Iconic Playcentre past time brought back to life

Iconic Playcentre past time brought back to life through the launch of Recipes for Messy Play book.

New Shoots Publishing in conjunction with New Zealand Tertiary College and Curiate have this week released their new edition of Recipes for Messy Play book, which brings much-loved activities of Playcentre back to life.

Recipes for Messy Play fosters child-initiated hands on learning and features recipes and activities that were born in Playcentre the 1970s.

Playcentres were established in the late 1940s in New Zealand to offer child-led learning opportunities to explore, create, get messy and grow alongside other children, assisted by parents.

With the extension of new education and care options and with the reduction of numbers of children attending Playcentre where messy play is fundamental, we have been able to revitalise it through this book for the wider EC sector for children to experience the special learning that messy play offers.

“We share Playcentre’s commitment to advocating the value that messy play has in healthy brain development - the opportunities it offers lay the foundation for all areas of learning. We know, and the research is clear, that in a child’s early years that play is learning, and that learning is individual and unlimited when children are engaged and enjoying themselves,” says Michelle Pratt, co-founder of Curiate and New Shoots Children’s Centres.

Sensory play encourages scientific processes because problems are solved using the five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. Research shows that messy play helps to build nerve connections in the brain, encourages the development of motor skills, supports language development, encourages “scientific thinking” and problem solving.

Messy Play features original recipes from the 70s alongside the addition of new messy play ideas currently used at New Shoots Children’s Centres that are easy for parents, teachers and children to explore.

The book takes a modern and environmentally-friendly approach to messy play and is full of interesting and innovative recipes and imagery. The book is designed for use both in an Early Childhood Education setting and at home.

Recipes for Messy Play retails for $19.99 and can be purchased from www.curiate.co.nz or www.nztertiarycollege.ac.nz/nztc-books

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