‘Play is not a luxury, play is a necessity’ Kay Jamison

Archaeolojelly

Preparation Time: 24 hours
Engagement: 50 minutes!
Clean up: 15 minutes
Waste: 2 packets of jelly

Resources

2 packets of sugar free Jelly (different flavours look better)
5 Empty containers
A variety of plastic dinosaurs
A variety of kitchen utensils

Another activity on our ‘Summer bucket list’- Dinosaur Jelly aka Archaeolojelly! A little preparation was needed prior to this activity, but it was SO worth it!

Preparation

Half fill empty containers with liquid jelly solution and allow to set

Place dinosaurs into containers, lightly pressing them into the jelly (this helps to stop them floating)

Pour the other flavoured jelly solution over the dinosaurs- don’t worry if it doesn’t cover them completely, it doesn’t matter once they are turned out.

Allow to set.

Run a butter knife around the edge of each container before carefully turning them out onto your child’s play surface

Give your little one some utensils to get stuck in and explore with!

Benefits of this activity

• Cognitive Skills;
  * Problem solving
  * Trial and error
• Social & Emotional Skills;
  * Time to focus on the development of new skills
  * A period of calm
• Motor Skills ;
  *Fine motor skill development- picking up smaller dinosaurs from the jelly
  * Developement of co-ordination and strength-Scooping, squeezing and manoeuvring the jelly from the tray and into the different containers
• Creative Development;
  * Child led
  * Children are in control of the outcomes of the activity
  * Allows for use of imagination and creativity
• Hand-eye co-ordination;
  *Transferring jelly
  * Scooping using utensils
• Spatial awareness
  *Aim when transferring jelly
  *Moving around the tuff tray using utensils

Clean up

Clean up took around 15 minutes for this activity. I Scooped the jelly into a large container and put it in the bin, wahsed the dinosaurs and utensils in warm soapy water and hosed down the tuff tray in the garden.