Homemade Play Cafe!

This week I worked along side Visual Artist Jenny Brown to create a "Home Made" Play Cafe.  We're both mothers of young children and understand how challenging it can sometimes be to find new ways to engage and play with our kids at home...especially when it rains 99.9% of the time.  With this in mind we were interested in creating a space that was filled with ideas that could be easily recreated at home for a low or no cost.  We spent the day before filling endless freezer bags with gels, liquids and random objects ready for small hands to squeeze and explore. 

We filled Tupperware with water, fresh mint, lavender and rose petals and froze it overnight, this slowly melted throughout the session revealing amazing smells and textures.  We made dens to hide and relax in, filled cushions with fresh mint, and hung pots and pans to be bashed into oblivion. All of these stations (among others) were tied together with a colourful map on the floor marked out with electrical tape; the children and grown-ups could follow the paths and decide where to go.  We hope it inspired lots of ideas, and of course that everyone had lots of fun! Jenny and I will be back in October for a Halloween special...