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Messy Play for Plunket
Today in the playground the children were getting all messy for our Plunket blue day.
Here they are playing with the gloop, We added water and dye to the corn flour and mixed it until it combined, then we scraped it up with our fingers and watched it dribble and drip from our hands.
Corn flour and water are fun to play with as they feel hard on the tray but when we scrape it up into our hands it turns to a liquid and melts in front of our eyes. The children had a great time spreading the gloop everywhere, by the time they had finished their hands and arms were all blue.
Messy play can help children to relax as it is a very soothing activity. Messy play allows children to experiment with and explore the properties of the solutions e.g. does it hold its shape or pour or run? What happens when substances combine? They learn about color mixing, patterns, design, texture, and rhythm and it helps to develop hand-eye coordination and practice pouring, measuring, mixing, scooping, and beating skills.
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 bodies, including active exploration with all the senses and the use of tools, materials, and equipment to extend skills.
Messy play materials provide satisfying sensory experiences that can stimulate emotional well-being. Messy play experiences are often enjoyed as a group and they support the Contribution strand by providing opportunities for children to work with and alongside others.