It was smiles all around as Hannah’s House transformed into Play Town for our very first Playtime Family Playgroup on Friday 3rd July 2020.
With space restrictions, we could only squeeze in eight excited children and their mums, grandmums and dads. Our amazing staff packed in a big ball pit and climbing frame from Toy Hire and set up their own Story Teepee, makeshift sensory space, messy play table, sensory wall and more!
Parents enjoyed a chance to meet each other, share tips and stories, sadness and smiles, while the kids made the most of every activity on offer! Home-made Moon Sand was a highlight (so simple and so much fun – see recipe below) as was the ball pit!
After a busy morning, the session ended with storytime. We had dress-ups, music and disco lights to bring Whitney and Britney Chicken Divas by Lucinda Gifford to life.
Next month we’ll be heading to a bigger venue and look forward to creating more magical Playtime memories.
Make Your Own Moon Sand
Did you know that Apollo 11 landed on the moon on 20 July 1969! And 51 years later…we are making Moon Sand so everyone can experience the moon’s powdery surface. Moon Sand was a big hit with kids at our first playgroup and here’s the very easy recipe you can make at home.
Ingredients:
- Flour
- Baby Oil or Vegetable Oil
- Food colouring if you want
Method:
Scoop a couple of spoons of flour into a bowl, add a colour of choice, squirt in the oil and mix! I use a food colouring powder that mixes with oil but experiment with what you have in the house and see how it goes.
I don’t really bother about measurements for this, just mix and add until it looks right! Add more flour if it seems too wet, add more oil if it looks too dry.
I like to use this as a sensory activity, let the children explore the flour, the feel of it and watching it sprinkle from above, before adding anything to it. Let them feel it with their hands and their feet. Sprinkle flour across the tray/table and let children make marks in it. Add some colour if you want and then the oil. Let them feel a little of the oil on their skin before adding some into the bowl. Then mix!
The texture of the moon sand is crumbly but can be moulded when squeezed together. Enjoy!
Happy playtime!
Lisa (Play Specialist)
