Colours and cloud dough on the light table

various items to colour mix

 Today I thought it would be a great idea to put a splash of colour on the light table - and the children were fascinated about the colour changes - not only of mixing colours, but also that colour intensity changes when placing the same colour on top of each other...

we discovered that cellophane could be statically charged by rubbing it on our heads 

It was also great fun when we discovered we could statically charge the cellophane - we all laughed at ourselves rubbing the cellophane on our heads and then seeing if we had charged it enough to stick on the wall. We soon discovered that the bigger pieces needed to be rubbed for longer to stay stuck to the wall. The children also enjoyed pressing the cellophane across their eyes and transforming the way they saw the world - and of course taking the time to see themselves in the mirror.

cloud dough

 After a while I saw that some of the children had decided that the salad spoons would make excellent weapons and after  several reminders that they were to be used on the light table I made the executive decision to announce that it was time to use something new on the light table (I am not keen on creating situations that say "no" to a child, I much rather provide experiences that allow - although my head is now spinning to find out a positive way to incorporate this new fascination with weapons...).  Out came the cloud dough (mix flour and baby oil together so that the flour can stick together but still crumble). Cloud dough is very similar to moon sand - but a whole load cheaper - and the cloud dough can be stored for a long time too. (The recipe is roughly a 8:1 ratio flour:baby/food oil - and of course you can add colour and spices/scents to add to the sensory appeal)

made great shadows

 The cloud dough was so popular there was a queue - and it was one of those activities that just feels so wonderful that the children experimenting and playing with it were reluctant to let others try it out. So I definitely see the need to use this again. I would like to point out that it is slightly more tricky to clean up afterwards compared to salt and rice, but was not a problem (but do allow yourself 5-10 minutes to clean up). I think the next time I offer cloud dough I will use it on trays at the table so that the children can really take time in their exploration and creation - there were those who liked to make mounds, others made balls and others who were busy making apple crumbles!!! It will also be interesting to add ice cube trays etc to see if the children can make blocks with the cloud dough - fine motor skills are tested when picking up the formed dough as it does crumble if you are not gentle...

tape sculpture

In the experiment room one of the children was testing out the masking-tape and scissors - and there were bits of tape stuck haphazardly on the table. I gave the child a piece of card and showed how a sculpture could be made ... this turned out to be a great idea - it gave value to the child's need for exploring the tape and cutting and also an explanation to another child who was concerned that tape was being wasted. Two other children were inspired to create tape sculptures - I wonder if there will be more during the week?