Rea Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 (edited) I'm going back to playgroup for a few months and while there I want to take a good hard look at our creative provision, its got a tad fluffy duckish! So, any tips on sites to visit, activities to try, resources to provide will be gratefully received. A few pointers: Mess is a frame of mind I dont need an end product I'll try anything once All areas of creativity will be welcome To start you off, I found this http://creativityforlife.com/ Grat for showing everyone else why this is necessary Edited February 11, 2014 by Rea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finleysmaid Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 im a a great fan of pinterest...probably because it is often created by parents for things to do with their children so the emphasis is often on the creativity not the end product or the 'education' (though they are often of course!) recent things we've done ice pops ///freeze paint in ice cube trays with lollipop stiick handles foil painting....cover table with foil and add splodges of paint cup painting...print circles with upturned cups then 'fill in' with other colours WARNING pinterest is addictive! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finleysmaid Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 sorry this is very paint orientated....just where the children are going at the mo! i'll go and look at other bits! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rea Posted February 11, 2014 Author Share Posted February 11, 2014 Don't worry about the medium, the more the better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fredbear Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 I am definetly one of the experiences of, than the end product brigade. So anything with sensory opportunities, open ended choices with a well resourced area, means much more to me. I love exploring textures with our little ones and let them take it in which ever way they wish. Can you tell I love messy play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SueJ Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 We like using builders expandable foam. Adults with no children around need to spray the foam into a variety of shapes, squiggles, lumps etc and leave to dry (try not to spray too thickly as it take an age otherwise). We do this on plastic sheeting overnight - the smell is very chemical and whilst this stuff is wet it is toxic. Once dried the foam is non-toxic and can be broken up into lots of different pieces - we then leave these out for the children to choose what to do with - pipe cleaners and willow are useful to have around as when dry you can poke thin sticks into it (a bit like florists' oasis) to make all manner of creation. It also takes well to being painted and glued. Whilst you are not looking for an end produce this is also good stuff for big creations that the children can work together with to create a "corporate" art work - we used it to spray a spiders web which the children painted and created spiders for and for a peacock shape body and the children made the tail feathers for it which were then stuck into the body - v. effective. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rea Posted February 11, 2014 Author Share Posted February 11, 2014 Thats lucky, I'm getting some of that foam for filling the hole in our cupboard where the rats keep coming in, I'll be able to put it to even better use now 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnyday Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Thats lucky, I'm getting some of that foam for filling the hole in our cupboard where the rats keep coming in, I'll be able to put it to even better use now Shiver - rats Anyway have you had a look at 'The Imagination Tree' - some great ideas there! :1b 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rea Posted February 11, 2014 Author Share Posted February 11, 2014 Oh I think that's in my favourites Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rea Posted February 11, 2014 Author Share Posted February 11, 2014 No, it wasnt but this was http://interactionimagination.blogspot.se/?m=1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
narnia Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Liking this foam idea..........................BUT how are toxins removed by drying?? Want to use it, so answers please Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panders Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 that basil seed gak stuff was good fun, making it again for Thursday. Ours are bingo dobber mad at the moment, quite noisy when they get going but they do like them, (you can get them in a variety of colours) get a good 'splatt' from some of them, but they are pretty messy so aprons on and stand well back as an adult if you are not wearing an apron. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SueJ Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Liking this foam idea..........................BUT how are toxins removed by drying?? Want to use it, so answers please I'm not a chemist so am taking the info on trust from art lecturer who put us onto this stuff - something to do with change in molecular structure when dry. Once dry (cured) it is ok to touch, paint etc. but don't sand it down and generate "dust". Check out Health Effects on Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spray_foams_(insulation) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rea Posted February 11, 2014 Author Share Posted February 11, 2014 (edited) I've just found an old note book from 2007ish. I'll share here just in case anyone else needs inspiration. So far: masking tape on paper, sponge paint, remove tape. Masking tape making a route on floor. Photos of teddy at different places in the room, garden, children match places. Coloured dice, coloured clothes pegs, pot to peg pegs to. Childrens gloves, different textured items attached, sponge, bubble wrap... Song/rhyme bags String painting Marbles in paint tray Big playdough, cars Fill rubber glove with water, freeze, remove glove, jack frost gas lost a hand. Best way to keep it from melting, wrap in wool, tin foil, cotton... Boxes joined together to make tunnels, dens. Add stuff to paint; salt, spices, essential oils, jelly crystals, porridge, wood shavings, flour. Ask children to make sandwich by telling you what comes next, ask for clear instructions. Old key, big and fancy, where's it from, what does it open, did someone drop it? Who owned it? What does it open? What's inside?..... Typed this on my phone so could well be spelling mistakes Edited February 11, 2014 by Rea 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lashes2508 Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 I found an old note book the other day , it was full of poems I had written when at senior school , mostly about the teachers ! Many I can't repeat on here !:0 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rea Posted February 12, 2014 Author Share Posted February 12, 2014 I found an old note book the other day , it was full of poems I had written when at senior school , mostly about the teachers ! Many I can't repeat on here !:0 My oldest son and his friend were suspended from school, yr 8, for writing a poem about quite a few of their teachers. He was sick with worry so I went to see what the fuss was about. The head of year gave me the poem to read. It was really quite rude, but very clever, and when the head said my son hadnt written it so much as help with spelling, I had to suck my cheeks and not smile. He knew some pretty colourful words and had spelt everything correctly 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rea Posted February 12, 2014 Author Share Posted February 12, 2014 While we're on the subject of ideas, can anyone help with best place to buy a resource trolley the children can access easily but costs next to nothing, wooden play food, shop/home corner. We dont have much money but our play food is beyond a joke now, the home corner we used to have was chucked out some years ago and never replaced and our resource trolley is falling apart. :1b Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lashes2508 Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 No matter how food is out its gets transported etc , as we are pack away I put out variety in baskets , we did have the 4 drawer plastic towers but not very accessible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lashes2508 Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 Or look on your local freecycle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lashes2508 Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 Forgot to say Rea that we use a lot of packaging and containers from real food , children can associate with it , see and recognise print and often extend by creating food that is like it , and it can be recycled and changed regularly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zigzag Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 Salad spinner painting, painting with cars, water beads, coloured rice, good old junk modelling, painting with pipettes, wax resist painting, custard, jelly, coloured ice, clean mud. I love pinterest and agree that it is addictive!! I also like the imagination tree and happy hooligans. Brain is on go slow tonight but will post more when it resumes 'normal service'(you may have to wait a while) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rea Posted February 12, 2014 Author Share Posted February 12, 2014 Oh the salad spinner, I'd forgotten all about that one. Oh how deliciously messy I'm not going to be using food stuffs I'm afraid. I was in playgroup last week and they were having a mix and mess session. I used to use flour, lemon juice, tea leaves, powder paint, liquid soap... they used tins of peas, beans, lentils, sweetcorn and other stuff and it seemed to me, with foodbanks increasing to keep up with the dire need some people are finding themselves in, it was giving children the wrong message. I do love playing with jelly though, wonder how I can get round that??? :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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