Resources

[DebBrad]

Hi all, 

Just wondered what peoples plans were for introducing more resources in September,  like play dough, water, sandpits,  dressing up cloths,  books, soft furnishing etc.. are we able to re-introduce these? 

With the resources which are difficult to clean, (like our cabinet of large wooden blocks) do we still have to rotate them every 72 hours? 

 

 

 

 

[sunnyday]

Good morning Deb

I will be following your thread with interest

Zigzag said on another thread 'September opening' that she had seen lots of beautifully set up rooms complete with soft furnishings and resources displayed as usual and had posed the question similar to yours

For my part, I am planning for resources that are either 'throw away', easily cleaned or able to be quarantined for 72 hours, I can't see how we can introduce all of the lovely things that you have listed above, really wish we could

 

[finleysmaid]

I think im still awaiting further guidelines ! we make playdough every day and then throw it so i think that will be fine. The sand pit is huge and outside so should be realtively safe , we have used water throughout with addition of detergent of some sort and washing utensils afterwards, so that should be ok. Think i may rotate the large blocks so week one mornings and week two afternoons should help to reduce any risk of infection (these too are outside)

we will not have the levels of resources that are normally out and have developed a little cleaning rotational scheme for the toys ...we have also managed to fit in  a washing machine which will help enormously!

[sunnyday]

13 minutes ago, finleysmaid said:

I think im still awaiting further guidelines ! we make playdough every day and then throw it so i think that will be fine. The sand pit is huge and outside so should be realtively safe , we have used water throughout with addition of detergent of some sort and washing utensils afterwards, so that should be ok. Think i may rotate the large blocks so week one mornings and week two afternoons should help to reduce any risk of infection (these too are outside)

we will not have the levels of resources that are normally out and have developed a little cleaning rotational scheme for the toys ...we have also managed to fit in  a washing machine which will help enormously!

Which playdough recipe are you using fm?

[DebBrad]

Thanks guys good to know what others are planning, just wish there were clearer guidelines 'as always'.  

I make my play dough the old fashioned way, on the stove!! 

What about colour pencils etc, we have a large tray which we usually put out, I was wondering whether to ask parents to supply a pencil case with pencils in for their child, that is what our school is doing. 

 

 

Edited August 3, 2020 by DebBrad

[sunnyday]

2 hours ago, DebBrad said:

Thanks guys good to know what others are planning, just wish there were clearer guidelines 'as always'.  

I make my play dough the old fashioned way, on the stove!! 

What about colour pencils etc, we have a large tray which we usually put out, I was wondering whether to ask parents to supply a pencil case with pencils in for their child, that is what our school is doing. 

 

 

Thanks Deb

I usually make my play-dough using the microwave method - I am certainly not doing that on a daily basis! 🤦‍♀️I think I need a tried and tested 'no cook' recipe

As for pens, pencils etc - I had (so far) planned to offer as usual and then clean at end of session - is that a terrible idea?

[finleysmaid]

50 minutes ago, sunnyday said:

Thanks Deb

I usually make my play-dough using the microwave method - I am certainly not doing that on a daily basis! 🤦‍♀️I think I need a tried and tested 'no cook' recipe

As for pens, pencils etc - I had (so far) planned to offer as usual and then clean at end of session - is that a terrible idea?

we make a large batch quantity as we have quite a few children per session and the afterschool club use it too. 

4x cups flour (plain and cheap!)

4 x tablespoons oil

1 x cup salt (sainsburys salt in tubs is cheaper than in a plastic bag !!)

