Children at the Shop of Possibilities are forever coming up with new and exciting ways of using the old bits and pieces that make their way to the space. We use leftover bits and pieces from events at the South London Gallery and also get donations of objects from people that live or work nearby.
There are objects which get used all the time (like the old rocking horses) and others that take a bit more time to turn into play things (such as buckets and ropes). When children come into the space they are free to use things as they wish. Whilst we do have an informal 'check before you destroy something' rule to prolong the life of the resources, the children will play with the objects, transform them, adapt them and create freely without the need for adult intervention or permissions.
On this occasion a few of the children came up with a concept and used lots of different things to make their idea as detailed as possible. For the rest of us, we got a very interesting guided tour of a zoo, complete with horses, lizards and snakes! Take a look at the images below to see what we saw:
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| The Horse Stables |
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| Staying clear of the snakes |
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| Friendly lizard |
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| Cleaning the horse enclosure |
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| Horse rides! |
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| Handling the snakes |
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| Baby birds in a nest |
What was enjoyable about watching this type of imaginative play unfold was how committed the children were towards making their ideas a reality for that moment in time (and one that will also translate to others who haven't been involved in the creation). It wasn't like our tour guides were in 'character' but that they actually were zookeepers for that afternoon.
Then the next day they might be something completely different...
The Shop of Possibilities continually welcomes donations of old furniture, objects and materials to keep the space fresh and exciting for the children who use it. If you have anything you would like to donate please feel free to bring them to us during opening hours - Tue-Thu 3.30-5.30pm or Sat 2-4pm. Or email lauren@southlondongallery.org to arrange a suitable time. Thanks!
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