Generally I’m quite tight with my money. I don’t like buying stuff that rapidly disappears. I go for longevity and robustness. So my love affair with masking tape is an exception to this self-imposed rule.

Masking tape is amazing. For a strip of sticky paper it is remarkably versatile. Making a sticky-side-up bracelet works well for collecting interesting colours or common weeds.

I’ve also got children to attach it to the soles of their shoes and to walk through a meadow or long grass in late summer. The seeds of plants sticky to the tape and then can be carefully planted to see what grows.

Very young children get the point of masking tape. It is easier to tear or cut than Sellotape so sticking things is important. For example, masking tape is used to attach material to objects when making dens.

Or simply for decorating posts! I think the sound of masking tape adds to its attraction as it comes off its roll.

This girl is in the process of making windows for the dens.

However, before long, a child discovers that masking tape doesn’t need to be cut into little pieces. It can be used to wrap up big structures.

This child got completely absorbed in the process.

It caused quite a bit of discussion and commentary from other children…

Who then realised that this could be a lot of fun to play with too…

Surprisingly the masking tape wasn’t broken. I think that was part of the challenge the children set themselves.

I really want to introduce bandages next…!

Sadly the masking tape had to come down as the older children use this space at their break times. The making tape can be washed and used for messy printing. Scrunch the making tape into a bundle, dip in paint and have fun printing…