Being 2720 kilometres from home for a few days equates to making do without your usual toys, books and spaces to play throughout the day. It means picking carefully and packing light and I cannot tell you how grateful I am for the eight small sticks of coloured plasticine which I packed in our ‘To Do’ bag. As well as getting us a good way through our plane journey, this plasticine has provided play time four children (aged almost three to almost seven) during three coffee meet ups. It has been rolled, coiled, flattened, plaited, imprinted, cut and shaped into towers and flowers and snails and more. I am very thankful for these eight small sticks of plasticine – let’s just hope they see us home again tomorrow afternoon as well 😉
What have you been playing this week?
Join us at We Play as we create a playful community. This post will tell you more about We Play if it is your first time playing. If you are reading this via email or RSS feed, you will need to visit the post to see the play idea links or add your own.
For more about the playful benefits of plasticine and other modelling materials, check out this post – Playdough, Plasticine and Clay: Making Little Hands Stronger, or the Art Not Craft e-book which includes a whole section about sculpting in three dimensions.
Christie Burnett is an early childhood teacher, presenter, writer and the editor of Childhood 101. More importantly, she is a Mum who believes wholeheartedly in the value of children learning through play, the importance of quality early education, and the togetherness of family.
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