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snowman from play dough and pine cone

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PLAY DOUGH AND CLAY



	Making things from play dough is easier for little children than drawing. They start making things out of sand the first time they play in a sand box. Playing with play dough (clay) is really helpful in developing kids’ motor skills and their understanding of shapes and volumes.
	2-3 year olds
		Show your kid some simple movements for making a ball or a "snake" or a button.
		1. Make a house for a little piglet (or any other small toy that you have). Show kids how to make "logs" from the dough and make them into walls. After the house is finished, put a small toy inside.

		2. Make a caterpillar. Show a child how to make a ball from a piece of play-dough. Let him make a few balls and then put them together. For eyes you can use pepper corns or little pieces of dark dough.
		3. Make a snowman using three balls of different sizes. 4. Make " food" for a favorite toy. Give your child some plastic or disposable plates to "serve" the dinner on. Remind him that it's toy food that people can't eat.
	3-4 year olds
		1. For Easter. Carrots for the bunny. Ask a child what bunnies like to eat. Make some carrots from play-dough. 2.Lets make a donut. Show a child how to make a donut shape. Make some donuts for a favorite toy.

pot of gold made of play dough


	3. For St. Patrick Day. Pot of Gold. From a ball of a play-dough a child can make a pot by pushing into a ball with his big fingers and forming walls of the pot. Fill the pot with some yellow play dough “gold”.
	4. Play-dough necklace. Let a child make a lot of play dough balls. Put them on a thin shoe lace.
	5. For Easter. Yellow Chicken. Let a child make 2 yellow play-dough balls (one smaller than the other). Put them together. Make a beak from a small piece of red play-dough and use pepper corns for the eyes.
	6. For Easter. Play dough Bunny.


	4-5 year olds
		1. Harvesting fruits and veggies. Make a bucket from some play-dough (see the "pot of gold" project). Show your child some fruits and veggies of different shapes and colors. Ask your child to make those fruits and veggies from a piece of colored play dough, while paying attention to their different shapes. Put them into the bucket.
		2. Play-dough Easter Busket
		Make a round bottom. Ask your child to make a few long Play Dough "snakes." Make two braids from them and attach them to the bottom like the sides of a basket. Let the basket dry for a few days and then let your child color it with tempera. Also, you can use colored Play Dough from the very beginning. After drying this makes a nice candy dish.

		3. For Mother or Father's day. A cup to hold pens or pencils. Show your child how to make a tall cup out of clay: make 6-7 clay "snakes", cut them down to the same size, form them into rings, make a round bottom, put rings in a pile on the bottom of a cup, and smooth the cup. Let your child decorate it with whatever he likes from peppercorns to beans, or beads, or my favorite - seashells.
		4. Christmas Tree. Help your child make 3-4 conical shapes out of a green piece of play-dough. Stack them up on top of each other. Decorate your tree with anything he likes. 5. My teddy bear. Talk with your child about how a bear is different from other animals.
		6. A Lizard. Help your child to make a lizard out of one piece of a play dough. Then suggest him to decorate it with small pieces of different colors or if it's made from a home made play-dough he can color it after it dries.


	Homemade play dough It’s 3 times cheaper than a store bought and not that difficult to make. Very useful for big kids’ gatherings. The quality is great and it stores perfectly. In a large saucepan combine: 3 cups flour 1 1/2 cups salt 3 cups water 2 tblsp canola oil 1 tblsp cream of tartar (To color your dough dissolve a few drops of food color in water). Mix well and then cook over medium to low heat until the dough comes away from the walls of the pan and forms a ball. Cool and then knead few times. Store in a tightly closed container. When it dries it becomes hard like a clay.

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