Play-do(ugh!)
It took ages to find a good one!
I’m sure there are many parents and guardians who would agree that there are some pros and cons to letting children with play dough. On one hand, you can probably leave them alone with it for creative play; but on the other hand, you might find they’ve smeared it into carpet or they’ve transformed the lovely colours into one mushy blob.
So when I was thinking of trying to let my daughter play with the stuff, I didn’t really want the latter to happen - money wasted! But instead, I wasted time on finding a suitable play dough recipe! It’s crazy. While my youngest sister (Delicia) is spending hours watching YouTubers baking bread and making desserts, I’m looking for recipes for something I can’t even eat…
I know I say I wasted time, but the end result really was worth it! My daughter loves playing with it and making things and it’s a great tool to get her hands-on with the things that she’s learning in the books she’s reading. I can’t wait to show you what we’ve been up to recently! (But you’ll have to wait for those future blog posts, I guess…)
I couldn’t find a recipe that could make nice, pliable and reusable play dough so I was relieved to finally come across Betty’s blog called Chalk Academy where she was making some play dough mooncakes! (Check them out here - they almost look good enough to eat!)
What’s so good about it?
Play dough is great for children because it lets them be creative and hands-on and has a soft texture that lets them play with it easily.
Introducing a little science!
If your child is old enough to make the play dough, they can learn a little Chemistry from making the flour turn into a glutinous dough and the salt that’s used to preserve it.
Hands-on learning!
While you can let them make creative little things out of the play dough, it’s even cooler if they can do something in tandem with a book their reading! My daughter loves the activities we’re doing alongside the books. She’ll gasp and clap her hands when we’ve finished following a book from front to end with the play dough to accompany the reading.
Children are constantly absorbing the information about the world around them so it’s important to let them have some practical experience and some sensory aspect to their learning to accompany their development!
So, without any further ado!
Here’s the recipe! (All quoted from Chalk Academy’s website - please check her blog out for more activities!)
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup salt
- 1/2 cup plain flour
- 1 tbsp cream of tartar
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup water
- Food colouring
Method
- Mix together food colouring and water. (2+ drops are sufficient for pastel colours but use more for darker colours.)
- In a cooking pot, mix together salt, flour, cream of tartar and vegetable oil.
- Add the coloured water to the pot.
- On low heat, mix together all ingredients thoroughly.
- Let it cool before kneading until consistent and pliable. Add flour if the dough is too sticky; add oil if it's too tough.
Note: store homemade playdough in an airtight container in a cool, dry place or refrigerator! (I wrap each colour of mine in clingfilm, too, but the container is the most important thing.)
I really hope that this recipe works as well for you as it did for me! Many thanks to Betty from Chalk Academy for sharing her recipe.
What things are you planning to do with your play dough? Did you also find it really hard to find the right recipe to make some? I’d love to see all the activities and the little creations you and your children have made with your play dough!
Till soon!