Messy Play - Korihori Porehe

Here at Mairtown Kindergarten we have been exploring 'GLOOP'.The wonderful gloopy, sloppy mess that appears to be a liquid and a solid at the same time is both a playful science lesson and a really fun sensory activity for children. The gloop is fun enough to play with on its own you don’t need any kind of equipment to enjoy exploring with gloop.

So what’s so special about gloop? Well, that’s where the playful science comes in. Run your fingers through the gloop and it feels like a liquid, scoop some into your hand and you can roll it into a ball like play dough, but stop putting pressure on it and it just runs through your fingers like a liquid again.

Messy play allows children to… build, imagine, experience, investigate, explore, creates, observe, predict and use the senses. Best of all it’s heap of fun! (www.storiesandchildren.com)

"It’s so cool, it’s slimy" Piper.

"Gloop is fun to play with" Arlo.

"Look I can run it onto my arm and it leaves lines on my arms" Ryley.

"Gloop is cool" Lachlan.

"Look at my waterfall I made as it drops from my hand" Basuru.

"If you move it around in your hand it won’t drip down" Raina.

Exploring through messy play supports learning across all the strands of Te Whāriki. In particular, messy play supports the Communication strand, where children discover and develop different ways to be creative and expressive. Messy play also supports children's development in the Exploration strand, where children gain confidence in and control of their own bodies, including active exploration with all the senses and the use of tools, materials and equipment to extend skills.

Children learn and develop through play, but especially through unstructured, exploratory play. ... This allows young children to make their own discoveries using their senses, curiosity and knowledge. Because messy and sensory play is all about exploring, there's no right or wrong (Pear tree blog).

Messy play is an important part of learning as it provides lots of opportunities for this learning to occur. Hands-on activities will provide opportunities for children to compare textures such as smooth, rough, hard and soft. Through messy play, children can develop concentration, problem-solving and planning. Working with others fosters self-respect and respect for others. It also presents opportunities for making relationships. Children are given endless opportunities with a variety of materials to build imagination and creativity. Through sensory experiences, they are able to respond to what they see, hear, feel, touch and smell.

We are excited to see what else we can be messy with while being creative and having fun at the same time. Playing with Gloop is a fabulous sensory and science activity to learn about the concepts of what a solid and liquid is. If you haven’t made Gloop yet, then this is a must for any child or adult. It is super fun and super messy, I am not sure who had the most fun, me or the kids!!

Have a try at home its easy to make 2 cups of corn flour to 1 cup of water, add food colouring of your choice.

'If it hasn’t been in the hand and body, it can’t be in the brain'

Bev Bos.

Ka kite ano, Kate.