Let’s Make Play Dough:
Salt Dough Recipe: There are many different recipes for making play dough, but we have used one which requires minimal ingredients, which are most likely already in your kitchen cupboards. Also, this recipe can be ‘air dried’ if required without any baking. We recommend you use this as a starting point and in time you could explore other recipes, add colourings, essences etc to enhance and develop the activity, but for now children will enjoy this play dough experience.
When is it okay to introduce play dough to you baby or toddler? This really depends on your child’s age and level of ability. The most important thing to remember, when you do choose to introduce play dough to your child for the first time, is that you supervise at all times. We would not recommend this recipe for babies as they put things in their mouths and as this recipe has salt. (There are edible playdough recipes online)
You can either make this dough in preparation or you could make it a practical science /maths activity making the dough with the children. Many of your children will already know how to do this as they regularly make their own dough in nursery. It is a great experimental activity.
Salt Dough Recipe:
500 g plain flour
500 g table salt
250 ml warm water
Do not worry if you do not have these amounts, use smaller quantities, measuring a cup of flour to a cup of salt and add water until you get the right consistency. This is all part of the exploration and fun if making with children.
1. Mix together the flour and the salt in large bowl
2. Add the warm water slowly a little at a time, mixing together at the same time
3. When combined turn out onto a lightly floured surface
4. Knead for 5 to 10 minutes until smooth and elastic
Your children can have lots of fun rolling, squeezing, pressing, pulling the dough and if you store currently you can use over and over again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVY3ouCwedU
Storage: This dough can be stored for a couple of weeks in an airtight container or zip lock bag with the air expelled.
You and your child could make items to extend other play for example cakes and food for a teddy bears picnic or a cake shop. Once these are made you can leave them out to air dry. This may take over a day depending of the thickness or you can put in the oven at 150c for about an hour, check regularly as again this will depend on thickness.
For future recipes you could add a few drops of food colouring to change the colour, or a few drops of essence to add an aroma.
There are also recipes with oil which make a more elastic dough, or cooked dough which again gives a different consistency. Why not research other ideas and try different recipes over the next few weeks.