Playing Beauty Shop

As a children's librarian, I could go on too much about all the benefits young children gain from reading good books.  I can throw out terms like phonemic awareness and print motivation.  So, I've been surprised at how suprised I am at a book-inspired game Cadence has been playing the last few days.  I forgot that one of the things that happens when kids read great books is that they learn about the world and are inspired to test out and play with what they've learned.

We got this book at the library this week:

And now, for the last three days, Cadence has been playing beauty shop.  She even painted my toenails.  (Not well.  I fixed 'em up later.)

Here she is painting Hip the Hippo's toenails.  

Her desk at the shop Thursday afternoon.  See the pretend phone?  She answers it for appointments.  "Beauty Shop Hotline."  And she has the library book for her clients to look at.  To decide what they need done.

This was Wednesday when the shop was in Piper's room.  She's got the book again.  And as long as they don't get a hold of my real make-up, like Piper did yesterday while I was getting lunch ready, it buys me a lot of time to fold laundry.  Fun for them, good for me.  Thanks, Rosemary Wells.