In Gratitude: Shelves for Godly Play

 I finally found little shelves that can nestle by our fire place for our godly play treasures.  Not everything fits on, so I have a large basket of books beside the couch and I'll have to rotate materials seasonally until I can build or purchase deeper and slightly taller shelves.  These were ten dollars at a thrift store, so despite them not being my ideal dimension they will work for a time. 

One challenge with doing 'godly play' or something like it at home is the lack of materials accessible.  One of the wonderful things about godly play is the access to all the shelves and stories, and most of us, at home (or starting in smaller churches) can't afford all the materials or fit all those stories in.  The reality is that while I dream of having golden boxes or drawstring bags full of all the parables, and different stories in boxes; for now, we have a basket of peg figures, a basket of accessories (bread, pots, bed, tiny wooden bowls and cups), a basket of blocks (for building cities), a basket of linens (this needs separated into advent cards and then a separate basket for underlays), and a basket with landscape items (rolled roads, rivers, felt trees).   I think that adapting in this way is necessary in the home environment.

The boys have been doing lots of free play with the items on the shelves.  We are all really enjoying the godly play nativity we were given last year for Christmas.  It is so perfect for little hands and so beautiful.  I'm eager to begin some intentional story telling with them soon.  Our church here doesn't have godly play (though I have reason to hope it might be added at some point - there is interest) so I really want to continue with the boys at home.