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playdough

Easy DIY Black Playdough

January 25, 2025 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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This easy DIY black playdough is sleek, shiny, and oh-so-easy to make. The no-cook recipe pairs perfectly with a snake theme as it is super stretchy. Using it this month also works well with Lunar New Year “Year of the Snake“ activities.

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Easy DIY Black Playdough Ingredients

Gather the following supplies for this black playdough recipe:

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 cup salt
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp black gel icing color
  • ½ tsp glycerin
  • large bowl
  • measuring cup
  • mixing spoon

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Making the No-Cook Black Playdough

This black playdough recipe can be made quickly. Here are the instructions:

  • Add two cups of flour to a serving bowl.
  • Pour in 1 cup of salt.
  • Add 1 cup of water.
  • Measure in 2 tbsp vegetable oil.
  • Drop in 1 tsp black gel icing color.
  • Add ½ tsp glycerin.
  • Stir all the ingredients together with a mixing spoon until it becomes thick. Then take the playdough out of the bowl and knead it thoroughly.

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The nice thing about this playdough is that you can play around with the ingredients and it will turn out just fine. If the dough is a little dry, add in a tiny bit more water, glycerin, or oil. If it is a little moist, add a small amount of flour. Kneading the ingredients thoroughly makes it moldable.

If the playdough looks more grey than black measure in more black gel icing color. Note: The playdough will get a little darker over time so it doesn’t need to look all-black immediately.

For additional shine, add a teaspoon more glycerin.

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Little hands will look greenish after making and using the playdough because of the intense black gel color. The gel color is edible, and hands should be their normal hue again after a few washes.

This easy DIY black playdough recipe is super shiny and has a lot of stretch. It becomes a little like slime when reused…how fun!

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Year of the Snake Playdough Invitation

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The homemade black playdough recipe makes a great 2025 Lunar New Year (Year of the Snake) or a reptile-themed activity. Add white beads, small wiggly eyes, and cardstock paper forked tongues. Then invite participants to create beautiful black and white snakes.

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Reusing the Black Playdough

This show-stopping black playdough can be used a few times. When finished playing with it, store it in saran wrap and put it in a sealed container. Place the dough in the fridge if you wish. Keep a little oil and flour on hand to mix in when you pull the shiny black playdough out a second and third time. The dough may be a little moist but will soon be pliable when the two ingredients are kneaded in.

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No Cook Versus Cooked Playdough Recipes

Cooked playdough is long-lasting if stored properly. It is delightful to use, and I love its properties.

When making cooked playdough, take note of the following:

  • You need a stove to heat up the recipe, or a kettle to heat water.
  • Most cooked recipes use cream of tartar, a rather expensive ingredient.
  • The recipe must be made carefully according to the instructions, or it will be too sticky or dry.
  • It is hard to fix the dough when it is too sticky…I haven’t had much luck with that!

But I love cooked playdough and have made it many times. It is a great choice if you are making a batch ahead of time.

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In the last while I’ve tried more no-cook playdough recipes, selecting ones that do not use boiling water. This is because:

  • It is easy to include children in making the playdough as there is no need to worry about burns from a hot mixture or stove. And children love helping!
  • If the ingredients in a recipe are tweaked the playdough will still usually turn out fine. Thorough kneading is key for this.
  • The recipes do not usually need cream of tartar, which is an additional cost and may not be an ingredient you have on hand.

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[Read more…] about Easy DIY Black Playdough

Filed Under: Chinese New Year, playdough, preschool, reptiles, sensory Tagged With: Lunar New Year, playdough, snakes

Reptile Theme Playdough Tray

September 22, 2024 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Living in central Alberta, Canada, reptiles such as snakes and lizards are uncommon for us to see. Unless we visit the local zoo or have access to an animal presentation, we will likely never see one. So it is natural for little learners to be afraid of these creatures. Hands-on activities with reptile figurines help alleviate young children’s fears about snakes and lizards. In addition to offering these exotic animals in a sensory tray, they are interesting accessories to include in a reptile theme playdough tray.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Reptile Theme Playdough Tray Supplies

The following supplies are included in this colorful, unique playdough invitation:

  • snake and lizard figurines
  • frog and insect figurines
  • snake, lizard, and frog playdough molds
  • rocks and stones
  • wood slices
  • refillable eggs
  • divided compartment serving tray

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The Reptile Theme Playdough Tray

To keep supplies neat, organized, and attractive, one of my go-to methods is to add them to a divided compartment serving tray.

