KDH has shown a keen interest and love for dolls. When we needed more, we made them by stuffing baby clothes, and making challah dolls with stockings and stuffing. What could we do with this interest to give our children a deeper experience?
Morah Dena suggested that we visit blabla dolls. blabla dolls is a company based in Atlanta that was begun by two friends, Susan Pritchett and Florence Wetterwald, who visited Peru together. They saw the knitting cooperatives and were inspired to start a business making cotton knitted dolls.
The car ride is always a treasured part of our field trips.
Less than 1.5 miles from IJP, on Virginia Avenue, tucked into a residential street is the store front and design center for this beautiful enterprise.
The owners and employees prepared a special program for us. Our experience began in the store with the children being encouraged to look around and asking them which dolls they wanted to hold and examine. The children chose the ones they liked and passed them along to each other.
We were struck by the beauty and peace that we felt in the store. The love and respect that the blabla personnel have for children truly resonated with us.
After watching videos of the dolls, it was time for the children to help design a doll. Florence drew the basic doll on a very large chalkboard and asked the children what kind of doll they wanted to create. A koala bear blabla doll complete with a whistle was the result of this cooperative effort.
We were taken to the design center. Flo and Lora showed us the props that they make to use in their books and videos. They demonstrated how they stand up and steady the dolls for the picture taking.
May read us two entertaining books. We also saw videos of the women knitting the dolls. There are about twenty hours of work that go into making each doll!
Before we left, each child was presented with a bag with the catalog, stickers, a note pad, a coupon.
Anslee went home and found the blabla doll that her brother Reed had gotten when he was a new born. It stills looks new. Natalie used her pad and drew many more blabla dolls.
The next morning the children designed more blabla dolls and named them.
These are being used for a thank you note!
Yinon's mom came in and showed us the knitted finger puppet that she knitted. She is coming in to make them with the class!
Yinon's mom came in and showed us the knitted finger puppet that she knitted. She is coming in to make them with the class!
Dramatic play, knitting, geography, finding the hidden treasures in our neighborhood and the kindness of the blabla dolls owners and employees are all part of this exciting outing!
Morah Ruth
Morah Sara
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