DIY Play Dough/Clay

DIY Play Dough/Clay: More sensory substances.

1. Play Dough (Flour/koolaid)
2. Glow Dough (Four/florescent kids pain)
3. Foam Dough (Shaving cream/corn starch)
4. Silky Soft Play Dough (Hair Conditioner/corn starch)
5. Edible Peanut Butter Play Dough (Peanut Butter/powdered milk)
6. Cake Mix Dough (Cake mix) or Cake Play Dough (cake mix/butter)
7. Modeling Clay (Baking soda/corn starch)
8. Baking Clay (Flour/salt)
9. Glitter Play Dough (Flour/glitter)

Click here to view more DIY sensory substances including, slime, gak, cloud dough and moon sand.

Play-Doh Face Activity (Click here)

1. Goal: Help young children identify and express feelings
2. Supplies: Activity sheet or blank face (I laminate mine), play-doh
3. Direct children to create facial expressions on the activity sheet.
4. I usually start out general (ex. Make a happy face) and then personalize it (ex. Show me how you look when you are sad).
5. I also use this to open the child up for conversation about their feelings (ex. Can you tell me about a time when you felt that way?).
6. This can be incorporated into games using things like feelings tic-tac-toe, jenga, etc.
7. For students with appearances not represented in these sheets I have made my own or had the child draw their own head.  I have also had children draw their parents’ heads for this activity
8. Feedback: I have found that children disclose and express much more when this activity is done than they do when I just ask them about their feelings.

DIY Play Dough Recipes

This recipe is simple and lasts a couple months.  I always have at least one batch of homemade play-dough in my office for when kids want to make larger things.

Ingredients

• 3 cups flour
•  2 cups boiling water (if the water is not hot enough then the consistency will be off)
• 2 small packages of unsweetened coolaid
• ½ cup salt
•  3 tablespoons oil
• Food coloring (optional)

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients
2. The coolaid will color your play dough, but you can add extra food color to the water if you want a more vibrant color.
3. Knead until cool
4. Store in an airtight container or ziplock bag
5. Play dough will keep for at least a month.  Discard when texture deteriorates. 

Feedback: This is great play-dough that smells much better than the store-bought kind, but leaves a slight residue on hands. 

Click here for another popular play dough recipe (with a photo tutorial) that some people prefer.  I have made both recipes and find that the other play dough becomes sticky after it is stored.  If you make the other recipe, I suggest you add more salt than suggested to deter the kids from eating it :)