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Although I include many homemade playdough recipes on this blog, I feature store-bought playdough in this modeling dough play invitation. Someone had donated a bunch of different colors to me, and since lizards and snakes come in all kinds of patterns and hues, this activity seemed like the perfect way to start using them.

Miniature snake and lizard figurines and playdough molds allow little learners to create creatures of their own from playdough, and make animal prints. Manipulating the little figurines exposes them to animals they may have a natural fear of.

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Thin wood slices and small rocks and stones in the tray are natural materials found in the habitats snakes and lizards live in.

Frog, insect, and spider figurines represent prey snakes and lizards eat.

Finally, the small refillable eggs are reminders that lizards and most snakes hatch from eggs.

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This reptile theme playdough tray is a perfect beginning activity for learning about snakes and lizards and is superb for working on color recognition, counting, eye-hand coordination, and hand and finger strength.

Adding pictures of real snakes and lizards for little learners to view would provide opportunities to discuss and make patterns and allow for more discussions about the colors these reptiles display.

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More Reptile Activities

Reptile Active World Tray

Reptile Theme Activities

Reptile Egg Science

Sea Turtle Theme Activities

Turtle Pond Sensory Bin

Turtle Christmas Craft

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More Themed Playdough Trays

White Lilacs and Black Playdough

Watermelon Playdough Tray

Circus Playdough Tray

A bright and cheery circus playdough tray bound to spark your little learner's imagination. Playdough recipe included.

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Glam Skeleton Playdough Tray

Gingerbread Playdough Tray

Candy Cane Playdough Tray

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Santa Claus Playdough Tray

Unicorn Playdough Tray

Scented Moon Playdough Tray

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[Read more…] about Reptile Theme Playdough Tray

Filed Under: insects, playdough, preschool, reptiles, science, sensory, themes Tagged With: lizards, playdough, reptiles, sensory play, snakes

Space Loose Parts Play

April 17, 2024 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Loose parts are a highlight in any play center, and they certainly shine in a space theme. Sorted in a tray, they are ready for all kinds of outer space loose parts play. The outer space-themed supplies can be added to a rice bin, water play bin, or playdough invitation. The out-of-this-world loose parts have other great uses as well.

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Space Loose Parts Supplies

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The following economical and easy-to-find supplies are in the space loose parts tray:

  • space-ship shaped bubble blowing containers
  • star-shaped buttons
  • thin bracelets
  • orange and white ping pong balls
  • glow in the dark stars, stones, and pebbles
  • space-themed erasers
  • marbles
  • rubber balls
  • sun and star-shaped acrylic gems
  • yellow pickleball balls
  • astronaut and spaceship toys

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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The Space Loose Parts Tray

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Repurposed spaceship-shaped bubble blowing containers with screw-top lids work well in sensory bin activities and are super fun to use.

Glow-in-the-dark stars and star-shaped buttons help create vivid night skies. The stones and pebbles serve as space rocks.

Yellow pickleball balls represent a lighted, crater-filled moon.

Various kinds and colors of small balls and marbles can be reimagined as planets or moons, and the bracelets make great planetary rings.

Iridescent sun and star-shaped acrylic gems add beauty to outer space play activities.

Mini astronaut and spaceship toys and erasers extend imaginative play.

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Space Loose Parts Play

The colorful rubber balls in the space loose parts play tray can be used in large motor activities.

The space-themed buttons, glow-in-the-dark stars, rocks, bracelets, erasers, and acrylic gems make great loose parts in outer space pretend play.

The supplies in the tray are perfect for a space-themed transient art invitation.

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The outer space supplies shine in a rice sensory bin or water play setup.

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And the supplies are tantalizing in a playdough invitation.

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[Read more…] about Space Loose Parts Play

Filed Under: art, dramatic play, preschool, pretend play, science, sensory, space Tagged With: loose parts, playdough, pretend play, rice bin, sensory bin, spaceships, water play

Candy Cane Playdough Tray

December 19, 2023 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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If you need a quick activity to do with the children in your life, this candy cane playdough tray has got you covered. A lovely peppermint smell wafting through the air is a highlight of this playdough invitation.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Making The Candy Cane Playdough

A simple no-cook homemade playdough recipe is the base for this activity. I love the recipe featured on The Artful Parent website and use it regularly. It is easy and quick to make and keeps about as well as the cooked version.

