We’d heard good things about Splat Messy Play classes so when we were invited along to try one out, we immediately said yes! I had intended to take only mini-est Mumbler along as his big sister tends to get all the fun, but when I heard the class was Peppa Pig themed, I had to take my Peppa superfan, so the three of us went together. It’s actually a great class if you’ve got more than one little person in tow – there were quite a few mums with more than one including one twin super mummy who put the rest of us to shame! I saw Rachael, who runs the classes, being an extra pair of hands to many a mum of 2 and helping with one whilst mum sorted out the other.
Rachael explained to me before we started that she keeps the classes deliberately small so they’re not overwhelming for the little ones and the formula works really well. The class was fun and engaging without being manic – in fact, it was quite relaxed and stress free despite the paint being flung everywhere!
There were about 7 different ‘messy’ stations including home made play doh, paint and glitter, oats, cereals and flour, jelly and hot chocolate!
The format of the classes is essentially free play – Rachael gives a brief introduction explaining what each station is comprised of and the little ones are then let loose to do as they please for an hour. We were joined by my sister in law and lovely niece so had a range of ages testing out the class – my 2.5 year old, my 1 year old and my 7 month old niece. What struck me is that it really did cater for them all. The 2 little ones loved rolling round in the jelly and flour and eating the paint (which we were assured was non toxic!) whilst the older one loved painting (herself primarily), the play doh and playing with the various Peppa props scattered amongst the messy stations. Needless to say within around 5 minutes they were all covered head to toe in rice crispies, paint, flour, oats and hot chocolate – please heed Rachael’s advice more than I did and dress them (and yourself!) in old clothes!
Before we knew it, the fun was coming to a close. At the end of the class Rachael lines up little bowls of warm water for any little ones who want to have a bath – we opted for a wipe down and clothes change (that’s one piece of Rachael’s advice which I did listen to thank goodness!) and we were (sort of) good as new ready to go home at the end of a really enjoyable hour 😊
Splat Messy Play classes run weekly in Macclesfield and a little further afield in Baguley and Northern Moor. Classes are £6 each – you can book onto individual classes but a discount is applied if you book for the term. For more information call Rachael on 07823 334362 or email her at rachael@splatmessyplay.co.uk
