DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM WITH PHONE OR TABLET Don’t Stymie Big Play! Too often, adults get in the way of big play. • We place the materials in small totes and then spend the next hour admonishing the children: “Keep it in the tote!” “Don’t make such a big mess!” “Not on your face!” • Because of budget, prep time, and other perfectly reasonable restrictions, we limit the amount of stuff we give children to experience. Two cans of shaving cream are not enough for a group of twelve kids. Two cans may not be enough for one kid. • We don’t actually let the children touch the stuff. Glopping some mud in a freezer bag, zipping it shut, and taping it to a table for a kid to poke at is a half-hearted attempt at sensory play. More Play Adventures More Play Adventures • Make mud. Instead of flour, use either soil from your yard or potting soil. • Make it fizz. Let kids climb into the pool and play with baking soda, vinegar, and liquid watercolor. • Have fun with shreds. Add shredded paper and water to the pool and let the play begin. • Try full-body painting. What would happen if you let swimsuit-clad kids climb into a wading pool and fingerpaint themselves? What if you added glitter? Related Books and Songs Related Books and Songs • Ooey Gooey Handbook: Identifying and Creating Child-Centered Environments by Lisa Murphy • Ooey Gooey Tooey: 140 Exciting Hands-on Activity Ideas for Young Children by Lisa Murphy • Even More Fizzle, Bubble, Pop & WOW!: Simple Science Experiments for Young Chil- dren by Lisa Murphy • My Five Senses by Aliki • My Five Senses by Margaret Miller COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL 13