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Next, knead in crushed candy cane bits. The playdough is ready to use. So easy!

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Or, give participants the creamy white playdough and sprinkle candy cane bits on the table. Invite everyone to blend crushed candy cane bits into their playdough. They will love seeing the playdough change colors as the candy cane pieces are kneaded in.

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Note: Some of the crushed candy cane bits appear a little sharp. They didn’t poke or irritate my skin while testing out the festive dough. When I offered this playdough invitation to staff and students, they thoroughly enjoyed it.

The more candy cane pieces that are added, the more colorful the playdough will become. And it may be a little mushy when used again on another day. If you would like the playdough to have a second or third use, be a little sparing in adding crushed candy cane bits to the white dough.

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Crushing Candy Canes for the Playdough

You can crush candy canes for this play invitation if you do not have ready-to-use crushed ones on hand.

Just stick candy canes in the freezer for about twenty minutes. Then place them in a sealed Ziplock bag and smash them on a cutting board with a mallet, rolling pin, or meat pounder. Another method is to break candy canes into small pieces after taking them out of the freezer and then grind them to the desired coarseness in a coffee grinder. Children would love to get in on the candy cane crushing.

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The Candy Cane Playdough Tray

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Offer a rolling pin, disposable knife, and a few Christmas cookie cutters to participants exploring candy cane playdough. Here are some accessories to consider adding:

  • non-breakable candy cane and gingerbread decorations
  • candy cane cookie cutters
  • green, red, and white buttons and pony beads
  • peppermint candy and gingerbread man erasers

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More Christmas Playdough Activities

Christmas Playdough

Santa Claus Playdough Tray

Orange-Scented Playdough Invitation

Gingerbread Playdough

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[Read more…] about Candy Cane Playdough Tray

Filed Under: Christmas, playdough, preschool, sensory Tagged With: candy canes, Christmas, playdough, scented playdough, sensory play

Edible Playdough Turkey Craft

November 22, 2023 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Here’s a sweet, edible playdough turkey craft just in time for Thanksgiving Day. It is suitable any time of the year for a farm animal theme. It is simple to make and uses five easy-to-find ingredients.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Supplies To Collect

Gather the following supplies for this color-infused playdough turkey:

  • chocolate frosting
  • vanilla frosting
  • powdered sugar
  • candy corn
  • white candy eyes
  • small serving plate
  • large mixing bowl
  • large spoon for stirring
  • knife

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Making The Edible Playdough

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To make this edible playdough, first select a large bowl for the ingredients.

Next, empty half a container of vanilla frosting into the bowl.

Then scoop in an equal amount of powdered sugar.

With a large spoon, stir the powdered sugar and frosting together.

Afterward, knead the ingredients thoroughly, adding more powdered sugar or frosting if necessary, until the dough is a non-sticky playdough consistency.

Make a similar batch of playdough using chocolate frosting, incorporating powdered sugar with the brown icing.

Then form a ball of vanilla playdough and a smaller one of chocolate. Knead the two balls together to get a light brown shade.

Finally, add a little vanilla playdough to a ball of chocolate. Knead them together to get the medium brown shade.

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Little learners will love to help make this tasty edible playdough, and will especially enjoy the kneading part. Discussions about color mixing, spheres, and small and large sizes can be introduced during the playdough and turkey-making process.

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The Edible Playdough Turkey

Fashioning the playdough turkey is almost as easy as making the two colors of dough.

First, form a ball of medium brown playdough and flatten it into a circle on a dessert plate.

Next, make a light bulb shape from the light brown playdough and press it on top of the circle, designing a turkey head and neck.

Then add two candy eyes and a candy corn beak.

Tip: Slice off the wide end of a piece of candy corn with a knife to make a shorter beak if desired.

Finally, position candy corn pieces all around the edge of the large playdough circle.

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You may have noticed that this playdough is super sweet. It’s a good idea to encourage participants to design their turkey first and then snack on some of the extra supplies.

After the turkeys are made and participants have had the chance to do a little snacking, wrap leftover frosting playdough in saran wrap and place it in a jar or plastic bag. Store the playdough and part containers of frosting in the fridge to use another time.

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Festive Graham Cracker Turkeys

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The leftover frosting and candy eyes will come in handy for desserts, so nothing will go to waste. One idea is to spread a thin layer of chocolate or vanilla frosting on graham crackers. Add two candy eyes to each one, and five candy corn pieces around the upper edges. Slice off the wider end of some of the candy corn pieces and place them under the eyes for beaks. You’ll end up with festive turkey treats that will quickly be gobbled up by your little charges.

