Everyone wants to be a clown! Well, maybe not everyone, but certainly many people! Kids and adults alike enjoy trying on a big clown nose and funny glasses, and finishing off the clown-look with a colorful hat. And that is exactly why I carry extra foam noses, glasses, and hats along with me when I am clowning.
Not only do they get to look like clowns, they also get a chance to try juggling scarves or spinning a plate. Everyone gets a good laugh! It is as much fun for the audience as it is for the person dressing up.
These are easy and lightweight props to keep handy. When I am clowning, I have to limit how many children dress up, even though I know they all want a turn. The children enjoy this so much that I started doing it more often. Sometimes when I go to the day care centers in the neighborhood, I take the noses, hats, and glasses.
Those days, I can give every child (and teacher!) a chance to dress up. I also remember to take a mirror with me because the kids enjoy seeing themselves. I took so many nice pictures one time that I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to have prints made. I gave them to the children as gifts. Here in Tunisia, people don’t have a lot of photos; they have pictures from wedding parties and maybe an occasional birthday. It was my pleasure to give them something to help them remember the good time they had dressing up.
The pictures I am sharing with you today are from numerous clown events and several plainclothes visits to day care centers over the past few years. I started doing this way back when I was clowning at the refugee camps. Hey, if something works, why change it, right?
I have enjoyed looking back at these pictures of the kids playing dress up. I haven’t done this at the day care centers since the new school year started. I know what we will be doing in the neighborhood this week when I go out to play!
