109 replies to this topic

[Anita]

Has anyone any ideas for extending work with playdough? We've got the usual cutters, rolling pins and scissors, but that becomes a bit boring after a while.
Anita :)

[Nichola]

Last year in my reception class we had these great accessories for want of a better word for the playdough. they were little bodies, eyes and legs and when you added playdough you could create lots of different bugs and creepy crawlies etc. Not sure where they were from but they were really good fun and the kids loved them!

[bubblejack]

These little creepy crawly plastic bits are from early learning. They were about £5. per set. Have you tried letting the children cut the dough with scissors. Try adding different smells, glitter and sequins.

[Helen]

We've been printing into the playdough with stuff found around the nursery and garden, such as bricks, small play people, or leaves. Textured fabric is a good one, as you get to really see the woven threads.

[hali]

Hi

have you tried food colouring, essences and glitter or sequins in it????

[Helen]

Yes, I'd agree with smelly playdough! We've done orange essential oil, lavender, and peppermint food essence, and coloured the dough appropriately. As the children warm it up by playing with it, the nursery smells gorgeous. Lots of parents passed comments on how wonderful their children smelt when they came to collect them :D

[Catherine]

We realised the other day that we have never shown the children what we use to actually make the playdough.

So when we next made it we let them help us, measuring out and adding all of the ingredients, then mixing it up then of course they got to play with it when it was cooked. Then we gave it to them when it was still warm.

[mundia]

Chocolate dough goes down really well!!!

[Beau]

Sometimes I provide tubs of buttons, beads and feathers and the children come up with wonderful creations.

Carol :)

[AOB]

When we do our Gingerbread Man topic we make the dough with a variety of spices (paprika - good colour, cinnamon and ginger etc). It smells great and seems to inspire the children's modelling.

Our brilliant Teaching Assistant also pointed out that the children hadn't experienced making the dough. Now we have a rota and do it with them. It can be cooked in the microwave successfully.

Angela

[Suzanne W]

You can get playdo extruders from SBS services. We use garlic presses - these make 'hair' or 'spaghetti' like strands. They are fun to use!

[Mimi]

We do all of the above, the children also love empty chocolate boxes and small cutters to make mini sweets. We also have some laminated cards for children to decorate, head shape for them to add features, a christmas tree to add balls of dough to decorate, children make snakes to place ontop of numbers and letters.

[Beau]

What a fantastic idea Mimi. :D My laminators going to be going into overdrive tonight - the possibilities are endless........................

Carol :)

[LJW]

Mundia - what on earth is chocolate playdough? I need to know more!
Thanks everyone for some fresh ideas too. We had a toy microwave and baking sheets which fitted inside and the children had great fun making cakes etc. It provided a great way to consolidate their learning from previous adult-led cookery activities. Come to think of it, if they helped make the dough in the first place ..................

[mundia]

just replace some of the flour with cocoa. Smells heavenly (if you are a chocoholic like me), yes the children do sometimes take a nibble, but no they dont like the taste so they dont come back for more.

Love the laminating idea Mimi I hadnt thought of that :D