1 x Tablespoon cream of tartar (i buy in bilk from amazon)

food colouring or brusho (i like brusho gives great colours )

the children really like it on a cold day when i give it to them warm! if you want to cool it down quick spread it out! will last for a few days if you have added the CofT

3 X cups of BOILING water (reboil the kettle if you need to !!) 

mix like mad (but carefully) and then turn out and knead for 5 minutes(have asbestos hands)

you can half the quantity or make a big batch and split for the week 

If you buy cheap flour the gluten content can change so you might need to add a little more water

Edited August 3, 2020 by finleysmaid
more info

[finleysmaid]

pens and pencils will be split in to 2 groups one for morning and one for afternoon and rotated ...this is mainly what we did when we reopened. children won't stick to just using their own (lots of mine wouldn't necessarily understand that concept!)

[BenTapestrySupport]

19 hours ago, finleysmaid said:

we make a large batch quantity as we have quite a few children per session and the afterschool club use it too. 

4x cups flour (plain and cheap!)

4 x tablespoons oil

1 x cup salt (sainsburys salt in tubs is cheaper than in a plastic bag !!)

1 x Tablespoon cream of tartar (i buy in bilk from amazon)

food colouring or brusho (i like brusho gives great colours )

the children really like it on a cold day when i give it to them warm! if you want to cool it down quick spread it out! will last for a few days if you have added the CofT

3 X cups of BOILING water (reboil the kettle if you need to !!) 

mix like mad (but carefully) and then turn out and knead for 5 minutes(have asbestos hands)

you can half the quantity or make a big batch and split for the week 

If you buy cheap flour the gluten content can change so you might need to add a little more water

This was my go to recipe for play dough too - which I could make quickly just before the children arrived when I was reminded it was my turn to have made it! 

I used this site for instructions: https://theimaginationtree.com/best-ever-no-cook-play-dough-recipe/ but they look similar to the one from FM. 

 

If I ever needed to make playdough that was non-gluten, I used this method: https://www.parents.com/fun/activities/indoor/gluten-free-play-dough-recipe/ which I found lasted a lot longer, but obviously at the moment, that isn't always needed!

[sunnyday]

2 hours ago, BenC said:

This was my go to recipe for play dough too - which I could make quickly just before the children arrived when I was reminded it was my turn to have made it! 

I used this site for instructions: https://theimaginationtree.com/best-ever-no-cook-play-dough-recipe/ but they look similar to the one from FM. 

 

If I ever needed to make playdough that was non-gluten, I used this method: https://www.parents.com/fun/activities/indoor/gluten-free-play-dough-recipe/ which I found lasted a lot longer, but obviously at the moment, that isn't always needed!

Thanks Ben 😃

[finleysmaid]

3 hours ago, BenC said:

This was my go to recipe for play dough too - which I could make quickly just before the children arrived when I was reminded it was my turn to have made it! 

I used this site for instructions: https://theimaginationtree.com/best-ever-no-cook-play-dough-recipe/ but they look similar to the one from FM. 

 

If I ever needed to make playdough that was non-gluten, I used this method: https://www.parents.com/fun/activities/indoor/gluten-free-play-dough-recipe/ which I found lasted a lot longer, but obviously at the moment, that isn't always needed!

 

i love the imagination tree and interestingly this is the gluten free dough i use...although most of the time i use it for snow!

https://theimaginationtree.com/recipe-for-white-play-dough/

[BenTapestrySupport]

5 minutes ago, finleysmaid said:

 

i love the imagination tree and interestingly this is the gluten free dough i use...although most of the time i use it for snow!

https://theimaginationtree.com/recipe-for-white-play-dough/

This one looks easier (and cheaper!) to make - thanks

[louby loo]

On 03/08/2020 at 09:26, DebBrad said:

I make my play dough the old fashioned way, on the stove!! 

I make my play dough the delegation way 🤣😁😁😁

[BenTapestrySupport]

3 minutes ago, louby loo said:

I make my play dough the delegation way 🤣😁😁😁

So does my wife! (which is why I know how to make it!) 

[sunnyday]

1 hour ago, louby loo said:

I make my play dough the delegation way 🤣😁😁😁

Never managed that 😂

[Cait]

On 05/08/2020 at 16:03, sunnyday said:

Never managed that 😂

Me either! I think it was the ‘oh well, you do it so much better’ thinking.   When I was diagnosed coeliac though, I couldn’t have muggle flour in the kitchen, so somebody else had to step up and do it! 

