Feel free to print out this list to share with families. You might even attach a little note that says “Our class KNEADS fresh play dough every two weeks. Can we count on you to mix us up a bunch?”

 

 

Cloud Dough

Materials: 8 cups flour, 1 cup vegetable oil

Directions: gently stir the two ingredients together until well mixed. Add scoops, spoons, measuring cups, sand molds, silicone bowls, plastic cookie cutters, and popsicle sticks for cutting.

To color cloud dough: add crushed chalk, powdered paint, or “candy coloring” or “oil based food coloring”. (Regular food coloring is water based and will not mix with oil in the recipe.) To contain the mess: put the dough into a under the bed storage bin and lay it on a tarp

 

No Cook Play Dough

Materials: 2 cups flour, 2 tablespoon vegetable oil, ½ cup salt, 2 T. cream of tartar, up to 1.5 cups boiling water (adding in slowly until the texture feel right), food coloring.
Directions: Mix the dry ingredients together. Add food coloring to the boiling water and then stir into the dry ingredients. Stir until the dough combines. Allow to cool a bit and then knead for a few minutes until the dough feels smooth.

 

Kool-Aid Play Dough

Materials: 1 ¼  cup flour, ¼ cup salt, 1 pkg unsweetened Kool-aid powder, 1 cup boiling water, 1 ½  Tbsp vegetable oil
Directions: In a bowl, mix flour, salt and kool-aid.  Stir in water and oil. Knead with hands for about 5 minutes. Store in ziploc bag or air tight container. This play dough smell great which may be too much temptation for younger children, but it’s vivid color is awesome!

 

Seed or Grain Dough– make homemade dough as usual. When offering it to the children, set out small bowls of a variety of seeds or grains. Children can pretend to plant the seeds into the dough. Once the seeds are kneaded into the dough it has a great texture. Seeds to try —sunflower, flax, squash, pumpkin, wheat berries, corn, rice, poppy, or any excess seeds that you gathered from the previous growing season.

 

Bright White Play Dough

Materials: 1 cup cornstarch, 2 cup salt, 1 tbsp oil, 1 tbsp cream of tartar, 1 cup boiling (or nearly boiling) water, few drops liquid glycerin (makes it smoother), silver glitter

 

Directions: In a bowl, mix all the dry ingredients, then add the oil, grown up pours in boiling water, and mix. Let cool for a bit, then knead until smooth, add in glitter.

 

White Play Dough is great for making snowmen, add items to encourage snowmen creations:  buttons, small piece of shiny pipe cleaners, beans, and beads!!! Maybe for carrot noses make rolled orange paper beads?

 

 

Salt Dough

Materials: 1 cup salt, 2 cups all purpose flour, 1 cup luke warm water

 

Directions: Mix the dry ingredients together, then gradually stir in the water until it forms a dough consistency. Knead the dough for 5 minutes so that it is smooth. Let children create ornaments or 3D creations out of the salt dough, if the item will be hung, use a straw to poke a hole in it prior to baking.

Bake at 200F until dry. Most thin ornaments will dry in 1 hour, but thicker creations may need 2 hours. Check on the items, and if anything seems to be curling, flip over part way through the baking time.

After cooled, children can paint their creations with acrylic paint and a grown up can seal with clear varnish or polyurethane spray.