Friday, October 09, 2009

A big green blob...otherwise known as playdough!

I made playdough last night for my classroom and thought you might like the recipe. It's the easiest thing ever to make...trust me, I make A LOT of it! I added glitter to this batch and called it "fairy dough". We've been talking about fairies, princesses, castles, dragons, wizards and magic lately, as the kids are obsessed with all these types of things! I also added a little peppermint essence to this batch as well, to make it smell extra yummy. Maybe not such a good idea with toddlers, because it makes eating it much more tempting!

Okay, so here's the recipe. Not sure where I first got it from...I've been making this one for as long as I can remember!

Throw the following ingredients in a pot...

1 cup plain flour
1 tbsp. cream of tartar
1 cup water with food coloring mixed in
1/2 cup salt
1 tbsp. cooking oil (I usually use vegetable oil)

Mix constantly over medium heat for approximately 5 to 10 minutes, basically until no longer sticky. Remove from heat and knead for a couple of minutes until soft. Let cool. Store in an air tight baggie or container when not using. I double the recipe for more kids but this amount would be just right for 1 or 2 kiddies.

Enjoy with cookie cutters, scissors (to help with scissor skills), rolling pins, cinnamon sticks, baking props (cookie sheets, play oven, etc...), play mallets, popsicle sticks, etc...Be creative and have fun!:) It's amazing how much children learn when they play with dough! Plus, it helps with brain development...

"As entertaining as it is pliable, this jack-of-all-trades medium provides hours of fun while improving hand strength, dexterity, and motor skills. Recent research also shows that using your fingers and hands actually stimulates your brain and increases the number of neural connections it makes. So when your child digs into play dough, he's not only building little figures and shapes, he's building his brain!"

Taken from here.

3 comments:

Kristi Drennan said...

Oh how I wish we lived near each other so you could teach me how to be a fun Mom!!

Sara said...

I like the glitter in the playdough...I think I will try that with the little ones next week!

Clotilde said...

So, Gabriel had his first try of playdough this morning and he played with it a bit, then he ate a big chunk (wouldn't spit) and then declared he was done with it.

Thanks for posting the recipe though!

Clo
16 June 2011 (so Gabe is now 15-months)