Carnival of Play and Playdough Recipe

Carnival Of Play

A great parenting blog that I like to read, PhD in Parenting, is hosting a Carnival of Play from April 1 – 15. I have written about children’s play a number of times on this blog, most recently at the beginning of March with The Importance Of Play.

I am going to be contributing to the Carnival Of Play, so for the next two weeks along with my usual of posts, I will be adding a few extras dedicated to play.

Playdough Recipe

The first installment is the recipe for Playdough. Playdough makes such a great play activity for children, as it allows them to use their hands. Squeezing, flattening, molding the playdough provides great sensorial experience for small children. Playdough allows children to use their imagination and be creative. The dough can be made into anything they can think of!

The beauty of making your own Playdough is that the children can help you with this task as well. Measuring. pouring, stirring are all activities that children enjoy. I use the recipe that can be found on the container of McKenzies Cream of Tartar and find it very quick and easy to make. This playdough also keeps moist and usable for long periods of time in an airtight container.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour
  • 4 tablespoons Cream of Tartar
  • 2 tablespoons cooking oil
  • 1 cup salt
  • Food colouring
  • 2 cups water

Instructions

  1. Place all ingredients into a medium size saucepan.
  2. Give mixture a stir.
  3. Continue to stir over a medium heat for 3-5 minutes.
  4. Once mixture starts to congeal, remove from heat.
  5. Turn mixture out and knead to gain right consistency.

Tips

  • If you want to make playdough in different colours, add the food colouring at the end of the process. Divide the plain dough into sections, make a well in the middle of the dough and add colouring. Knead until the colour is spread through the dough.
  • To stimulate other senses while the children are playing with playdough, you can add the following once you have removed the playdough from the heat:
    • Essential oils – to add an attractive fragrance to the playdough.
    • Glitter – to make the the playdough sparkle, add a handful of glitter to the dough to change the appearance.