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Non-Edible Playdough Turkey

The tasty turkey can be made with a basic playdough recipe instead of the sweet, edible dough. You can leave the playdough uncolored to create a white farm turkey or add varying amounts of brown gel icing color to small batches of playdough to get similar turkey colors as with the edible playdough turkey.

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More Turkey Activities

Paper Plate Turkey Craft

Turkey Sensory Tubes

Coffee Playdough Turkey

Turkey Playdough Tray

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More Playdough Recipes and Activities

Apple Playdough Tray

Scented Playdough Activities

Pumpkin Playdough Activities

Orange-scented Playdough Invitation

Chocolate Mint Playdough

Santa Claus Playdough Tray

Valentine’s Day Playdough Activities

St. Patrick’s Day Playdough Tray

Easter Playdough Tray

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[Read more…] about Edible Playdough Turkey Craft

Filed Under: art, autumn, crafts, desserts, farm animals, Food Art, playdough, preschool, Thanksgiving Day Tagged With: playdough, snacks, turkeys

Turkey Playdough Tray

November 5, 2023 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Turkeys are a big part of fall, and this turkey playdough tray celebrates them. Three rich fall playdough colors are featured, along with turkey-themed loose parts.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning activities.

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Turkey Playdough Ingredients

All three playdough colors in the tray are made with my go-to basic recipe, with an icing color added.

For the orange playdough, gather the following ingredients:

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 cup salt
  • 4 teaspoons cream of tartar
  • 2 cups water
  • orange icing color
  • 3 tablespoons oil

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How To Make Turkey Playdough

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To make the orange playdough, start by adding the first three ingredients to a sturdy pot and mixing them together.

Next, mix a half teaspoon of orange icing color in two cups of water, stirring well. Then blend in 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the oily, colored water to the dry ingredients and combine.

Afterward, heat the pot on the stove on medium heat.

Stirring frequently, cook until the mixture is no longer glossy and the dough forms a ball.

Then scoop the dough onto a cutting board.

Knead when cool, adding one tablespoon more oil.

Finally, store the playdough in a sealed plastic bag.

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Gold and Copper Playdough Colors

To make the gold playdough, stir a generous amount of buttercup yellow icing color into the water before mixing it with the oil and dry ingredients.

To make the copper playdough, stir in copper icing color instead of orange or yellow.

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Turkey Playdough Loose Parts

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Including loose parts in the turkey playdough invitation adds interest and offers more opportunities to develop finger and hand strength. The following loose parts are in the tray:

  • turkey game counters
  • life-like turkey figurine
  • pioneer and turkey cookie cutters
  • turkey wooden beads
  • turkey ring and cupcake topper
  • orange, red, and yellow spherical beads
  • yellow, orange, and red feathers
  • spotted brown feathers
  • small wiggly eyes
  • red and tan pipe cleaner sections

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Turkey Playdough Invitation

The orange, buttercup yellow, and copper playdough hues are complementary colors, so they go well together.

The turkey and pioneer cookie cutters are on point with the theme.

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Little learners have the opportunity to craft a turkey using playdough, feathers, and wiggly eyes. Cut and bent pipe cleaners work well for creating turkey feet and snoods.

The turkey counters and life-like turkey figurine provide models for creating playdough turkeys and are great for incorporating counting activities.

The fall-hued beads, turkey ring, and cupcake topper add interest to the manipulative play invitation.

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Besides being appropriate for a Thanksgiving or turkey theme, the beautiful playdough colors in the tray are perfect for any fall theme.

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More Turkey Activities

Paper Plate Turkey Craft

Turkey Sensory Tubes

Coffee Playdough Turkey

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[Read more…] about Turkey Playdough Tray

Filed Under: autumn, fall, farm animals, playdough, preschool, Thanksgiving Day Tagged With: farm animals, loose parts, playdough, Thanksgiving Day, turkeys

Apple Playdough Tray

October 15, 2023 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Tis the season of all things apple, and here’s a tantalizing apple playdough tray to add to your rotation of fall activities. It features playdough in three different scents and colors. The aromatic apple-themed sensory activity also works well for a nutrition or fruit and vegetable theme.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Apple-Scented Playdough Recipe

Gather the following easy-to-find supplies for this silky apple-scented playdough recipe:

  • apple-scented hair conditioner
  • cornstarch
  • large bowl
  • green food coloring
  • measuring cup
  • spoon for stirring

To make the simple no-cook recipe, first scoop 2 parts of cornstarch into a large bowl. Next, add one part apple-scented hair conditioner and mix it with the cornstarch using a stirring spoon. Then knead the scented dough ingredients together to make a smooth dough. If the dough is a bit crumbly, add a tad more hair conditioner. If it is a little slimy, add a bit more cornstarch. A playdough recipe couldn’t be any easier to make.

