playdough

Valentine’s Day Playdough Activities

February 7, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Valentine's Day playdough recipes and loose parts trays. A basic recipe with color variations and a jello playdough recipe is featured.

Playdough is a shoo-in for any Valentine’s Day theme. There are so many heart loose parts available to use, and who doesn’t like the chance to include red and pink colors in their play? In this post, I’ve included a basic playdough recipe and a jello recipe. The basic recipe includes color variations made with neon food colors. All the recipes are easy to use for introducing Valentine’s Day playdough activities to your little learners.

But first, the loose parts!

Valentine’s Day Loose Parts Trays

Here are two playdough trays brimming with loose parts. The tray below includes:

Valentine's Day playdough tray with loose parts and pink and white dough recipes.

rubber heart game pieces

X and O game pieces

toothpick cupcake toppers

wooden, gem, and foam hearts

buttons

heart erasers

natural colored gems

cookie cutters and rolling pin

This second tray includes:

Valentine's Day playdough tray with loose parts and blueberry, white, and lilac dough recipes.

heart bead garland

red and white bead garland

white and red gems

wooden, gem, and eraser hearts

large red beads

buttons

X and O game pieces

lollipop sticks

Basic Playdough Recipe

Valentine's Day playdough tray with loose parts and red, pink and white dough recipes.

My go to basic playdough recipe has the following ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 cup salt

4 teaspoons cream of tartar

2 cups water

3 tablespoons oil

*****

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

Stir two tablespoons 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.

Scoop the dough on to a cutting board.

Knead when cool, adding in one tablespoon more oil.

Store the playdough in a sealed plastic bag.

[Read more…]

Polar Dinosaur Sensory Play

January 30, 2021 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Three engaging sensory activities to explore whether dinosaurs could have survived in polar regions of the world.

Could dinosaurs have survived in polar areas of the world? Since fossils of many kinds of dinosaurs have been discovered in cold, icy regions, this question has been carefully pondered. Early learners can explore this idea through polar dinosaur sensory play.

Polar Dinosaur Discoveries

Northern Alaska is the best polar location to find dinosaur fossils, as fossils of many uniquely different dinosaurs have been unearthed there.

Fossils from at least eight types of dinosaurs have been discovered in Antarctica.

Dinosaur fossils have also been found in Siberia, Canada, southern Australia, New Zealand, and the southern tip of South America.

There have been discoveries of dinosaur trackways, footprints, teeth, skin impressions, and bones.

Collecting dinosaur fossils in polar regions is challenging because of the extreme weather conditions, rugged, hard to access places and difficulty in removing fossils.

Polar Dinosaur Sensory Tray

A simple way to incorporate the idea of polar animals living in cold parts of the world is to set up a polar dinosaur sensory tray.

Polar dinosaur sensory play with dinosaurs and winter-themed loose parts.

Items in the tray:

dinosaur figurines and skulls

acrylic ice cubes

turquoise acrylic gems

white, cream and blue gems

stones

cotton balls

snowflake confetti

dinosaur confetti

Loose parts tray featuring dinosaurs and winter-themed loose parts, perfect for exploring a polar dinosaur theme.

This is an eye-pleasing tray that is bound to draw children in. It works well for individual sensory play.

Sensory tray with dinosaurs and winter-themed loose parts, perfect for exploring a polar dinosaur theme.

Polar Dinosaur Playdough Tray

You can use most of the above items for a polar dinosaur playdough tray. I exchanged the dinosaurs for miniature ones and took out the cotton balls.

For the oh, so soft playdough recipe, click here.

Playdough tray featuring dinosaurs and winter-themed loose parts, perfect for exploring a polar dinosaur theme.

[Read more…]

Santa Claus Playdough Tray

December 10, 2020 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Fun red and white Santa Claus themed playdough invitation which features oh so soft and aromatic cherry jello playdough.

This Santa Claus playdough tray is stocked with white and cherry red dough. You’ll want to save this post to have the recipes on hand, as they are oh so soft and aromatic.

