Creativity with Floam

We tried a new modeling material: floam! Floam is used like playdough, but yet is like no other dough you've used. It is made from tiny colorful styrofoam beads mixed with a non-toxic adhesive, creating an intesting texture and allowing children to create scultpures that are not possible with regular dough. It can stick together and be modeled in all sorts of shapes.

It was interesting to watch the children approach this new material. Abby worked on creating a flat design with a variety of colors. Maddie loved the feeling of the floam and dug right in, burying her hands in a huge piece. Max took a green piece, still formed in a block shape straight from the package, and carefully created tiny snakes to stick on the bottom. We weren't sure where he was going until he held it up and announced, "Look, it;s Spongebob!" and in fact, the profile of his creation did look exactly like Spongebob himself.

I worked with Drew to make an enourmous snack, which he was delighted he could pick up in one piece. Harper used her entire upper body strenghted to flatten her pile of floam, alternating between patting and pressing. And Olive slowly kneaded and shaped her floam. It will be interesting to watch this group as they continue to explore the floam and find new ways to use it.