Dinosaur Play Dough

 I often make play dough for the kids.  It involves the kids in a creative experience, they get to become little scientist and make their own colors and mess with the texture too.  Yes, I do buy it as well, but this is just an all around great activity.  I got the recipe from the wonderful Lisa Murphy and it is the very best one I have made (and I have tried many, many recipes in my 12 years of teaching).  Here it is if anyone wants to try it. 

3 cups flour

1 1/2 cups salt

3 cups of water (colored is desired)

5 TBS oil

6 tsp Cream of Tartar

(makes enough for about 4-5 kids to have a good chunk to play with)

Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl.  We use our electric mixer.  Pour the dough into a pan and cook, stirring constantly over medium heat until ball forms.  Take out and knead.  Let cool before handing it out to the kids.  Can be stored in an airtight container for a week or two.  If they taste it, it won't hurt them, but i bet they won't taste it twice!  Yuck!

We added some coffee grounds to the play dough while it was cooking because my son asked for "dinosaur play dough"  I love the way this smells!!

                                                             The dinosaur is hatching....

                                                                      what will it be?

Yippee....a baby ankylosaurus......."I've got a club on my tail, armor on my back, don't get to close or I'll give you a whack".

We cut the play dough with scissor too as a good scissor skill practice.  Sometimes it is hard for little ones to cut paper, but play dough is easy to cut. Working with play dough helps develop those small hand muscles, encourages dramatic play, creativity and is just a really great sensory activity.  I find it is very calming for little ones and they are usually really quiet when working with it.  Kids with various disabilities really enjoy play dough,