store Archives - Playful Directions

Welcome to The Wonder Jewelry Shop. A couple of days before our Thanksgiving Break a few of the children started making paper purses in the art studio. What began as one or two a day soon became a mass production. When they realized they had such a large number of purses, they decided that the best thing to do was to open a store. The shelves in the science lab were cleared off, and stocking merchandise began. A few children suggested other accessories that might be sold in the shop, though purses continued to be the main attraction.

When we returned to school six days later, merchandise production went back into full swing. As soon as the store was named, the very fancy sign seen above was designed and posted by the “door.” Two cash registers, an old keyboard, two old phones, and a mouse were added so the store employees could “work.”

One of the children informed us that purses with short or no handles are called bags. These were placed directly on the shelf for display. The longer handled purses are displayed on the walls of the shop. I wondered aloud how a customer might know how much to pay for a purse. So far the consensus is that whoever is selling the purse will just tell you how much it costs.

I was informed today that the Wonder Jewelry Store will have a Grand Opening at 2:00 on Thursday. I’m not yet sure what this entails as the spokesperson did not give me any details. Although, in the last three minutes of class, I did hear a rumor that lipstick might be on sale soon!

Want to know who is allowed to shop in this exclusive store? Here is a soundbite the children made earlier today. I just found it on Seesaw a minute ago:

And I found more!

I just found another clip on Seesaw. This one was obviously designed as a commercial. Note, adults did not have anything to do with the recording. The children use our class iPad to document their learning and share it with their parents. Near the end, you can hear an adult nearby suggesting that jewelry and purses are not actually gender bound. Our voice-over artist isn’t so sure. Sounds like a great place to start a discussion.

It all started with the Pet Store. Once we began printing our own money and creating price tags, the shopping idea snowballed. While I was working in the dramatic play area, purposefully placing price tags on puppies, Mrs. Pless was observing a completely unrelated (so we thought) scenario in the block area. Two girls at Blocks were setting up the large blocks as tables and placing random containers on each one. There was a potion table, a rock table, and a seashell table. Then the girls began discussing the sale of these items. Aha!

We hadn’t realized that the children on the other side of the room were paying attention to our Pet Shop. However, it seems they were inspired to begin a store on their own. Then, without warning, a telephone salesman appeared. He was carrying lots of phones and wanted help making an iPhone. He found the perfect shelf for his wares and began to sell them in earnest. Later, at lunch, I asked a small group what they thought of all of our stores. One child commented that we were making a Mall.

Thus, our next Morning Message posed the question, “What kind of store might be in a mall?” We had answers such as Build-a-Bear, a pretzel store, a ring store, a jewelery store, a shoe store, and a toy store. One practical student even suggested a food store. We discussed the meaning of “customer” and “cashier” to help them flesh out their scenario language. They’ve also tried their hand at copying money as seen through a magnifying lens and writing checks to pay for purchases. They haven’t asked for an ATM or Check-card, yet, but I’m sure that will come.