What's In Your Tuff Spot This Week?

[Guest]

What have you got in yours at the moment? Just being nosey

 

Ours just arrived - going to have dinosaurs, rocks, trees etc It's on the floor at the moment.

 

Megsmum

[AnonyMouse_2846]

rice

[Guest]

Nothing this week but next week we are going to have leaves, conkers, cones, acorns etc. and our woodland animals.

Linda

[Guest]

sand and brushes for mark making

[Guest]

Okay, this is a really bad question especially from a manager (who apparently knows what she is doing LOL) but what is a tuff spot?????

 

Dawn

[Guest]

Hi Dawn a tuff spot is probably better known amongst those who work in the building trade - it's a large flat base with 8 shallow sides which builders use for mixing cement on, but you can now buy them from educational suppliers (cheaper from somewhere like Wickes or any other builders/DIY store) It can be put on the floor, and is large enough for a small group of children to play together, great for small world, it will also fit on table top too. It is plain black, but you can make your own picture to cover the base (or buy a pre printed one to fit) - we haven't done either, we usually use cloths or natural items like gravel etc. or let the children design their own base on plain paper put into the bottom.

 

 

 

To answer the original question - this week we have got a shape treaure hunt with 'Shavings' and ELC shape buttons, plus 4 small wicker bskets for collecting the treasure into - kids have absolutely loved this. Sometimes the simple things, with the least effort to prepare have the most positive outcomes.

[AnonyMouse_4495]

Cheating a bit - I recently went to a conference with Helen Bromley (Nursery World contributor and outdoor play advocate) and she had her book '100 things to do with a builders tray' and she did a workshop session as well.

 

She had spray painted a tray gold and put in a magical wonderland with a castle, unicorns, princes and princesses, crystals, glass nuggets, shiny shredded paper, tin foil, prisms etc.

 

She also had a 'beach' one with sand, buckets and spades, scrapers, starfish, shells...

 

And a dinosaur one with dinosaurs (obviously!) soil, moss, railway modelling trees and bushes, leaves, boxes covered in moss and leaves to make caves...

 

You can find a link to it here Okay, so it's 50 things to do, but I'm sure you can think of more!

[Guest]

Well it was VERY popular and we have had some fantastic play out of it

 

Love the magical wonderland idea! (although not sure I want a gold tray forever )

 

I didn't buy any of the inserts, preferring to make our own but I did get the mirror - which is far too big! It doesn't have a snug fit at all so a bit disappointed in that and will have to cut it to shape

 

Megsmum

[AnonyMouse_468]

We've got our tuff spot outside this week. We've filled it with lots of different pasta shapes and colours. We've added plastic trays (the sort that have ready meals in and have 3 sections). The children are using various implements - tongs, spoons, teastrainers, etc to pick up and sort the pasta into trays.

[AnonyMouse_1027]

Dawn you were not the only one who didnt know what a tuff spot was!!!!!!

 

something else to add to the shopping list

[Guest MaryEMac]

I've just ordered one and can't wait for it to arrive. The possibilities sound endless.

 

Mary

[Guest]

Such a brilliant topic starter - and I for one love being nosey. This would be a great way of finding new ideas - asking what people are doing in certain areas of their settings - could we set up something with a title like this topic starter eg what is in your Sand tray this week, or what is in your role play this week and people could post their replies - great for future planning.

 

Any way there could be a special little place for it Steve? Another Index title? or sub forum?

Edited September 19, 2006 by Guest

[Guest]

I too dident know what a tuf spot was Dawn, but it sounds great , must get one, glad to see your hen is moving now, Myhenroxanne

Rosina

[AnonyMouse_1027]

how about...'whats in your bicscuit tin this week'

[Guest]

Good idea myhenroxanne, I love to know what others are doing and am sure to pick something new up (or something I had forgotten Idid in the past!)

 

And in my biscuit tin hali is shortbread

[Guest]

Wow - shortbread - you should be so lucky!

 

We have some plain boring fresh air flavour/one bite and they're gone size biscuits.

[AnonyMouse_379]

biscuit tin..... don't have one else Iwould sit and eat them !!!

 

Tuff spot - we have 5 so use also to contain lego, duplo and other construction toys.... we also have 2 rectangular grow bag trays with are really useful too.

[AnonyMouse_480]

Cooked spagetti, spoons, dishes and pans. Dont know what I did to cook it differently but what a mess ! The children love it. I have a lovely photo but didnt bring my camera home tonight to post .

 

How about What was your focused activity today ?

[AnonyMouse_4544]

Snap Jackie! I was just going to type that when I saw your reply

[Guest]

We have had corn flower with food colouring in ours, I could spend all day playing with it! The children love it too!!

[Guest]

What about ' What's on your snack table today?' Well, tomorrow on ours we will have ice lollies we have made today using tinned fruit in juice, pureed in a smoothy maker. We used Ice lolly makers from the £ shop! Children were mesmerised!!!! I'll let you know what they think of them!

[AnonyMouse_705]

Great idea, I certainly need help remembering ideas for all the different areas of the pre-school. Must get ours out again, it got tidied away at the end of term and hasn't come out again.

[AnonyMouse_480]

Spaghetti spaghetti wonderful stuff spaghetti spagetti cant get enough !

[Guest]

I have reptile bark in mine at the moment. Sounds exotic I know but it's just small pieces of bark (slightly furry texture think its some kind of coconut husk) available from most pet shops. I have also used fish tank gravel, ice, shaving foam and shells.

[AnonyMouse_1027]

we have hob nobs.......................in our biscuit tin i mean.....

[AnonyMouse_4544]

What about ' What's on your snack table today?' Well, tomorrow on ours we will have ice lollies we have made today using tinned fruit in juice, pureed in a smoothy maker. We used Ice lolly makers from the £ shop! Children were mesmerised!!!! I'll let you know what they think of them!

 

Tuesday is our day for cooking so we had chicken kebabs .........peppers (3 different coloured varieties) cherry tomatoes onions mushrooms and cubes of chicken on wooden skewers prepared by the children before cooking. (also our fine motor activity today)

Edited September 20, 2006 by Marion

[AnonyMouse_2127]

In our Tuff spot we have ice cubes of all different shapes and sizes, some have plastic animals set inside them.

 

Sue J

[AnonyMouse_6021]

Nothing this week but next week we are going to have leaves, conkers, cones, acorns etc. and our woodland animals.

Linda

 

Just a word of warning Linda, we've been collecting cones, conkers and acorns also. The cones and conkers are ok but some of the acorns were homes for maggots. Good job I had them on trays outside and not in the house.

 

Karrie

[Guest]

We have three tuffspots and they are great. We use them for putting lego in (it keeps it contained & doesn't end up over the other side of the room); shaving foam with glitter on top is lovely; coloured sand with jungle animals. As others have said, the list is endless. We even get children sat in them

 

We have the book too and there are some lovely ideas in there. Well worth the money

[Guest]

Anyone got any good ideas for what I can put in that is ok if eaten in quite large quantities!! I have a tuffspot outside which covers a missing paving stone and my class (SEN school), one in particular will eat anything. We've had jelly, porridge oats, pasta, rice and shredded paper.