I once saw a photo in Nursery World of an orange baby. It was in an article about an activity a nursery had been doing with paint. I was supposed to think it looked wonderful fun, but, as a parent and practitioner (and daughter of an NNEB nursery nurse!), I couldn't help questioning the activity on three levels.
One, what did the child gain from being covered in paint? Two, does the EYFS stipulate that creative play has to be this extreme? Three, do parents want us to strip their babies and encourage them to get covered in paint?
From talking to parents, I've discovered that some love this sort of play, because they feel it absolves them from painting at home. Some are indifferent - they're not going to complain, but wouldn't feel a child's care was lacking without such activities. Others aren't keen - they don't even like paint getting on clothes, let alone in inappropriate places!
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