hoping to set up a messy play group in our village.. can anyone help with a must buy list?

[JingleyJen]

we are going to be in a hall so I figure we will need a huge tarpaulin to go on the floor?

tables and chairs in the hall.

what else?

has anyone done this and got any advice?

anyone?

not messy play specific but helpful advice on other things here

my local messy play has water with toys in, paint with easels, shaving foam and glitter on table, sand table and play dough. i've also seen earth and leaves in a big tray on the floor.

thanks fishie,

does it have a cover on the floor?

are the tables special toddler size tables?

We are going to try to keep it quite small to start with, 4-5 different things for them to do
a 1 hour session with 10-15 minutes at each activity, does that sound about right?

Ours has builder's trays - very good for containing stuff like cornflour and water mixture, cooked spaghetti etc
Ours is about 1 1/2 long with only one activity which changes week to week.
Good luck - it's a great idea

welshmum what is a builders tray?

do you get refreshments in that time?

are local surestart does messy play sessions - they use large shallow trays - which they put stuff like jelly [great for babies] cooked/coloured spaggetti - cornflour and water - paint - shaving foam - paddling pools of soapy water - it's great fun - just make sure there's plenty of warm water to wash 'em afterwards!!
safety wise it obviosly gets very slippy which is a bit scary don't know what to suggest on the floor - they use foam mats but they get slippy too

Cat litter trays from the pound shop are great if you want them to do individual messy activities eg flour(snow) and match box cars/diggers etc.

thanks ladies,

bumping for the evening crowd, anyone else got any tips / ideas?

Large overalls with sleeves in all sizes -IKEA are doing some good baby /toddler ones wash well too!

Changes of clothes for those who get covered/fall over?? Keep a stock of old ones.

Smart Price foods are GREAT fun to explore with Instant mash/cutard/baked beans/jelly/cornflour & Cheap shaving foam is hilarious to play with!!

I'll think of some more!

thanks BB,
how professional do you think people will expect it to be?

I mean if it is like the M&T group I run but instead of getting toys out we have tables with activities, or do you think they will want a beginning chat and stuff..

Drop in as you wish or do we want people to be there from the start?

So many thoughts about it all..

Sounds great - feel free to CAT me if you want to throw some ideas around we're really into messy play at our nursery & I've learnt loads from the girsl I've worked with over the years!!

jingly i have linked that before for you haven't i, sorry.

messy play here is in a small room in the library (new building, london). nothing on the floor, but one of the workers is on hand with a mop at all times. it is open for three hours, drop in. there is a man running it alongside mopping woman (who also does other groups sans mop so knows a lot of the children).

bad: there are only paper towels and the water play thing to wash in. they have mucho problem with number of pushchairs / fire exit so spend a lot of time policing that. there seems to be little variety of activity. there is no clear statement of ground rules.

good: small activity centres mean few children on each station and less conflict. there are lots of aprons, so children can change (maybe allow 2-3 each?)

I'd go straight in with the messy play and then everyone can have a chat over a drink and a snack towards the end of the session (when they have helped to clean up!)
Slime is great for messy play...
a box full of lux flakes, food colouring and 5 kettles full of boiling water all whisked up. You have to leave it for a few hours to set (overnight is best - and it will soloidify so you can transport it without problem) then when it is set you just dive in and mush it all up. Best thing is that as it is washing powder it will come out of clothing easily and won't stain. It's also delicate so it doesn't cause allergic reactions or agravate skin complaints. I'm a nursery nurse and I've been using it for years - it always goes down a storm.
Oh you just add more water and pour it down the drain when you've finished with it.

Builders trays already mentioned, I think that is what I was about to recommend but I don't know their real name.

They are large rubbery trays, either round or multisided used for making up small quantities of cement in, sell them at Homebase for £15 (can you tell I bought one recently?)

Def agree with the play, tidy up, snack & chat routine! Try not to say they have to get there for a set time as it can prevent people from turning up if they are running 10 mins late, although stick to your times for tidying up and they will soon get the message that they will have to be on time to join in with the activity.

Another equipment idea would be to get some cheap mixing bowls & wooden spoons so the kids can 'cook' with the messy bits, rather than just wade in it! Could range from making their own 'playdough' with flour, water & colouring, to cooking with real food on an old tea set (followed by the kids washing up too!)
Washing up bowls are great, can be used for individual messy play, kids can bring their own dolls to give them a bath, or even collect mud & worms & snails etc. They then work great for sitting kids in to wash after a particularly messy session, esp body painting!!
Buy a lot of old towels, or ask for old towel donations to dry kids with after. Also get some baby bath, or you'll end up using hand soap.
Tarpaulin is a good idea, but it will get slippy, you will need to mop it afterwards!
Maybe have another mat of some sort for kids to sit on with their snack (if you are doing them) or they will have to wait until you have cleaned the first mat.
When the group is up and running, get the parents involved with ideas and contributing bits and pieces. E.g. a chrsitmas special week could involve everyone bringing tinsel/cards/baubles etc for a generic craft session.

I work for a Sure Start Children's centre and run groups like this all the time, so feel free to ask for any more tips!

OOOhh brilliant. Thanks everyone.

Will have a look for building trays, we don't have a huge amount of storage space. so will have to see will they fit into the back of a car?

by the way all the messy play sessions i've been to - the kids have played just in their nappies as there is less messy to worry about [i've found that lots of parents really don't like mess] - i guess it depends how warm the venue is - our surestart is always unbearably hot

Welshmum - where did you get your builders tray from? Our nursery only has a small one but I know you can get bigger ones about the size you mention. I'm on a mission to try and find one!