Messy Play Recipes

Here are my favourite messy play recipes, from my Playcentre days.

Finger painting

"Finger painting is a touching, feeling, colour experience. What children need to get finger-paint basics is finger-paint which feels good and looks good. The secret to getting it feeling good is in the making and the stirring. The secret to getting it looking good is tempera powder. Tempera gives it the strong opaque colour which is ideal for expermenting with colour mixing, tints and shades. The tempera colours you need are a cool red, a cool blue, lemon yellow and white" Pennie Brownlee, Magic Places.

Ingredients
1 cups corn flour
1/2 cup cold water
2 Tbsp lux soap flakes
2 Tbsp tempera powder
Boiling water

Into a large bowl put corn flour and water, whisk it until all the corn flour is combined.

While stirring the corn flour and cold water mixture, add the boiling water (try 1/4 cup at first) very quickly and stop when the mixture 'grabs' (this is quite cool!)

Stir thoroughly until the mixture is smooth, thick and translucent.

Gradually stir in up soap flake and mix until the mixture goes white. If it is still too thick add a little water, stirring constantly until the finger-paint is smooth and creamy. Add in the tempera powder and stir.

It will keep for up to a week in an airtight container in the fridge.

Slime
In a plastic mixing bowl place equal quantities of lux flakes and boiling water. Stir well, and then when its a little cooler, get the kids to help you beat it with a handmixer.

Gloop
Add just enough water to 1 cup of cornflour to form a thick paste.

If you want to use natural colours from plants, check this out!

The Easter Hare - A German Legend

At Easter this year I had heard there was an Easter folk story about the Easter Hare - but I struggled to find it. Finally I was given this one ... I'm not sure where it comes from but its lovely for pre-schoolers for whom, I think, the real Easter story is far too much to comprehend.

A long time ago, there was a village where the people were very poor. One Easter the mothers had no money to buy their children the sweets they usually gave them on Easter Sunday.

The mothers knew the children would be very disappointed.
'What shall we do' they asked each other.
'Well, we have plenty of eggs' said one.
' But the children are tired of eggs' said another.

Then one of the mothers had an idea, and by dinner-time all the mothers in the village knew about it, but not a single child. Early in the morning, the mothers went into the woods with little baskets. You could not see what was in the baskets, as they were covered with coloured cloths. When the mothers returned home, the cloths were tied about their head like scarves and the baskets were filled with flowers.

'My mother went to pick flowers for Easter this morning' said one child, as they all walked together. 'So did mine' said another. 'And mine too' said all the others and laughed for they were happy and it was Easter Sunday.

When they came out of church, the children were told to go and play in the woods before dinner. Off they ran, laughing and talking.

The girls and boys picked flowers and climbed trees when someone shouted 'Look what I've found'.
'A RED egg'.
'I've found a BLUE one'.
''Here's a nestful, they are all different colours'.
They ran about searching for eggs and filling their pockets and hats.
'What kind of eggs are they?' they asked each other.
'They're too big for wild birds' eggs.'
'They're the same size as hens' eggs'.
'But hens don't lay eggs in bright colour'.

Just then a hare ran out from behind a bush.
'They're hares' eggs,' cried the children. 'The hare laid the eggs! Hurray for the Easter Hare.'

Five little leaves

Five little leaves so bright and gay, (hold up five fingers)
Were dancing about on a tree one day
The wind came blowing through the town (everyone blow loudly)
And one little leaf came fluttering down

Four little leaves so bright and gay.... (repeat poem)

One little leaf so bright and gay
Was dancing around on the tree one day,
The wind came blowing through the town
And the last little leaf came fluttering down

I'm not sure where this song comes from, I've seen it in quite a few books and blogs around the place! If anyone knows who should be credited please let me know!!!

Morning has come
Night is away
Rise with the sun … and welcome the day.
Good morning dear earth,
Good morning dear sun
Good morning dear stones, and the flowers everyone
Good morning dear bees, and the birds in the trees
Good morning to you, and good morning to me.

Dingle Dangle Scarecrow

The actions to this one are pretty obvious - but in case you've never done it - crouch down for each verse, then jump up and be a flippy floppy shaking scarecrow.

When all the cows were sleeping
And the sun had gone to bed
Up jumped the scarecrow
And this is what he said!

I'm a dingle, dangle scarecrow
With a flippy floppy hat
I can shake my hands like this
And shake my feet like that

When all the hens were roosting
And the moon behind the cloud
Up jumped the scarecrow
And shouted very loud

I'm a dingle, dangle scarecrow
With a flippy floppy hat
I can shake my hands like this
And shake my feet like that

When the dogs were in the kennels
And the doves were in the loft
Up jumped the scarecrow
And whispered very soft

I'm a dingle, dangle scarecrow
With a flippy floppy hat
I can shake my hands like this
And shake my feet like that

Galoop went the little green frog last night

This song never fails to entertain kids of all ages. There are lots of different versions, this one is what we sing at our playgroup.

For actions, either sit the child on your lap and lift them up high at each galoop, or for older heffalumps get them to 'galoop' themselves like little green frogs. Gloop Gloop Gloop can be done with the hands in a fast opening motion (like in open shut them), and lah de dah can be hands from side to side (think wipers on the bus).

Give it a try!

Galoop went the little green frog last night
Galoop went the little green frog
Galoop went the little green frog last night
And his eyes went gloop gloop gloop

And we all know frogs go la-de-dah-de-dah la-de-dah-de-dah,
And we all know frogs go la-de-dah-de-dah
And their eyes go gloop gloop gloop

One Finger One Thumb Keep Moving

This is a great song for 'shaking your sillies out' ... we sing it once slow and then once fast!
(The actions should be pretty obvious)

One finger, one thumb keep moving
One finger, one thumb keep moving
One finger, one thumb keep moving
We'll all be merry and bright

One finger, one thumb, one arm keep moving
One finger, one thumb, one arm keep moving
One finger, one thumb, one arm keep moving
We'll all be merry and bright

One finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg keep moving
One finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg keep moving
One finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg keep moving
We'll all be merry and bright

One finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg, one nod of the head keep moving
One finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg, one nod of the head keep moving
One finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg, one nod of the head keep moving
We'll all be merry and bright

One finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg, one nod of the head, stand up, sit down keep moving
One finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg, one nod of the head, stand up, sit down keep moving
One finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg, one nod of the head, stand up, sit down keep moving
We'll all be merry and bright