Apple themed playdough invitation with apple cutting board, ice cube tray, cookie cutters, leaves, and gems.

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Optional: Mix in a generous amount of green food coloring with the apple-scented hair conditioner before adding it to the cornstarch to get a light green color of playdough. You can also add the food coloring at the end. In this case, the playdough will look marbled with green at first and turn an even shade of light green after it has been used in a playdough invitation.

While you are making this recipe, it may not look like it will form a smooth playdough. Be assured that it will.

This dough becomes more mouldable as it is being handled. Round balls and other shapes are easy to form once it is warmed up a little with little human hands!

When using the dough for a second or third time, set it out and let learners add a tad more conditioner to their dough. If it gets a little mushy, have them work in a bit of cornstarch. They will love doing this.

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Apple-Scented Playdough Variations

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Since many apples come in varying combinations of red, green, and yellow hues, you can use other conditioner colors such as strawberry hair conditioner with red food coloring added to make red dough, and coconut hair conditioner with yellow food coloring added to make yellow dough.

Color mixing is a favorite activity for little learners, and they will relish the chance to mix all three colors of playdough together.

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Apple Playdough Tray

This apple playdough tray is easy to set up for little learners. Three colors of playdough are featured, but little learners would be more than happy to use only one scented playdough variety for the activity.

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In the tray are:

  • red, green, and yellow playdough
  • apple cookie cutters
  • alphabet letter wood stamps
  • leaf pie edgers
  • red, green, and yellow acrylic apple gems
  • green, red, and yellow apple counters
  • yellow, green, and red beads
  • brown pipe cleaners
  • drinking straws

Scented hair conditioner is an effortless ingredient to use in playdough, especially when only one or two other ingredients are required. Checking for it at dollar stores is an economical alternative.

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Having a bulk container of cornstarch ensures that there will be enough of this ingredient to make the playdough for a group of students. Using one cup of cornstarch to one-half cup of conditioner makes a recipe big enough for one or two children to share.

Loose parts such as yellow, green, and red apple counters, acrylic gems, and beads add interest to the tray.

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Pipe cleaners cut in half and wrapped around a pencil make curly caterpillars. Cut straws can be used to poke holes in the playdough and represent how caterpillars dig holes in apples and burrow inside.

Lowercase alphabet letter wood stamps offer an opportunity to spell the word apple.

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More Apple Activities

For more apple-themed activities, check out the following blog posts:

Apple Theme Activities

Watercolor Apples With Markers

Apple Print Activities

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[Read more…] about Apple Playdough Tray

Filed Under: apples, autumn, fall, preschool, sensory, trees Tagged With: apples, loose parts, playdough, scented playdough, sensory tray

Circus Playdough Tray

May 21, 2023 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

A bright and cheery circus playdough tray bound to spark your little learner's imagination. Playdough recipe included.
A bright and cheery circus playdough tray bound to spark your little learner's imagination. Playdough recipe included.

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Let the circus come to town with this colorful circus playdough tray. It includes a variety of bright and shiny loose parts that will spark the imagination of your little learners.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Supplies To Collect

Bright and cheery circus-themed loose parts tray for playdough or small world play.

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The following supplies work well in this circus-themed playdough tray:

  • round nesting cookie cutter set
  • train engine, star, and heart cookie cutters
  • bottle corks
  • popsicle sticks
  • thread spools
  • juice lids
  • geometric shape pattern blocks
  • large buttons
  • reusable ice cube stars
  • rings
  • rubber balls
  • clown figurines and accessories
  • people figurine stackers
  • metallic gold and silver spray paint
  • compartment serving tray

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The Circus Playdough Invitation To Play

Set out this cheerful circus playdough invitation for your little learners to explore. A playdough recipe is included.

