending on the age and interest of the children using the kits, you can vary the materials. Prop boxes are excellent for sparking creative play and imaginations. To make a prop box, begin with an empty copier or computer paper box with a lid. Cover the box with contact paper and label it with an appropriate title. After selecting certain titles, notify staff members and parents about the prop box project and ask for donations. Shop at local rummage or garage sales or at thrift stores. You may get some bargains — many people are willing to donate or reduce the cost of items for projects like this! Contact local businesses for any contributions — hair salons might have empty shampoo bottles, old haircut capes, etc. Remember to send a note of thanks to any business donors with pictures of the children using a particular box. Post or publish pictures in the parent's newsletters showing the "results" of the collection project. Put one prop box out at a time. When the children begin to lose interest in a particular prop box, try some mixing and matching. Introduce different items and take cues from the children. Their enthusiasm will give direction for new ideas and collections. If a prop box isn't used or seems boring after a while, store it away for a time. A new theme or project might spark interest and different uses for the same box. Choose a theme you know your students will find interesting, and begin collecting materials associated with that theme. Your attic, basement or closest -- or your friends' and relatives' attics, basements and closets -- are great places to find props. Thrift stores and garage sales are equally wonderful. Put the materials in a labeled box and add items to it as you stumble across them. Include clothing because clothes help children "step into a role." Including props that both boys and girls will find appealing also is important. Some themes, like the flower shop or gas station/garage, might be more attractive to one gender or the other. In that case, you'll need to make a conscious effort to include materials that will appeal to the opposite gender as well. Choose real items that can be used safely, rather than "toys." For example, children can do and learn so much more with a real, but broken, telephone than with a toy telephone. Include literacy materials in every prop box, so children can pretend to read and write, even if they're not yet able to really do so, and can associate literacy/numeric activities with meaningful contexts. A restaurant prop box can have menus, pads and pens for servers to take orders, a money box or cash register, and so on. There is literacy materials associated with every theme. Let families know what you're doing. They can be wonderful sources for materials. Businesses, too, often are generous in donating materials. Set up a "store." Store prop boxes work well because of the different roles associated with stores, the fact that children generally have had experiences shopping, and because it's easy to include literacy materials. Specific store themes include grocery store, ice cream stand, shoe store, and post office. Ask the children what they think should be included. You don't have to do everything yourself! You can ask children what they'll need to set up a shoe store. If they've visited a shoe store, they'll know lots of items to include. Design each Prop Box to include: An Activity Binder - Full of child centered activities that inspire learning - designed to engage all senses, curriculum areas and developmental stages - outline purpose of activity, materials needed, process, and ways to extend the project Materials - Toys and games are developmentally appropriate - In good repair and organized - look for household items that could be used Durable Storage Container - keeps you organized - Easy to transport - Transparent - Contents labeled Tips For Using Prop Boxes: I do a lot of observing children at play. If they are playing "school" I run to the storage room to find my school prop box. If I don't have one, I start collected and making things with the children and create one. I only have room to store a few prop boxes. I also find it work to keep them in good repair. As a topic or theme isn't interesting anymore or the contents get wrecked, I use the plastic tote for new theme. For example, in September the children were interested in Knights, so I created a prop box. Well since then, this same box has transformed into a Royal Family Dress up Box, Cinderella Prop Box, and finally a Magic kit (inspired by the fairy godmother, of course) I keep adding new surprises in the box and the children have also become experienced at collecting and making things for the kits. Because I have had a lot of wonderful ideas for kits but no where to store all of them, I have always kept my labels and table of contents of each prop box ever designed as a reference and guide for future inspiration. I use my collections in different ways: 1) Dramatic Prop Boxes (everything from house to construction, pirates to school) 2) Science Resource Kits (everything from magnets to electricity, to shells & rocks) 3) Holiday and Seasonal File (from Valentine's to Spring, Halloween to Winter) |
| Prop Box Resources Include the following collections of objects and materials for children to create, discover, and use for imaginary play. Store collections in boxes or baskets to be accessible at any time (indoors or outdoors) for children to enhance their play. A Theatrical Box A large square of white fabric This can be used as a tablecloth, or any garment. A jar of bubbles. Besides creating great atmosphere, bubbles can be used in warm up and concentration exercises. For example, blow several and everyone follows one until it pops, with their eyes or their bodies. A roll of Aluminum Foil can be molded into pieces of jewelry, armor, or can turn someone into a robot. Several pairs of Sunglasses and Eyeglasses A pair of glasses will help an actor get into character more easily, and will also cause one to gesture more meaningfully if he is holding it. A Mirror It could be used for practicing facial expressions, monologues, and concentration exercises. A Flashlight Used for instant special effects, such as a spotlight. It is also good as a starting point for an improvisation Puppets The puppets' mouths should be moveable, because then it can imitate facial expressions more easily. It can be used as a teaching companion, an extra character in a scene, or a way to get someone shy to talk. Puppets work especially well with younger children, although even high school students can find amusement in them. Hats. Try a bowler, a beret, a beanie with a spinner on top, a big floppy lady's hat, and a fedora. A hat is the simplest way to signal a change of character. |
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| "To the world you might be one person, but to one person you
might be the world." ~ Author unknown ~ |
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