Messy Play

[basilbrush]

anyone got any good ideas for messy play?

 

we have done sand mousse, cornflour gloop, shaving foam, also tried crazy soap although that didn't do very well, any other ideas?

 

Cheers

[Guest]

We found papier mache to be extremely messy!!

 

We're doing strawberry jelly next week

[Rea]

On occassion I line a couple of tables togther, cover with a cloth and put out pots/dishes of flour, cornflour, tealeaves, coffee granuals, water, vinegar, glitter, food colour, bicarb, ...anything I see lurking at the back of the cupboard. The children cram round the tables and are so intent on mixing and stirring it's great. Conversations strike up sometimes relating to what they're doing sometimes totally different topic. The children usually end up emptying the home corner of it's contents but it soon washes. I used to use cooking oil to show how it doesnt mix with water but it made the floor very slippy.

We've also filled the sand tray with jelly, baked beans and tinned peas (peas smelt terrible) but there are so many different shades of green.

I havent done very messy play for a while, I think I can see me messing up next weeks plans again!

[Jackie A.]

Our children love using soap flakes (sprinkled onto water). We either put it in the water tray with for example green food colouring and dinosaurs. Or we put it into individual large plastic bowls and the children enjoy using wooden spoons and hand whisks to whisk like mad. It becomes quite stiff and can even be modelled.

[Guest]

How about feet or welly printing? Splatter painting, spray painting, balloon-bouncing painting, giant 'marble' painting in a paddling pool.

 

Maz

[Guest]

cold cooked spaghetti with lots of lovely treasures in it

can't add much more to what others put and forgive me if this has been mentioned

Nikki

[Beau]

Mashed potato and porridge.

[Guest alisonjayne]

We made an Ice mound to greet the children as they walked in the Nursery

with hidden treasures buried underneath. To begin with the children added salt which crackled and then refroze. As the morning progressed they added different animals penguins polar bears.... and colouring by the end of the session they had sharks whales and fish swimming past iceburgs. It was a fantastic session and reminds me that we should repeat it again soon.

[hali]

cooked rice in lots of different colours

[Guest LucyQ]

We have a messy table out every session. Sometimes its really messy and other times not so messy. On it we have:

 

playdough,

sand in trays,

water tray,

compost in trays,

rice with spoons, bowls, funnels etc in trays,

lentils in trays,

cooked spagetti (i'm not saying "in trays" again!!)

gloop,

hay with hidden treasure.

 

Anything really that will capture their imaginations and sensory needs. Most of the time its used all day.

 

Today they have been outside getting wet with water, large paint brushes and a brio water play - great fun!!

[Posy]

Paint saturated carpet tiles to stamp on before making footprints on paper (or the playground surface if the Head has annoyed me)

Barb

[Guest]

Love the idea from Barb of paint saturated carpet tiles - a really good way of being able to be messy without getting too messy from head to toe.

Nikki

[Guest]

Just last week, when mixing scola cell paste (wallpaper paste without fungacide) I dicided to scoop some into some tights, great fun although quite slippery!!

 

Peggy

[Guest]

APOLOGIES TO ALL - COMPUTOR IS ONLY AS GOOD AS IT'S USER

 

PEGGY

[Guest]

Were you wearing them at the time? You certainly have led a full life - is this another area we don't know about!!!!!! Sounds a very tactile and sensuous activity to me.

Nikki

[Guest]

Now there's an idea Nichola, I wonder what it would feel like on my/childs feet instead of using hands to explore

 

Peggy

[Guest]

Florists gel. You add a couple of teaspoons to the water table and in a few hours you have a mass of gel which comes in a variety of colours. Its a very tactile experience and we have added dinosaurs, natural materials like shells, driftwood etc. Its safe and non-toxic and if it gets yukky it can be rinsed and re-used.

[Guest]

custard is good fun. have also used tapioca (mixed with green food colouring it imakes great dinosaur slime)

My class are enjoying having paint squeezed directly onto the table at the moment. With printing tools and letter and number cards they have a great time.

[Guest]

Florists gel.  You add a couple of teaspoons to the water table and in a few hours you have a mass of gel which comes in a variety of colours.  Its a very tactile experience and we have added dinosaurs, natural materials like shells, driftwood etc.  Its safe and non-toxic and if it gets yukky it can be rinsed and re-used.

31363[/snapback]

 

Ooh! Never heard of florists gel before. Do you literally ask for it in a florist shop or do you get it through a catalogue?

[Guest]

I went to the Early Years and Primary exhibition in Manchester yesterday. There was a company there that had "Instant snow powder". A 500g pot makes 2 gallons of "snow". It was fabulous-it even felt cold!

Linda

[Guest]

I got my florists gel from QVC who have a sale shop in Shrewsbury but my daughter who has a saturday job in a florist (lucky girl!) tells me that florists can get it in if you ask although she didn't know how much it was.

[Guest]

I went to the Early Years and Primary exhibition in Manchester yesterday. There was a company there that had "Instant snow powder". A 500g pot makes 2 gallons of "snow". It was fabulous-it even felt cold!

Linda

31400[/snapback]

 

Sounds good fun. Do you know who supplies it?

[hali]

oooh Linda that sounds fab

[Guest]

The company is called TTS. I have looked on the web site but a lot of the items which are in the Early Steps catalogue aren't on there. I suggest you contact them by e-mailing, shelley@tts-group.co.uk or by telephone 0800 318686, and request a catalogue. I have had a good look through it today and it has some lovely stuff in there and some good ideas too, especially for using Tuff Spots.

Linda

[Guest]

Yeah, I mentioned Insta snow a while back! The children loved it and the only draw back is that it doesn't stick together like real snow. If you live near Kingston the Fun Learning shop sells it

[Guest]

I got my florists gel from QVC who have a sale shop in Shrewsbury but my daughter who has a saturday job in a florist (lucky girl!)  tells me that florists can get it in if you ask although she didn't know how much it was.

31404[/snapback]

 

Thanks for that

[Guest]

All these ideas sound great and I would love to try some. I work in a large school with a high percentage of EAL pupils which include refugees, I just have this feeling that someone will pull me if I use food products. What do you think?

[Guest]

Start small? Maybe the corn flour and water first and gradually progress form there...

[basilbrush]

We have a messy table out every session. Sometimes its really messy and other times not so messy.  On it we have:

 

playdough,

sand in trays,

water tray,

compost in trays,

rice with spoons, bowls, funnels etc in trays,

lentils in trays,

cooked spagetti (i'm not saying "in trays" again!!)

gloop,

hay with hidden treasure.

 

Anything really that will capture their imaginations and sensory needs.  Most of the time its used all day.

 

Today they have been outside getting wet with water, large paint brushes and a brio water play - great fun!!

31273[/snapback]

how do you make gloop? love the ideas

[Inge]

gloop, another name for cornflour and water- just mix to thick paste and play....

 

Inge