Self Service Dough Area!

Alistair Bryce-CleggBoys Learning, Child Initiated Learning, Continuous Provision, Creativity, Dough Gym, Environment58 Comments

Every Tuesday on my Instagram account (abcdoes) I invite an Early Years Practitioner or setting to take over my page for #TakeOverTuesday. I have had takeovers from all over the World that have shown a huge range of Early Years provision. Pop over any Tuesday and have a look for a bit of interest and inspiration! This week on #TakeOverTuesday, it was the turn of  Laura and her team from Yarm School in the North East of England. As part of her takeover she posted some photos of their self service dough station, which she had made after reading one of my blog post. Her takeover photos got a lot of likes and interest, so I thought I would share … Read More

Ice Cream Dough

Alistair Bryce-CleggDough Gym, Malleable Materials, Texture Kitchen9 Comments

Here is a nice weekend project that will really get you in the mood for summer! Once you have got the hang of it, it is really easy to do. It took me a couple of attempts to get it just how I wanted it so I would have a practice at home before I did it with the children. ‘Ice Cream Play Dough’. It doesn’t have any ice cream in it, but it looks like ice cream, smells like ice cream and you can even put it in the fridge/freezer so that it feels like ice cream. But, it is dough so stays solid! This is how you make it… You need  1 1/2 cups of cornflour 3/4 cup … Read More

Simple Snow Recipe

Alistair Bryce-CleggChild Initiated Learning, Dough Gym, Malleable Materials, Mark Making, Mud Kitchen, Talk, Texture Kitchen, Uncategorized7 Comments

I am off to London at the end of the week to deliver From Mark Maker to Writer and looking forward to hopping on and off the train in the icy winds and snow! As it looks like most of us are going to get the first snowfall or flurry of the year I want to share with you my best and easiest recipe for snow. You can prepare this in advance, but I usually do it with the children or let them have a go on their own. You only need 2 ingredients Bicarbonate of Soda (or Baking Powder) Both bicarb and baking powder work well although the texture is slightly different – not that the children ever seem to notice! Shaving … Read More

Dough Gym Week – Malleable Ideas

abc doesDough Gym23 Comments

So, this week we have been mostly learning about…Dough Gym (and Funky Fingers). I promised that I would share some of my favourite malleable materials. Remember to link the malleability of the material to the level of resistance that you need to support your children’s development. All of these ideas (and more) you can find in ‘Getting Ready to Write’.                 So now you know what you can spend your weekend doing! Have fun… Alistair