Tuesday Tidbits: Let’s get messy… outside!
Last week I offered links to recipes for making your own playdoh, goop and slime. This week I thought I would offer suggestions and links to other ways to "get messy" and have fun without having to purchase anything or spend a fortune.
Being someone who loves the outdoors my favorite ways to get messy involve being outside - and don't cost a penny.
- Jumping in rain puddles! Oh come on.. you know you want to do it. You probably use to do it when you where young and then "grew up" and stopped. The other day we had a quick rain shower and then the sun came out. My son's and I were just coming out of the library when the youngest jumped in the smaller of two puddles. In a somewhat sharp voice I said "Nick! That's not the way to do it!" Both he and his brother stopped in their tracks and looked at me, half expecting I guess, to hear me yell about how he was now all wet and messy. To their surprise and delight I jumped up and landed in the larger of the two puddles - splashing all three of us with water. Their mouths dropped open, their eyes wide in surprise and then, as I started to laugh they joined in and didn't stop talking about how silly it was that I had jumped into a puddle and got us all wet until we were home and dry. If you don't want to jump, that's ok but try and remember to remind parents & caregivers that it is actually good clean fun to jump and play in those puddles and studies show that playing in the rain doesn't cause colds... but (disclaimer here) I would not recommend this fun activity if you already have a cold, if it is a freezing cold day, or if anyone has to sit in their wet clothes for any length of time. However!! If it is a nice warm rain shower and the sun is out to help dry everyone off after you've splashed around - I say "go for it!!"
- Making mud pies. The same rules (and disclaimer) apply here as with the above mentioned activity but making mud pies is an age old activity that isn't done as much anymore. I can remember how much fun it was to get out some old pots and pans and/or dishes/cups and just play "cooking" in the mud. We would make "chocolate milk" and "mud pies" and pretend to eat - all the while getting mud from head to toe. Heck, nowadays there are spas that will charge a fortune to give a "mud treatment" and here anyone could have one for free in their back garden with the child/children of their choice and make some wonderful memories (do you remember when we made mud pies with.... Wasn't that the greatest!). Some times parents & caregivers need to be told it is okay if their child/children get messy and it is even better if they participate with them. Remind your families that they are not just helping their kids with any sensory issues they may have but they are building life long memories that everyone will cherish.
- Chalk Art. If you have a driveway available there are a number of things you can do with Chalk. You can draw your ideal city or neighborhood. You can draw play "follow the leader" with the chalk marks. You can draw a "road" that you have to follow either on foot on your bicycle. You can draw "stepping stone" that you have to jump from and to - and if you make them different colours then you can have one person calling out the colours you need to jump on. You can even add a little water and watch the designs change shapes. With a little imagination, a little encouragement and a handful of coloured chalk you can have hours of fun therapy activities.
- Obstacle Course. What could be more fun than gathering a bunch of sticks, some branches with leaves, a few pieces of wood and a pile of leaves and setting up the ultimate obstacle course?! It is even more fun if you add a rope "swing" and a mud puddle or two. One of the objects, besides getting messy, would be to encourage the kids you are working with to help build the course - carrying or dragging the needed items to their places... making the mud puddle in just the right spot ... A fun way to get everyone involved and a perfect opportunity to get messy and have fun. Afterwards, if they tire of the obstacle course, you can also grab an old blanket or a few towels and make a fort to play in, where they can have mud pies for dinner! Just think of the possibilities. J
- Bubble Play. When I say "bubble play" I don't mean your typical blow bubbles and run after them popping them. What I am suggesting here is a messy bubble play where the kids (and adults if they want) get bubble "juice" all over their hands and have to "catch" the bubbles instead of popping them! You may have to start with just getting a couple fingers wet with the bubble juice and then move to all the fingers and then the whole hand. See who can catch the most bubbles or who can catch the biggest. The kids get so involved with actually trying to catch one that they forget they are doing so with messy/sticky hands and end up having a blast. It is also fun to place a bowl or bucket of water nearby so that when someone does catch a bubble they can try and "release" it into the water!
These are just a few activities that will work well on nice warm days when you have the opportunity to play outside or to give to parents of children you treat in a center so they can carry over with the messy play activities at home. Many parents don't want to get messy in the house and look for other activities they can do with their kids besides the typical (and none-the-less useful and wonderful for sensory input) water/sand table.
What fun ways have you thought of to "get messy"? I would love to hear them and share them with everyone. In the mean time, I think I see a puddle calling my name. ...