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Before offering this inviting playdough tray, read a storybook about circus performers. One of my favorite picture books on this topic is “Circus” by Lois Ehlert.

Next, spray recyclable supplies such as bottle corks, popsicle sticks, and thread spools with metallic gold and silver paint and let them dry. These make great props for circus performer figurines.

Afterward, set all of the supplies in the compartments of a serving tray.

Then pick a playdough to use. I feature my favorite basic playdough recipe, which is soft, pliable, and stores well.

A bright and cheery circus playdough tray bound to spark your little learner's imagination. Playdough recipe included.

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Playdough Recipe

My go-to basic playdough recipe (featured in this post) has the following ingredients:

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 cup salt
  • 4 teaspoons cream of tartar
  • 2 cups water
  • 3 tablespoons oil

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Add the first three ingredients to a sturdy pot and mix them together.

Stir two tablespoons of oil into two cups of water.

Add the water and oil to the dry ingredients and combine.

Heat on the stove on medium heat.

Stirring frequently, cook until the mixture is no longer glossy and the dough forms a ball.

Place the dough on a cutting board.

Knead when cool, adding one more tablespoon of oil.

Store the playdough in a sealed plastic bag.

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Bright and cheery circus-themed loose parts tray for playdough or small world play.

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Your little learners will be excited to explore this cheery circus playdough tray with plenty of loose parts to use.

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More Playdough Activities:

Scented Moon Playdough

White Lilacs And Black Playdough

Pet-Themed Playdough Tray

Scented Playdough Activities

Watermelon Playdough Tray

Pumpkin Playdough Activities

Edible Playdough Pumpkins

Glam Skeleton Playdough Tray

Silver and gold loose parts complement the neutral palette in this glam skeleton-themed playdough invitation.

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Chocolate Mint Playdough

Gingerbread Playdough

Christmas Playdough

Santa Claus Playdough Tray

Orange-Scented Playdough Invitation

This orange-scented playdough invitation includes many scents and is perfect for Christmas or Chinese New Year celebrations.

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Winter Playdough Recipe

Valentine’s Day Playdough Activities

St. Patrick’s Day Playdough Tray

Easter Playdough Tray

Unicorn Playdough Tray

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[Read more…] about Circus Playdough Tray

Filed Under: circus, playdough, preschool, sensory Tagged With: circus, playdough, sensory tray

St. Patrick’s Day Playdough Tray

March 16, 2023 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

This St. Patrick's Day playdough tray will help children celebrate the special day. Two no-cook homemade playdough recipes are featured.
This St. Patrick's Day playdough tray will help children celebrate the special day. Two no-cook homemade playdough recipes are featured.

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It’s nice to have a new clump of playdough for every theme, and this recipe is my pick for St. Patrick’s Day. It is an easy-to-make, no-cook playdough that keeps well. In this post, the dough is showcased in a St. Patrick’s Day playdough tray.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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St. Patrick’s Day Playdough Recipe

Shamrock leaves add interest to a St. Patrick's Day playdough invitation. Two homemade playdough recipes are featured.

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The white playdough in this post is a fantastic homemade no-cook variety. I discovered the recipe for it on The Artful Parent website. The green and yellow playdough varieties featured are a result of minor tweaks to the recipe.

For the deep green playdough, gather the following ingredients:

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup salt
  • 1 tablespoon cream of tartar
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon green gel food color
  • 1/4 teaspoon glycerin (optional)
  • 1 cup boiling water

In a large metal bowl, measure the dry ingredients and mix them together.

Make a well in the center and add the oil, gel food color, and glycerin.

Boil water in a kettle and immediately add the liquid to the dry ingredients.

Stir the mixture well until all the ingredients are combined.

Let it sit for a bit until it firms up into a dough.

If the mixture is still a bit goopy after you have given it a few minutes to thicken, add a little more flour and stir again.

When cooled, knead the dough into a smooth ball and place it in a sealed bag.

Three different colors of playdough are featured in a St. Patrick's Day playdough tray for early learners to explore.

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To make the vivid yellow playdough, substitute yellow gel color for the green.

Glycerin is optional in the recipe but adds a little shine to the playdough.

Note: I’ve made the plain white no-cook playdough recipe several times, and never had to add more flour. But adding a little more flour at the end worked well for me this time when including gel food color in the recipe.

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The St. Patrick’s Day Playdough Tray

Set out this fun St. Patrick's day playdough tray for your little learners to explore. Three different colors of playdough are featured.

