Unlock a world of sensory exploration with the TTS treasure messy play table – a versatile, all-in-one station designed to inspire creativity, problem-solving, and hands-on learning.
Perfect for outdoor or indoor play, this sturdy wooden unit features three spacious trays, allowing children to scoop, pour, mix, and experiment with various materials like sand, water or soil.
Whether used for messy play, science investigations, or imaginative role-play, this table encourages collaboration, fine motor development and early STEM learning. It’s a must-have for fostering curiosity and discovery through open-ended play.
Choosing the right piece of furniture for you
Mud kitchens and messy tables come in all shapes and sizes, from sturdy, long-lasting designs to DIY versions crafted from recycled wooden pallets or milk bottle crates. No matter how they’re built, mud kitchens have become an essential part of outdoor learning environments. However TTS mud kitchens and messy tables are designed for permanent robust outdoor use. With a variety of sizes, features, and accessories available, there’s something to suit every setting and budget.
The Benefits of a Mud Kitchen or Messy Table
Outdoor exploration provides limitless opportunities for learning in ways that an indoor environment simply cannot replicate. Encouraging children to pound, splash, squish, squelch, and mix natural ingredients strengthens their mathematical understanding, enhances communication skills, and fosters teamwork. Adding messy play resources to your setting is a great way to get children stuck into experimental play.
Triple Treasure Messy Table Inspiration
With endless possibilities, a treasure messy table is more than just a play space – it’s a hub for creativity, discovery, and hands-on learning. Here are three ideas to get you started:
Water play with flowers
The treasure messy table is perfect for enhancing water play with shimmer powder and flowers. Its three compartments allow for organised exploration, enabling children to experiment with water, shimmer powder, and natural elements like flowers. Shimmer powder can be sprinkled into the water for a magical effect, encouraging sensory exploration as children observe how it moves and interacts with the water. Adding flowers, both real and artificial, enhances tactile and visual experiences. This setup promotes creativity, fine motor skills, and a deeper connection to nature as children manipulate and interact with these sensory materials.
Dinosaur exploration
Try using the treasure messy table for sand play with dinosaurs, enhancing small world play. With its three compartments, the table allows for the creation of different environments, such as a desert, jungle, or prehistoric landscape. Children can immerse toy dinosaurs in the sand, using the compartments to build varied terrains for imaginative play. This setup promotes storytelling, problem-solving, and fine motor skills as children arrange the dinosaurs and create scenarios. The tactile experience of sand combined with imaginative play encourages creativity, social interaction, and a deeper understanding of the natural world through small-scale environments.
Planting flowers
You can use the messy table for promoting growth and exploration with soil. Its three compartments can hold different types of soil, allowing children to experiment with various textures and plant different seeds. Each section can be used for planting, observing growth, and comparing plant development. The table encourages hands-on learning about the life cycle of plants, with children actively involved in planting, watering, and caring for their seeds. This setup promotes fine motor skills, scientific inquiry, and environmental awareness, as children engage with nature and learn the essentials of growing and nurturing life.
Hayley Winter is an Early Years teacher and leader who is passionate about learning through play. She shares simple and effective teaching ideas for 3-5 year olds on social media.
