Fall "Playsilks"

Of course to go along with our fall-ish playroom we changed out the ever-present playsilks to be fall colors.  I had a red piece of crinkly cotton fabric and some orange gingham that fit the bill perfectly.  I am not a playsilk purist--we use all different types of flowey fabrics for our fabric play.  I do always have two hooks out--so we put out two playsilks/fabrics at all times.  If you haven't incorporated playsilks into your play area, I strongly recommend it!  For ideas, check out this site.
Start small--put out one or two pieces of fabric you have around the house.  Light blankets (baby swaddling blankes are great!), scarves, wraps work great!  Engage in some pretend play with your child to model some ways the playsilks can be used......become princesses, knights, monsters, or dress up your baby dolls with them.  Playsilks encourage imaginary play in great ways!  I teach Quinn how to find the center of the playsilk in her hand and place it over the hook when she is finished using it.  This is a great premath skill and also involves fine motor development.  At her school they fold the playsilks and place them in a basket, and folding (always done from top to bottom and left to right) is a great tool for pre-reading--it helps train the brain in the direction of print. 
So.....playsilks.....get-you-some!!!