“The Runaway Pancake”
Flour, whisks, and wooden spoons turn everyday kitchen items into extraordinary theatrical characters in this fast-paced tale of culinary escape.
From the Kitchen to the Stage
The session begins in the kitchen: mixing ingredients to make pancakes with hands-on experiential play using real flour, wooden spoons, and mixing bowls. Children enjoy 30 minutes of tactile messy play pouring, stirring, dusting, and pretending to cook.
Then the traditional story unfolds using object animation with everyday domestic items: a cheese grater transforms into a talking cow, a corkscrew turns into a running man, a frying pan becomes Mother, and seven wooden spoons represent the hungry children!
The everyday becomes extraordinary as children watch the delicious pancake leap from the pan and dash through the countryside. Following the performance, children craft their own runaway pancake puppets using paper plates, straws, and pens to take home.
Features original music composed by Sarah Collins.
Session Details
Recommended Age: 2–5 years
Duration: 1 hour (30 mins messy play + 30 mins performance & puppet making)
Materials: All food-grade and non-toxic materials provided
Learning Objectives & EYFS Benefits
- Heuristic & Tactile Skills: Exploring sensory qualities of dry powders, pouring, and measuring.
- Transformational Thinking: Understanding that ordinary domestic tools can represent living characters.
- Language & Repetition: Joining in with rhythmic chase refrains and narrative pacing.
- Fine Motor Dexterity: Assembling and decorating individual takeaway plate puppets.
Educator & Parent Praise
“Very interesting and fun. Children seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves. Very enjoyable, child led session, incorporating lots of EYFS initiatives.”
— Childminder, Park Children’s Centre, Accrington
Safety & Risk Assessment Information (Click to view)
Risk Assessment Summary for The Runaway Pancake
Certified by Rachel Riggs (Creative Director, Imaginary Leaps).
| Hazard | Potential Harm | To Whom | Control Measures | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flour on floor | Slipping, falls | All participants | Non-slip floor covering used; regular sweeping with dustpan and brush. | Low (2) |
| Ingestion of raw flour | Choking / upset tummy | Children | Food-standard plain flour; constant adult supervision. (Gluten allergies queried beforehand). | Low (3) |
| Craft stick-on eyes | Choking | Small children | Supervised at all times; alternatives like drawn felt-tip eyes offered. | Managed (8) |
| Kitchen utensils | Bumps from spoons | Children | Lightweight wooden and silicone utensils; no sharp cutlery present. | Low (4) |