Enabling Environments: Tried and Tested - Crafty ways

TRANSPORTATION SHAPES PROJECT KIT
GALT
AGE RANGE: 5+, KS 1
PRICE: £29
CONTACT: 08451 203005
www.galt-educational.co.uk

The pack contains 24 vehicle shapes of cars, trains, boats and planes, with a variety of craft materials for decorating.

Tested by Gaer Nursery and Infant School, Newport, South Wales

'This activity successfully helped enhance children's imagination and creativity. The three- to five-year-olds were attracted by the colourful matchsticks; some took them over to the playdough table and made hedgehogs with them. Finer motor skills were put into practice when picking up the delicate craft materials and sticking them to the vehicles. One child with visual difficulty was attracted by the small shiny shapes. There were some concerns about the glue and whether it could be washed off clothes - the instructions just indicated wash with water. We would probably buy the craft materials but we would make our own cut-out vehicles, colourful and attractive as they are.'

Star Rating: *** - Good

TIP CLASS PACK
ASCO
AGE RANGE: 3+
PRICE: £41.25
CONTACT: 0113 2707070
www.ascoeducational.co.uk

The pack contains 5,000 coloured 'tips' made from vegetable starch and dyed with food grades, six sponges, six plastic knives, six building block moulds, a cardboard base and 35 sticks.

Tested by Barton Primary School and Nursery, Torquay, Devon

'I was pleasantly surprised how engaged the children were when using this resource. I introduced it in three ways: as a painting activity, a brick-making activity and a modelling activity with knives and sticks. The children made lighthouses out of it for The Lighthouse Keepers' Lunch story and bricks for the Three Little Pigs' house. There were no safety issues involved, but the vegetable dye stained the children's hands for a while after use. I think it's a versatile resource, not only for the Foundation Stage but also older children. I would definitely consider buying it, but quite a lot of the material was wasted.'

Star Rating: **** - Very good

MESSY PLAY JELLY
GALT
AGE RANGE: 0+
PRICE: £19
CONTACT: 08451 203005
www.galt-educational.co.uk

The pack contains 1kg of jelly former, 500g of dissolvant and two measuring spoons. The powder turns water into jelly and back into water again when salt is added.

Tested by Frederick Bird Primary School, Coventry

'This was fantastic for encouraging children to explore using their senses. They loved watching the powder change the water into jelly and feeling the warm gel with their fingers. They described how it felt as they dripped, poured, squeezed and spread the gel. It was great for encouraging language development. The texture and warmth of the gel seemed to encourage a calming effect, particularly for those with challenging behaviour. The product is good value and we would certainly consider buying it for our setting. Because it looks like jelly, one child tried to eat it but was unaffected by this. The one concern we had was that the floor became very slippery when the gel spilled out of the tray.'

Star Rating: ***** - Excellent

PLAYFOAM CLASS PACK
ASCO
AGE RANGE: 4 +
PRICE: £49.95
CONTACT: 0113 2707070
www.ascoeducational.co.uk

These lightweight foam sculpting beads come in eight colours and are packed in zip-closable bags in a white storage box.

Tested by Downsend Epsom Lodge pre-prep school, Surrey

'The foam was really easy to manipulate. Children with fine motor control difficulties found it much easier to use than playdough or clay. They enjoyed exploring and investigating by rolling, flattening and mixing the colours together to make snowmen, birds, letters and numbers. One little boy tested the ball he made to see if it would roll and bounce. It didn't make a mess on the table and although it felt sticky during use, it didn't leave any residue on the children's hands. But it was difficult to get out of hair. I think that it's good value for money, but it would have to be used sparingly in a class of more than 30 children, because it can't be re-used if the colours have been mixed.'

GIANT WASHABLE COLOURED INK PADS
TTS GROUP
AGE RANGE: 0+
PRICE: £20.45
CONTACT: 0800 318686
www.tts-group.co.uk

This set contains six coloured ink pads, each six inches in diameter. The washable ink pads were tested with a pack of 14 Dinosaur Stampers (TTS, £5.99)

Tested by Dilham Pre-school, Norwich

'The children made hand prints with the ink and lots of discussion occurred around colour-making and texture. An autistic boy loved the feel of the ink pads. He squeezed them, sucked the ink and printed with his hands. Investigation and experimentation took place as the children found out how the stamps worked and there was discussion about dinosaurs. They were encouraged to count as they made prints and to develop their creative and storytelling skills. The ink pads are good value for money, but we found the ink did not easily wash off the skin.'

Star Rating: **** - Very good

MULTICULTURAL FACE MASKS
NES ARNOLD
AGE RANGE: 3+ FS, KS 1, 2, 3, 4
PRICE: £5
CONTACT: 0845 1204525
www.nesarnold.co.uk

These ten plastic face masks in five skin shades can be painted or decorated with collage materials.

Tested by Carolyn Spraggons, registered childminder

'The masks raised awareness of skin tones and colours and promoted discussion about everyone being the same even if their skin colour is different. The four- to five-year-olds tried them on but didn't like the feel or closeness to their face. The under-threes found them scary. The older, after-school children found them interesting, but compared them to cowboys and Indians rather than people of a multi-cultural society. One of them used the white mask to mime. I wouldn't consider buying them for this age group, but they will be used again for the celebration of festivals.'

Star Rating: *** - Good

ANIMAL TRACK SLIP-ONS
NES ARNOLD
AGE RANGE: 0+ FS, KS 1, 2, 3, 4
PRICE: £15
CONTACT: 0845 1204525
www.nesarnold.co.uk

The kit includes four pairs of animal track slip-ons for a gorilla, an ostrich, an alligator and a kangaroo. The slip-ons consist of a sponge shape with a plastic printing surface that has animal footprints embossed on it. There is a Velcro strap to attach to feet or hands.

Tested by Splat Messy Play, Hampstead Garden Suburb, London

'We tried making tracks in paint and wet sand to compare with our own footprints. But the children, aged one to four, found it difficult to make satisfactory prints. Rigorous cleaning (not recommended but necessary to get them clean) resulted in the straps becoming detached. I think these may be more suitable for older children who do not need as much help applying the paint at a suitable pressure. They would also work as expensive teachers' tool where the adult could make tracks that the children find and trail when they come into a space.'

Star Rating: * - Less than satisfactory

BEST BUY

For Sarah Murray at Downsend Epsom Lodge pre-prep school, Surrey

'Our children love making all sorts of things from playdough. We have a great set of tools that they can use to roll, shape and mould. It is an '18 piece modelling set' complete with cutters, rollers and different blades. It cost £10 from NES Arnold, www.nesarnold.co.uk. The children particularly like making spaghetti or worms using the tools. We sometimes add food colouring to our playdough or different scents like chocolate or lavender, and even oats or rice to add texture.'