Messy Play and Material Engagement Webinar

Sue is very excited to be able to share some nuggets of information, tips and approaches to maximising the benefits of messy play in this webinar produced by Spark. 

She explains: "My passion for understanding the value and potential of children’s material encounters, or Messy Play, draws on research for my latest book Messy Play in the Early Years – Learning through Material Engagements. In this webinar I invite participants on a messy play journey, covering the ‘what’ and the ‘why’ of messy play, exploding some myths, providing curriculum links, tips and ideas for staff reflection." 

If you love messy play but want to know more about its benefits and appeal you can expect to discover the different stages of messy play, essential equipment and importance of meeting adults’ as well as children’s needs, in order to deliver successful and sustainable material investigations.

If you equate messy play with stress, panic and fear then we hope to persuade you to try out different materials and reflect on existing provision to limit stress and maximise children’s engagement and opportunities for thinking with materials.

In this webinar Sue hope to inspire reluctant messy players to try messy play for themselves, be it perfume making, scientific exploration or simply enjoying the calming effects of sensory engagement.  For converts too, I hope to deepen and extend thinking, empowering practitioners to plot their own course through the world of material engagements and capitalise upon the benefits to executive functions, self-regulation and wellbeing.

Treasure Basket Masterclass

This two-hour Treasure Basket Masterclass offers hands-on mentoring and guidance and the opportunity to purchase objects for your own treasure baskets.

Acclaimed author and trainer Sue Gascoyne is opening the doors of her multi-award winning sensory play company Play to Z, based in Colchester, Essex, to provide a limited number of Treasure Basket masterclasses. These practical sessions enable participants to ask all the questions they never dared ask and discover from a Treasure Basket guru, why Treasure Baskets are so important for children’s development, how to offer and use them, and the tricks of the trade and safety tips for creating the perfect Treasure Basket. Included in this fantastic session will be drinks and a cake or cookie and guidance notes to ensure that you get the most out of your Treasure Basket. Participants will also have the opportunity to browse and buy other treasures for their basket and sensory goodies in Play to Z’s warehouse.

Recognizing and Supporting Children’s Sensory Needs and Sensory Processing Difficulties Masterclass 

What can you expect?

Children's sensory processing difficulties can become an obstacle to learning, and represent a huge challenge for nurseries, schools and parents. This 1 hour session (plus browsing time) from author, Play therapist and trainer Sue Gascoyne, will offer hands-on guidance, demonstrations and bite-sized theory. The session will explore:

• How children learn through their senses.
• What it feels like to experience the world as a Sensory Being.
• Factors to consider when creating an enabling sensory environment.
• Low cost measures for supporting the sensory needs of the whole child.