Publication
Exploring & Thinking
From Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
Published on
Last updated on
Exploring & Thinking is about children making sense of the things, places and people in their world. They do this by interacting with others, playing, investigating, questioning and forming, testing and refining ideas.
Gloop recipe
1 mug of Cornflower
Food colouring
Water
Mix in a bowl and pour onto a tray and play. This stuff is a lovely sensory activity.
Recipe for DIY play sand
7 cups of flour
½ cup cocoa powder
1.5 cups of oil
Add oil to dry ingredients and mix with a spoon to combine. Once mixed, use your hands to ensure the oil has made its way through the flour. The ‘sand’ will hold its shape and be mouldable.
Playdough recipe;
Pizza Dough
Mix the dry ingredients. Mix up the sachet of yeast per the instructions on the back of the pack in a jug and mix into the dry ingredients. Turn out onto a clean floured surface. Knead well for a few minutes. Stick it back in the bowl and cover with a damp tea towel. Set it aside for 40 minutes until it has doubled in size. Divide into 6 small pizzas or 2 large ones (or any way you like). Set the oven to a high setting. Add passata or any tomato based pasta sauce. If anyone in the family dosen’t like tomato sauce try a pizza bianco, just drizzle olive oil on the base and then add the toppings. Add any toppings and grated cheese you have and cook for about 12 minutes until golden with a crispy base.
If you don’t fancy making the dough use pre-bought wraps as the base.
Scones
Add the flour and baking powder together in a bowl. Rub in the butter with your fingertips. Add the sugar. Beat the eggs and mix them in with a spoon. Add a tiny drop of milk and mix until you have a soft dough. Turn out onto a floured board. Shape and pat the dough until it is 2cm thick. Cut out rounds if you have a cutter or other wise use a glass (dip the edge in a bit of flour). Place each scone on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper and rub the top with a drop of milk. Bake at 220˚C for 12-15 minutes until risen and golden.
Serve with butter or jam and cream.
Try adding fresh raspberries to the mixture.
Vegan Bean Burgers
Mix the ingredients in a bowl. Mash well together. Taste, add a pinch of dried herbs or salt. Form into balls with wet hands and flatten with the back of a spoon. Cover in bread crumbs and shake off any excess. Place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Place in a hot oven for 20 minutes. Turn once during cooking.
You can make this recipe with chickpeas and roll into small balls for falafel.
Mix the ingredients together. Stick in the fridge for 15 minutes. Break into small pieces, roll into a ball and coat in egg and then in bread crumbs. Fry.
Finely grate the carrots and place in the middle of a clean tea towel. Gather up the towel, and squeeze the carrot juice into a jug, discarding the pulp. Add the orange juice and top up with a little cold water if needed to make up 360ml liquid. Add to lolly moulds and freeze or use an ice cube tray and add a cocktail stick when half frozen.
There are endless possibilities with these. Experiment with mashed avocado, lime and yogurt or invent a new recipe.
A series of tipsheets under the banner Playing at Home have been designed to engage, inspire and support children and their families to play and learn together.
Try some of these recipes with the children doing as much as possible. You will be working on a range of skills in these sensory activities. Some of these skills are concentration, sequencing, memory building, turn taking and fine motor development. Lots of pre-maths and science learning is happening with these activities including; pouring, measuring, mixing, heating etc.