[louby loo]

44 minutes ago, Cait said:

Me either! I think it was the ‘oh well, you do it so much better’ thinking.   

That was how it did it 🤣   I kept praising the staff for how well they did it.... even if it was a bad batch I'd find something positive about it, lots of imaginative smells etc.

When I do actually have make it myself I get the children to do it. 

[Panders]

 

 This has to be the best one I ever did.   Children can do all except the boiling water, but once it has cooled slightly they can just get on with it.

Takes but moments!

You need:

·         2 cups plain flour (all purpose)

·         2 tablespoons vegetable oil

·         1/2 cup salt

·         2 tablespoons cream of tartar

·         Up to 1.5 cups boiling water (adding in increments until it feels just right)

·         food colouring (optional)

 

Method:

·         Mix the flour, salt, cream of tartar and oil in a large mixing bowl

·         Add food colouring TO the boiling water then into the dry ingredients (colour optional)

·         Stir continuously until it becomes a sticky, combined dough

·         Allow it to cool down then take it out of the bowl and knead it vigorously for a couple of minutes until all of the stickiness has gone. * This is the most important part of the process, so keep at it until it’s the perfect consistency!*

·         (If it remains a little sticky then add a touch more flour until just right)

 

[ladybirds1991]

We will still have out pencils, crayons, wooden blocks etc.. which we will clean daily as we have been doing through this whole shebang and then when children go outside and hall is empty we will go round again and spray everything down, we are also planning to have set times during the day where we will have 'anti bac time' where wherever children and staff are they will all anti bac their hands this will be in addition to washing their hands before going outside, coming back in, lunchtimes, snack times etc...

[DebBrad]

On 03/08/2020 at 12:06, sunnyday said:

Thanks Deb

I usually make my play-dough using the microwave method - I am certainly not doing that on a daily basis! 🤦‍♀️I think I need a tried and tested 'no cook' recipe

As for pens, pencils etc - I had (so far) planned to offer as usual and then clean at end of session - is that a terrible idea?

No not a terrible idea at all, think we will be doing the same !!

[anju]

On 06/08/2020 at 17:31, Panders said:

 

 This has to be the best one I ever did.   Children can do all except the boiling water, but once it has cooled slightly they can just get on with it.

Takes but moments!

You need:

·         2 cups plain flour (all purpose)

·         2 tablespoons vegetable oil

·         1/2 cup salt

·         2 tablespoons cream of tartar

·         Up to 1.5 cups boiling water (adding in increments until it feels just right)

·         food colouring (optional)

 

 

Method:

·         Mix the flour, salt, cream of tartar and oil in a large mixing bowl

·         Add food colouring TO the boiling water then into the dry ingredients (colour optional)

·         Stir continuously until it becomes a sticky, combined dough

·         Allow it to cool down then take it out of the bowl and knead it vigorously for a couple of minutes until all of the stickiness has gone. * This is the most important part of the process, so keep at it until it’s the perfect consistency!*

·         (If it remains a little sticky then add a touch more flour until just right)

 

This is the one I’ve used for years as well 👍🏼

[lynned55]

When we opened in June and had 3 small groups each child had their own plastic wallet with scissors, glue stick, pencils in but really we didnt need to do that. They never stuck to their own stuff, it didnt really matter anyway as they were in bubbles of 6 (max) In Sept I think like Sunnyday & DebBrad we will be just having a box for all- too many in to manage individual wallets for all and will it be any different to one building a duplo train track and hen someone else picking it up after them? I thought we would just spray the pencils pens with the Dettol spray- scissors can be washed and paint brushes always are anyway. Likewise- playdough will be made and thrown each day- water isnt an issue but it is sand I just cannot decide on.