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Collected for this fun playdough invitation are:

  • rainbow, shamrock, and leprechaun hat erasers
  • green buttons
  • metallic and wooden shamrocks
  • small shamrocks and gold coins
  • gold beads
  • green necklace garland
  • shamrock cookie cutters
These St. Patrick's Day-themed loose parts are perfect for a playdough tray or a sensory play experience.

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All the shiny loose parts, from the large shamrocks to the tiny coins, are cut from St. Patrick’s Day necklaces.

Themed erasers are always a great addition to a playdough tray, as are a variety of buttons.

Setting the playdough and loose parts on a party tray is an eye-appealing way to offer the St. Patrick’s Day playdough invitation.

Set out this fun St. Patrick's day playdough tray for your little learners to explore. Three different colors of playdough are featured.

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If you have a shamrock plant available, snip off a few leaves to add to each participant’s playdough experience.

Shamrock leaves add interest to a St. Patrick's Day playdough invitation. Two homemade playdough recipes are featured.

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More St. Patrick’s Day Activities

Shamrock Paper Plate Lion

Shamrock Rolling Pin Art

Scissor Skill Shamrock Collage

St. Patrick’s Day Sheep Craft

Sweet sheep craft perfect for St. Patrick's Day or spring.

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St. Patrick’s Day Painted Shamrock

Crayon Resist Watercolor Shamrock

St. Patrick’s Day Sensory Tub

Leprechaun Sensory Jar

Gotcha! The mini trickster is caught in this leprechaun sensory jar.

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St. Patrick’s Day Woodland Sensory Bin

St. Patrick’s Day Jewelry Bin

Leprechaun Sensory Play

St. Patrick’s Day Treasure Blocks

St. Patrick's Day treasure blocks featuring a leprechaun and shamrock themed craft supplies and coins.

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St. Patrick’s Day Light Table Tray

Shamrock Dissolving Candy Experiment

St. Patrick’s Day Activities

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This St. Patrick's Day playdough invitation will help children celebrate the special day. Two no-cook homemade playdough recipes are featured.

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More Playdough Recipes and Activities

Apple Playdough Tray

Edible Playdough Turkey

Scented Playdough Activities

Invitation to create apples with scented, two-ingredient playdough, toothpicks, and apple leaves.

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Pumpkin Playdough Activities

Orange-scented Playdough Invitation

Chocolate Mint Playdough

Christmas accessories and glitter add a festive touch to this chocolate mint playdough activitiy.

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Santa Claus Playdough Tray

Valentine’s Day Playdough Activities

St. Patrick’s Day Playdough Tray

Easter Playdough Tray

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[Read more…] about St. Patrick’s Day Playdough Tray

Filed Under: playdough, preschool, St. Patrick's Day, themes Tagged With: loose parts, playdough, shamrocks, St. Patrick's Day

Orange-Scented Playdough Invitation

January 14, 2023 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

This orange-scented playdough invitation includes many scents and is perfect for Christmas or Chinese New Year celebrations.
This orange-scented playdough invitation includes many scents and is perfect for Christmas or Chinese New Year celebrations.

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This orange-scented playdough invitation introduces early learners to scents and colors that work with current festivities. The activity is a good fit for Christmas and carries over to Lunar New Year celebrations.

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Oranges And Christmas

Oranges have been part of Christmas traditions for many years. Here are some ways they were incorporated into the festive holiday season in times past:

  • In pioneer days, oranges were rare. As such, they were prized stocking stuffers.
  • Sliced oranges were used in natural decorations, such as wreaths, garlands, and tree ornaments.
  • Oranges were made into deliciously scented clove-studded pomanders that were displayed in Christmas décor afterward.
Cinnamon sticks, cloves, and star anise add fun to an orange-scented playdough invitation.

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Today, oranges are still popular in Christmas decorating projects. And people are encouraged to eat the nutrient-rich, vitamin C-packed fruit to ward off a cold or flu.

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Oranges And The Lunar New Year

Mandarin oranges, preferably with a stem and a few leaves attached, are given as gifts and used in decorating during Lunar New Year celebrations. They symbolize happiness, good luck, wealth, longevity, and fertility.

Mandarin oranges with stems and leaves attached indicate freshness and represent wishes for long life and fertility in Chinese New Year celebrations.

