Making play dough is a hands-on activity which engages the children in tactile learning. Mixing, rolling, and cutting up play dough helps with hand coordination and fine motor skills, which is an important pre-writing skill. The students have fun exploring the materials while using their five senses, and become more aware of how their experimentation fuels their learning. Students explored different subjects while making play dough, such as science (salt and flour combined together produce a mixture; and oil, water, and food coloring mix completely to form a solution); math (measuring the ingredients); and social skills (working and communicating together, taking turns, and cleaning up). We also encouraged free choice and creativity by allowing the students to decided on the color for their play dough. This assignment was done to support the letter of the week: P.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup salt
- 2 tbsp cream of tartar
- 2 tbsp oil
- Food coloring
- 2 cups hot water
Instructions:
- Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.
- Make a well in the center and add oil and water, mix.
- Divide mixture into separate bowls.
- Add food coloring (students choose their color).
- Take the dough out of the bowl and knead it to form a ball.
- Play!
After making the play dough, we asked each child what they were going to do with their play dough.
Zuri: “I’m making a Christmas tree tower” (yellow play dough)
Justice: “Mummy house” (red play dough)
Aiyanna: “Making blue I’m rolling” (blue play dough)
Alexa: “Making a house” (green play dough)
Isaiah: “Squishing it” (green play dough)
