Playing 'Tea Rooms' is one of Minnie's favourite activities. Whether we’re inside or out we've discovered there’s always time for tea!
Minnie has an indoor play kitchen (a secondhand bargain from a friend) which she loves, but we had no outside area for cooking or brewing! So after a little hunting around we came up with
"Minnie's Garden Tea Rooms!"
"Minnie's Garden Tea Rooms!"
It may not look like the most stylish of tea rooms, but it’s perfect for Minnie.
We picked up our tea trolley from a local car boot sale for £2. This is such a perfect space & height for Minnie to arrange all the equipment she needs to make a brew or two, & as it’s on wheels she can also push it around the garden & serve all the customers in her tea rooms! (Plus it makes a great trolley for playing 'shops' too!)
I love a bargain, & most of the equipment for this play area was collected from charity shops & local fetes. Check out these pretty plates, & teapot (not china I hasten to add!) collected for a few pounds from a local fete. (We actually rescued the plates from a crockery smashing game & gave a donation! They were just too pretty to smash.) Another favourite find are our espresso cups (40p each) from a local charity shop, ideal for little hands to manipulate.
Our cake stand was a gift from a kind neighbour & the other items we collected after a hunt through our kitchen cupboards. Empty bubble bath bottles & clean food trays were ideal for storing
The rotary whisk is clearly a favourite of Minnie's. Once she had mastered how it worked there was no stopping her!
The brown pots below may not be the most pretty items, but they're tough, have lids & are a great size for little hands. Minnie calls them her 'cooker pots' because she uses them in her oven (which is the space under our garden table).
There are some truly unique blends of tea on offer in this Tea Room!
This tasty brew is made from nasturtium, marigold, lavender & cornflower!
Flowers, leaves & soil are all collected from the garden & mixed with water to make tea, cakes & biscuits. The nearby selection of wild flowers (which Minnie has grown from seed) has proved very useful.
This delicious mix is mint & lavender!
Flowers, leaves & soil are all collected from the garden & mixed with water to make tea, cakes & biscuits. The nearby selection of wild flowers (which Minnie has grown from seed) has proved very useful.
How about having food freshly prepared at your table! ;-)
To make a table we used our outdoor storage box, turned it upside down, & covered with a tablecloth (old napkin). By adding this & a plate, knife, fork, & spoon, Minnie is able to independently set the table.
She loves pouring from the 'big' teapots & listening to the tea as it splashes into the ceramic cups. It's great to observe Minnie using everyday items like these as part
of her play.
of her play.
When it comes to closing time at the tea rooms, everything fits neatly back into our plastic storage box which can be left outside with our tea trolley.
This frugal, creative space is used most days, & there are endless opportunities for learning & discovery! Minnie has enjoyed much imaginative & physical play exploring her tea rooms, & it's been great to see her sharing this space with her friends too.
For more fun with tea check out our Sensory Play with Tea