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Spices such as star anise, cloves, and cinnamon are native to parts of Asia. And these three spices are also part of Chinese five spice powder, a spice used to season many Asian dishes.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Orange-Scented Playdough Recipe

The orange jello in this recipe gives the dough a lovely citrus scent and a bright orange color.

For the playdough, gather the following ingredients:

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 cup salt
  • 4 teaspoons cream of tartar
  • 2 3 oz / 85-gram packages of orange jello powder
  • 2 cups water
  • 3 tablespoons oil

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How To Make Orange-Scented Playdough

An easy-to-make orange-scented orange playdough recipe showcased with loose parts early learners will love to explore.

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To make this soft, cooked playdough recipe, add the first three ingredients to a sturdy pot and mix them together.

Stir in two 3 oz/85 gram packages of orange jello powder into two cups of boiled water. Then stir in 2 tablespoons oil.

Add the fruity liquid to the dry ingredients and combine.

Heat on the stove on medium heat.

Stirring frequently, cook until the mixture is no longer glossy and the dough forms a ball.

Place the dough on a cutting board.

Knead when cool and add one more tablespoon of oil.

Wrap the playdough in saran wrap and place it in a sealed plastic bag to store it.

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The Orange-Scented Playdough Invitation

This orange-scented playdough invitation includes many scents and is perfect for Christmas or Chinese New Year celebrations.

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For a traditional vibe, offer the orange playdough on a tray with the following:

  • cinnamon sticks
  • star anise pods
  • whole cloves
  • ribbon
  • mandarin orange leaves and stems
  • tree sprigs
  • pine cones

The star anise, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and grated orange rind add additional scents for children to experience when using the playdough supplies. They contribute to the cultural vibes of the play invitation.

Tip: Show a few samples of pomanders and Christmas decorations using dried oranges before offering this playdough invitation to inspire creativity. Or display a miniature orange tree and/or oranges with stems and leaves attached for early learners to observe.

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Adding Grated Orange Rind

Grated orange rind, cloves, and cinnamon sticks add interest to an orange-scented playdough invitation.

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To extend this aromatic playdough experience, sprinkle grated orange rind near each participant’s work area. The crumbled, scented rind gives early learners a chance to incorporate a new texture into their creations.

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Orange-Scented Playdough Invitation Benefits

This orange-scented playdough invitation has many educational benefits. When using the playdough and accompanying supplies, early learners develop finger strength, important for being able to hold a pencil and use scissors. And eye-hand coordination is enhanced through making playdough creations.

An easy-to-make orange-scented orange playdough recipe showcased with loose parts early learners will love to explore.

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Below are suggestions to extend the learning potential of this playdough experience:

Language Development

Label spices and discuss their colors and shapes:

Highlight that star anise pods look like stars, whole cloves are shaped like nails, and cinnamon sticks look like tiny rolled logs.

Smell and describe the following scents:

  • the strong, sweet, licorice smell of star anise.
  • the fragrant, sweet smell of cinnamon sticks.
  • the strong, powerful smell of whole cloves.

Math Skills

Count cloves and star anise pods.

Count the points on star anise. There are usually six to eight points.

Discuss pairs: In parts of Asia, a pair of oranges is given to newlywed couples as a symbol of luck and fertility.

Creativity

Design oranges and pomanders from playdough and spices.

Incorporate natural materials in playdough designs.

Cinnamon sticks, cloves, and star anise add fun to orange-scented playdough creations.

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Cinnamon sticks, cloves, and star anise add fun to an orange-scented playdough invitation.

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More Playdough Recipes and Activities

Apple Playdough Tray

Edible Playdough Turkey

Scented Playdough Activities

Edible Playdough Pumpkins

Creating warty pumpkins is easy and fun with white chocolate chips and an edible, no-cook playdough recipe.

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Gingerbread Playdough

Chocolate Mint Playdough

Christmas Playdough

Santa Claus Playdough Tray

Valentine’s Day Playdough Activities

Red, pink and white playdough recipes, perfect for a Valentine's Day theme.

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St. Patrick’s Day Playdough Tray

Easter Playdough Tray

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[Read more…] about Orange-Scented Playdough Invitation

Filed Under: Chinese New Year, Christmas, playdough, preschool, sensory Tagged With: Chinese New Year, Christmas, loose parts, playdough, scented playdough

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Hi, I'm Annette Kaminsky. I am a preschool teacher who loves to share easy and fun early learning activities. Thanks for visiting my blog. Feel free to stay awhile!

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