Recipes for Play contains easy ideas for engaging children's senses. Playtime doesn't have to be expensive and playing with paint and playdough doesn't have to be toxic; many wonderful activities are possible with ingredients found in kitchen cupboards or the back garden, as shown in this gorgeous collection by sisters Rachel Sumner and Ruth Mitchener. Small children love to be messy and get their hands and fingers into all sorts of colourful, gloopy substances. This is important for childhood development since it teaches little people so much about the world around them. There are all sorts of practical and fun ideas in Recipe for Play: safe, edible paint can be made from yoghurt; eggs can be hollowed out and filled with jelly; and what child could resist the temptation of filling her hands with rainbow coloured rice? These easy step-by-step recipes will give parents and young children hours of entertainment.

Author Biography

Writer Rachel Sumner describes herself as a play-at-home mum of Margaux (four) and Frankie (two and a half ). She is currently a book reviewer for the Australian Women's Weekly. Ruth Mitchener is a multi-award winning designer, who lives in Auckland, New Zealand.