I was recently invited to take my daughter Emilia to “Made To Be Messy” for two of their fun and educational play sessions. Unlike other sensory and messy sessions, Made To Be Messy is in a fixed location, running classes five days a week. It provides a location suitable for all weather, with spaces both inside and out.
The space features a beautiful outdoor area with a mud kitchen, climbing frame and slide, and sandpit. Inside, there are musical instruments, sensory toys, a glow room, smaller climbing frames for crawlers, a craft area, and an array of different toys. This is just the standard setup, and then you add in the messy play on top!
We started the day with a Messy Play class for children aged 6 months to 5 years. The weather decided not to be the best, with thunder and lightning, but that did not stop us from having a blast inside. Both inside and outside areas are open rain or shine unless weather conditions are unsafe.
Each session starts with a circle/story time before the kids can freely explore the entire space. My favourite part about these sessions was that it’s not all “messy”. My daughter isn’t one for enjoying getting very messy, so she tends to go towards things like rice play, spaghetti and occasionally potion play.
She loved the hidden glow room and peg wall and spent most of her time in the art corner painting pictures.
The session went smoothly with my daughter moving at her own pace from each activity to the next. A gentle bell rang to let us know the session was coming to an end, and I managed to peel my daughter away.
Thankfully, Runyeh Coffee is next door, so I could offer a babychino as a reason to leave the fun-filled room. We headed next door for a coffee break before we returned for the next class.
After our snack and caffeine fix, we headed back for a more intimate class called Mini Scientists.
The class started with 5 minutes of free play while all the children settled in. Each week, they follow a story from the previous session. This being our first session did not stop us from understanding what was happening in the story, though. In the story, we talked about colourful crystal tracks leading us to the location of a hidden robot friend. The story then led us into the class.
The class aimed at 3-5 years olds combines learning and fun to create a science-based class. We first made our own crystal tracks with glue and salt, then used food colouring to colour the tracks. Great for practising those fine motor skills with the pouring and pipette work. We then placed our tracks along the floor as they led us to the hidden friend. My daughter was so excited to find the robot hiding in the room. She really thrives in intimate and education-based classes, so this one was a real win.
We then also created a take-home project of growing our own crystals, making them in class, and then being able to take them home as the crystals formed.
In our final experiment, we used regular items found at home to create a foaming cup, which the kids then got to continue playing with and adding more colours. This was fun as it was done step by step as a class and then the kids could play with the foam how they liked.
At the end of the class, the children had a final 5-10 mins to explore the room as the staff packed up before we said our goodbyes.
Messy and sensory play has so many benefits for young children that it’s a great activity to do and enjoy while refining skills and teaching them new ones. Including fine and gross motor skills, language and communication, cognitive development and thinking. It also enables them to learn about risk-taking and experimenting in a safe environment with no right or wrong way to play.
The staff here and owner Laura are wonderful; the care she gives to each child is warm and friendly, and you can see the passion she has for this place.
We had a great morning here and I loved that there were plenty of mums juggling both toddlers and new babies, and this gave us all a safe space to have both kids but give our toddlers some attention. I will definitely be bringing my daughter back; this is a perfect activity where the only thing I had to think about was getting there.
Made to be Messy also offer children’s birthday parties suitable for kids aged 6 months to 10 years.
Made to Be Messy
Shop 9, 99 Caridean St, Heathridge 6027
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Kat is a mum of two little girls, Emilia and recent new addition Eleanor. Kat shares her travels around Perth and beyond on her instagram @thethriftymumma_ . Helping families find activities that are budget friendly but still packed with fun. Determined to get the most out of what WA has to offer without it costing the bank.
