One of the disadvantages of living in a flat in a tower block is the lack of garden. Erno Goldfinger made sure each resident on the Brownfield Estate has a balcony - some flats even have two. But there's nothing like a proper outside space to really experiment with fun, messy, sensory play.
And so it was that today the Greening Brownfield Garden ended up as the location for a Rainbow Spaghetti Tea Party. At the flat we cooked up some spaghetti, mixed in some oil, divided it into portions and added liquid food colouring to each one. We ended up with Rainbow Spaghetti in hues of red, orange, yellow, purple and blue, which we then carried down to the garden along with paper plates, spaghetti tongs and some cutlery, for an extra-special tea party.
The kids loved investigating the colours, textures and even the taste (it is, of course, completely edible). Best of all, they were improving all kinds of skills, from literacy (learning words such as 'squishy', 'slimy' and 'slippery', plus colour naming) to improving their motor skills by gripping, squishing and lifting spaghetti strands and clumps. It's another way in which the Greening Brownfield garden is improving the lives of local residents - not just providing a food growing space, but giving younger residents opportunities to engage with the world around them through creative, stimulating outdoor play.
And so it was that today the Greening Brownfield Garden ended up as the location for a Rainbow Spaghetti Tea Party. At the flat we cooked up some spaghetti, mixed in some oil, divided it into portions and added liquid food colouring to each one. We ended up with Rainbow Spaghetti in hues of red, orange, yellow, purple and blue, which we then carried down to the garden along with paper plates, spaghetti tongs and some cutlery, for an extra-special tea party.
The kids loved investigating the colours, textures and even the taste (it is, of course, completely edible). Best of all, they were improving all kinds of skills, from literacy (learning words such as 'squishy', 'slimy' and 'slippery', plus colour naming) to improving their motor skills by gripping, squishing and lifting spaghetti strands and clumps. It's another way in which the Greening Brownfield garden is improving the lives of local residents - not just providing a food growing space, but giving younger residents opportunities to engage with the world around them through creative, stimulating outdoor play.
