Slime

We made two different kinds of slime as you can see. To make them you will need:

Simple Slime (the runner slime in the third photo)

Ingredients

Cornflour

Water

Food colouring (optional)

Mixing bowl/roasting tin, or whatever takes your fancy/needs

spoons (optional)

Put approx ½ cup cornflour in the mixing bowl then add ¼ cup water. Mix, add a few drops of colouring. When blended ( or even before) get your hands in there and experience the odd properties of your slime. How can it be squeezed into a solid then turn back into liquid when you open your hands? Did you know you have created a Non-Newtonian Fluid (This liquid is a runny goo until you apply stress to it, and then it suddenly acts like a solid). 

Super slime (the firmer one in the top 2 photos)

Ingredients

Cornflour

White pva (use the children’s washable stuff.)

Food colour

Mixing bowl

Wooden spoon

Put approx ½ cup of the PVA into the bowl. Stir the glue and gradually add the cornflour, a little at a time, put in a few drops of food colouring and mix until it feels right. Too much cornflour makes a really dry mix so go easy when you’re pouring it in! Get your hands into the mix – if you haven’t already and watch it flow between your fingers, roll it and stretch it

 G loved it and was happily experimenting with the quantity of water and corn flour, as well as how to make it become solid and liquid. P was not so sure and kept asking me to wash her hands.
I have been reading how important messy play is for writing development as it helps children become aware of sensations in their hands. Plus it is really good fun, interesting and I love the feel of corn flour! 

foot painting

P did foot painting today which she loved! I put some paint in a tray and she loved sliding around it as well as walking on the paper!  She only fell over once but wanted to keep going. She also decided to do some hand painting. It would have been better to do outside but as the weather wasn't great we did inside and we did some paint on the carpet - whoops!

Apple Printing

P enjoyed printing with apples today. We cut one in half that we found in our garden. She enjoyed painting on it and pressing it on the paper. It was also good for learning about texture.  We talked about colours and patterns.

Feet Painting

Today I rolled out a large sheet of white paper and at each end put a baking tray with some paint in. The girls soon found it and started walking up and down on it with much giggling! They really enjoyed the experience of the paint. This was good for messy play, colour mixing and numeracy (how has the biggest feet, who can make the biggest gap between prints - this could extend to measuring). The only thing is it can get quite slippery so we painted on the grass where it didn't matter about the mess or falling over!

Water beads

The girls have had great fun with this inexpensive sensory experience. First they enjoyed watching them expand and G enjoyed the science of this. Then they enjoyed playing with them this morning. They have been frog spawn, jelly, cake ingredients, 2D shapes and simply fun. They do feel strange. The girls have enjoyed playing with them, although several have been burst and some have vanished under the sofa!

messy play number fun

I made some Jelly and put some plastic numbers in to it before it had completely set. The girls enjoyed extracting the numbers and it was great to hear language like "Look I have got 7" or "G can you get me 5?". I was impressed with how many numerals E recognised. They also really enjoyed playing with the jelly - the only problem was stopping E eating it all - YUCK!.

Wellie Boot Printing

Ever since we have read the Gruffalo's child "Ahh Ohh prints in the snow!" I have been dying to get outside and make foot prints in the snow! Hum ho - I grew impatient waiting for snow so I decided to get some paint out and make foot prints that way! The girls loved it! For the first few moments I couldn't stop laughing as P kept looking at her wellies and then the marks she was making - she couldn't understand how it was happening. However soon E ran off to get hers and showed P what to do. P soon got the hang of standing in the baking tray to get more paint and then it was fingers ... she put her hands in the tray and did finger painting instead.

They had such fun! I would do it again but I would also have different coloured paints out to explore colour mixing. Also this will led on to other printing - I can see us having fun with cars, my little ponies etc etc!

Sensory bath play

Today when P had her bath I added coloured  and some ordinary ice cubes. They didn't last long in the wane water but she was fascinated them. She spend time trying to pick them up and holding them watching them melt. She was much more interested in the coloured cubes than the plain ones - I guess they were easier to see. I used food colouring and it hasn't stained her or the bath! Defiantly something to do again.

shaving foam

Today the girls enjoyed playing with shaving foam and our penguins.  I enjoyed making icebergs, G covered herself with it and put it on her nose, E played with it for about 5 minutes before deciding she didn't like and P enjoyed watching the others, she would watch and then touch, watch and then touch. She also enjoyed shaking her fingers, gleefully spreading it round the kitchen.

Magic Potion

What child doesn't like a bit of magic and chemistry often provides a bit of magic. We added some white wine vinegar to a clear bowl (easy to see what was happening), then added a squirt of washing up liquid and some food colouring. We stirred it up and then added a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda and watched.
The girls loved the foaming and then couldn't resist stirring it up, mixing and feeling it. They also enjoyed experimenting by adding more ingredients. It was quite interesting to watch them work out what was happening -  both I and G knew it was something to do with the bicarbonate of soda and the vinegar. Miss I worked out something was going on to cause bubbles to be made and this must be due to gas being produced.

For those of you who like your facts ..this happens because the
bicarbonate of soda and vinegar react to produce water and carbon dioxide.


NaHCO₃(s) + CH₃COOH(l) --> CO₂(g) + H₂O(l) + Na⁺(aq) + CH₃COO^-(aq)

Acetic acid (the acid in vinegar) reacts with and neutralizes sodium bicarbonate (the bicarbonate of soda ). The carbon dioxide that is given off is a gas and is responsible for the fizzing and bubbling during the 'eruption'.

This was great for developing investigative skills (such as thinking about what might happen and trying to explain what had happening by using previous experience).