Rocky Road Small World

We have been having such a heatwave in the UK at the moment. We visited a local spot by a River bed by where we live. Little N has such fun splashing in the water and throwing rocks. We collected a few before we left and brought them back home.  We had around 20 medium sized rocks once we were home we started to clean them. Little N helped me out with this using her Little Tikes Sink, filled with warm water.  The sink is great for outdoor water play and I love how it has a functioning tap.  When we have play dates the little ones always love playing with it so it is a highly recommended must have! Once they were all clean we left them to dry in the sun before the fun really started. Using acrylic paints we began to decorate them to use as a road set up, for small world play . We incorporated traffic lights and some basic road signs, not forgetting the vehicles. Some of the rocks needed to be painted in stages - adding base colours first and once they were dry adding different features on top.  Little N helped painted all the base colours and I later added the extra details.  We added a coat of varnish to make the rocks more hard wearing and that was it. They were ready to be tried and tested. We used a black tray that I filled with purple sand to play with the 'road'. Sand worked really well as it held the rocks and place. Little N enjoyed watching the marks the wheels of the cars made in the sand. Small World Play is great for Imaginative Play.  We created a Little Red Riding Hood Small World a few months back as Little N was really enjoying the story at the time. They really captivate a child's attention, especially when they are themed to an interest they have.  What are you waiting for?  Why don't you set about making your very own rock road small world play? You may also like: