Playdough

[Guest]

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

[Guest]

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

[Dahlia]

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

[Guest]

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

[Guest]

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

[Guest]

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. My laminators going to be going into overdrive tonight - the possibilities are endless........................

 

Carol

[Guest]

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

[bubblejack]

I have a very old book from the P.P.A. called Fun and Food for Playgroup that I have been using since 1982 when I was childminding at home. It suggests makingl dough without any food colouring to make it look more authentic.

(gets dirty quick though)

Magic model mix (very popular) 2 cups salt

2/3 cup water

1 cup cornflour

1/2 cup of water

Cook salt & water for 4 mins till it bubbles. Add rest of ingredients.Store in tightly closed container.

Somebody on here wanted to make flour paste. I always used to make my own with flour and water. I used to cook it so untill it changed to the consistency of runny custard it kept in this state for weeks. I used this as the base for finger painting.

I used to make many concoctions like this but unfortunately just squeeze the paint out of a bottle now. (On a good day I tip the powder paint on a tray provide water and other mediums for the children to experiment with )

Sad really isn't it . Next term I may try and do my planning differently e.g. use a creative activity and choose the 6 learning activities within the activity. Yes I am inspired am going to start doing the planning now!!!!! now!!!!!!

[Guest]

Thank you for all the great suggestions. We are using chocolate playdough at the moment and the children have really enjoyed making cakes. Providing laminated pictures is an interesting idea.

I've let the children make stretchy playdough using S.R. Flour and water when we were using the Blue Balloon as a theme. It doesn't keep but the children have a great time.

[Guest]

I love playdough but am hopeless when it comes to making it. My last batch seemed okay when I made it but by the time I put it out for the children it had become sticky. Copious amounts of extra flour didnt make any difference - neither did leaving it out uncovered overnight . It just got stickier.

The children didnt fuss though as it was still a different experience - but I wanted them to use scisssors particularly - but you can just imagine the outcome of that cant you?

Any foolproof ( ie ME ) ways of making dough thats not sticky?

[Guest]

Mine usually turns out ok

 

2 cups plain flour

1 cup salt

2 tablespoons oil

1 teaspoon cream or tartar

2 cups of water

 

Mix up and stir slowly over a gentle heat, or microwave stirring frequently.

Yesterday I made some of Mundia's chocolate playdough with my 3 year old daughter (who has a terrible repuation for eating playdough at playgroup)

 

She absolutely loved it and made cakes and choclolates and all sorts. I'll be taking it in to playgroup tomorrow! So a huge thank you Mundia and other who have inspired me even though I've been poorly!

[Guest]

Thanks Jo

This is the recipe Ive been using - but its STILL sticky ( but only sometimes!)

 

PLease someone tell me what Im doing wrong.

I put in the flour ,salt and cream of tartar Then add the water and oil. Stir the whole lot in a big saucepan over a medium heat until it all clumps up to make a ball. Then ( after other sticky moments) I have left it on the heat for a short time to make sure its cooked through.

 

What else can I do ?

 

Or is there an even easier method?

[Guest]

unafitz,

 

Aha, just checked my cooking book and it says 2 teaspoons cream of tartar !

 

I usually add the oil before the water and I take mine off the heat after it's clumped together.

Then I knead it and roll it out really well until it's smooth. Then leave it cool before putting it into plastic bag.

 

It's a mystery why yours is going sticky.........................perhaps others could shed a ray of light on the subject.

 

.....................As a last resort you could try going on a course ;the CACHE NVQ 3 in playdough making

[Guest sophie]

Just a thought every time I make green playdough it goes sticky could it be anything to do with the colouring.

[bubblejack]

Are you using plain flour . Microwave it and stir every minute

[mundia]

Ok I know this sounds really daft, but it does depend how big the cup is and if you are using a larger cup (or mug) you will need more cream of tartar.

I use this recipe, yes longer the first time you make it, but I find containers that are exactly the right size, guard them with my life and then just use them!!!!

 

14oz flour (cheaper the better)

7oz salt

600ml water

2tbsp oil

4 tsp cream of tartar

 

I just chuck it all in, mix and cook faily slowly unitl the dough comes away from the sides, tip it out, knead, and bingo.......

 

Never fails...honest.....

[Guest]

Mundia

How do you make the chocolate stuff? Do you just put cocoa in and at what point?

Thanks!

Linda

[mundia]

I replace some of the flour with cocoa, not an exact science, but proably about a quarter or until it looks nice and brown. I usually mix the cocoa and flour together so that I have have the same amount altogether, then chuck it all in, usually in the order in the recipe. the children do it now, they love it

[Beau]

A 'cup' is an actual measurement. At playgroup we have measuring cups in the same way you get measuring spoons. A 'cup' is not actually very big - probably about half a mug!

[Gezabel]

I have a little 'machine' that is years old!! but fantastic. I have no idea what it is called but came in a set of the original play-doh. It is red and yellow - lift up a lever and put in the dough and press the lever and see what comes out the front! What does come out depends which plastic yellow strip you slide in. There are several strips to choose from and each has a different pattern. The favourite is the mulit tiny hole one whcih produces great spaghetti. Or it also makes great hair that's added to people and then its off to the hairdressers to get it cut!! There are so many shapes I cant remember them all but another favourite is a square which produce long "logs" or if you just allow a small amount to come out you can chop it off to make bricks.

 

OK the above probably sounds mad - has anyone else got one of these?? Don't even know if they are still made but maybe look out at car boot sales as they are great!!!

[Guest]

Have been enjoying the chat about playdough.

I have given up "cooking" my dough, I just add boiling water instead, and mix well. then knead when cool enough. I only add the tiniest amount of oil, seems to work and keeps for ages. No messy saucepans to clean this way.

(I always use a mug measurement, 2 of plain flour, 1 of salt, 2 teaspoons cream of tartar, to 2 mugs boiling water.)

 

Does anyone make "slime" with pva glue, glycerine and borax? Have had difficulty getting borax recently, Boots have given up stocking it.

 

Jean

[Guest]

Geraldine

We did have a machine similar to the one you described but unfortunately it cracked. I think the problem was that the playdough was n't soft enough!