My first Damien Hirst

My local and ever friendly ELC has a little sale on at the moment; where you can pick up a spirograph and a spin painter for just a tenner. Having picked it up, it’s good value. For the price of a DVD we’ve already had 4 hours of creative play and produced some Hirst-esqe art to boot.

Spirographs (or spiral art, magic, or kit depending on copyright infringement) are a great play resource, to be whipped out whenever there is a quite moment that might lose its quietness. Not only do the spirals within spirals reuse the paper waiting or the recycling van; but I’ve a strong hunch that the guided movement are an aid to building up those pen pushing muscles that are needed by early writers.

Spin painters are a giggle. They’ve usually got a little tray that can be spun, by hammering a button, so that any runny paint is spun out to make fantastic patterns. I recommend using that really cheap photo paper - the stuff that make photos fade to sepia after a year - as the glossy texture helps the paint to spiral out. My task for the near future is to see if I can hack together this paper tray with the junior pot throwing kit that came No1 child’s way last birthday. With any luck, and some double sided sticky tape, we’ll be able to make amazing high speed splashes whist at the same time redecorating the kitchen with an interesting border.

Thinking along the same lines, I wonder if it’s possible -come summer - to peg some paper to the middle of the whirly-gig rotary washing line for some great kid-made wall art.

tag... play for today, 5up, enjoy and achieve, makes