The Messy Playgroup

Time to have some fun with some messy play!

I think most parents would agree that the words ‘kids’ and ‘messy’  go hand in hand.
As a child there is nothing better than free range play, exploring and getting your hands dirty with no such thing as time frames and procedure.
The Messy Playgroup in Thirroul provides this environment in a super kid friendly facility twice a week. Combine that with several craft activities based on a different theme each week and you have a winner!
On our first visit to The Messy Playgroup the theme was the much loved children’s book Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen. It was a magical combination of wonder and delight created with great thought and care.
We were warmly greeted by owner Nancy, who much to my delight immediately engaged my two daughters in conversation, showing them what was on offer and making them feel right at home.
This was a relief for a mother of two girls who can sometimes take a while to warm up to a new environment. They were immediately comfortable with Nancy as they followed her to the craft table to make their very own baubles to hang on the Christmas tree.  All this without hanging off my leg as if they were safety poles.
Filling the baubles with glitter and paint and then shake shake shake…the girls were completely mesmerised.  It all seemed too easy and something I made a note of to do at home. I mean why didn’t I think of this earlier?
From bauble making to ‘green, green, grass‘ (in adult terms this means green spaghetti!), the girls gleefully ran their fingers up and down through the grass, pulling long pieces out. We discussed how funny it would be if our grass was like this and asked ‘how would daddy mow the lawn’?
The sensory rich play experience continued with some mud (i.e. jelly) and snow (i.e. shaving foam) where we could dig our fingers in deep to find if anything was hiding beneath. I mean really, it wouldn’t be a decent bear hunt without mud and snow!
We finished our bear hunt off with some torch play in the soft play area where we continued our search for that naughty bear. We didn’t find him!  They have a pretty amazing set up at Messy Play Thirroul, including a ball pit, soft play area, giant chalk board and even a toy kitchen for imaginative play.
Best of all the play is all ‘free style’.  There is no ‘you have five minutes here, five minutes there’ It is absolutely whatever interests your little one in that very moment.  Oh to live in the moment – what a wonderful feeling.
The kids are relaxed and therefore the parents are relaxed.  I took home two very happy children together with our new handmade baubles and hung them with pride on our Christmas tree for all to see.
The baubles have since been carefully put away for many Christmases to come.
Owner Nancy mentioned to me that The Messy Playgroup was her “labor of love” and this definitely resonates with the preparation, care and dedication she gives to making sure both the children and parents thoroughly enjoy their time at The Messy Playgroup.
Oh and did I mention the best part…you don’t have to clean up and the kids come home clean thanks to the art smocks provided.
The Messy Playgroup is a weekly parent participation class, providing sensory and creative art sessions for children 5 and under, with the objective of developing children’s social, cognitive and fine motor skills.
Children are encouraged to explore and get creative with a variety of messy materials during a 45 minute class.
Classes run on Monday and Thursday mornings from Thirroul or Monday and Friday mornings at Forestville. Each creative session includes an exciting new theme around which the messy play activities are based.
The Messy Playgroup
Phone: 0428 267 198
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.messyplaygroup.com.au
Follow Messy Playgroup on Facebook