Santa Claus is a fun part of Christmas celebrations, and legend has it that he lives at the North Pole. With the help of his elves, he makes toys all year long. He fills a sack with toys on Christmas Eve and delivers them to children all around the world in a sleigh pulled by eight reindeer.

Related: Read a Christmas Santa Claus Story about how the jolly man may have originated on howstuffworks.com.

Santa-themed Loose Parts Tray

Santa Claus is most often pictured with a long white beard and red, fur-trimmed clothing. So red and white loose parts are predominant in this collection.

Red and white Santa Claus and reindeer themed loose parts tray.

The tray includes:

Santa and reindeer erasers

reindeer ring and buttons

red snowflake gems

red and white round gems

various sized white pearl beads

cut up candy striped straws

reindeer and stocking cookie cutters

Santa Claus and present shaped cookie cutters could be added to the tray.

Santa Claus-themed sensory tray with red and white loose parts.

White 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

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 in one more tablespoon of oil.

Store the playdough in a sealed plastic bag.

[Read more…]

Sunflower Seed Sensory Bin Activities

November 21, 2020 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Three sunflower seed sensory bins. Dinosaurs, sunflowers, pumpkins, sand toys, and loose parts are highlights of the bins.

A sunflower seed sensory bin is a fantastic way for early learners to explore these edible seeds, and use them in play. The seed base is a natural fit for fall and pumpkin-themed accessories. Here are three sensory bin suggestions brimming with these dramatic seeds.

Sunflower And Sand Toy Bin

Sand toys, sunflowers, and fall-themed gems in a sunflower seed sensory bin.

Add shovels. pails, sieves, watering cans, leaf gems, round fall-themed gems, and craft sunflowers in different sizes and colors to a sunflower seed base. This bin works well as a spring gardening center. Or extend summer into fall by offering the bin to your little learners in September.

[Read more…]

Pumpkin Playdough Activities

November 13, 2020 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Pumpkin playdough recipe and activities. Pumpkin, squirrel, and dinosaur themed playdough activities.

Pumpkin playdough will send an oh, so pleasing pumpkin spice aroma around the room while your early learners have loads of fun playing with it. It is soft and rubbery, and won’t easily crumble. Here is the recipe, and a few engaging pumpkin playdough activities.

Playdough Ingredients

1 cup flour

1 cup water

1/2 cup salt

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

red food coloring (a little)

yellow food coloring (lots)

a few drops of oil

[Read more…]

Sea Star Activities And Facts

August 3, 2020 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Sea star theme activities for early learners. Art, sensory, and math activities featured. Sea star facts and links to resources included.

Sea stars have no trouble taking the spotlight along the sea edge or in an aquarium. They are stunning ocean creatures and come in a huge array of colors. And these sea star activities for early learners? They deliver.

Follow on Pinterest for more activities.

Ten Fast Facts About Sea Stars

Many sea stars live in shallow water; all live on the ocean floor.

Five-armed sea stars are common, but some have 10, 20, or even 40 arms.

Just like octopuses, sea stars can grow back a lost arm.

Sea star eyes are at the end of their arms and look like red spots.

Up to thirty-five years is how long sea stars can live.

Sea water gets pumped through sea star bodies instead of blood.

Hundreds of tube feet on the underside of their bodies help sea stars move, hang on to rocks, and pull away.

Sea stars have soft bellies and tough spiny or leathery skin on their backs.

Clams, oysters, and snails are foods these carnivorous creatures eat.

Their bright colors allow sea stars to blend in with their surroundings, and help scare off attackers.

Sea Star Activities

Sea Star Sensory Tray

Sea stars purchased at a craft store, and seashells, smooth rocks, and gems arranged in blue-hued water make an inviting sensory tray for early learners to explore.

Sea Star Counting

Colorful sea star counters and a ten frame give little learners hands-on counting practice. Download the ten frame here.

Taste Safe Playdough And Sea Stars

This no-cook, easy to make playdough recipe is taste safe. Anyone with a sweet tooth will love it.

You will need:

1 cup store-bought vanilla frosting

1/2 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup icing sugar

yellow and red food coloring

Mix and knead the frosting, cornstarch and icing sugar in a bowl. This should make a moldable dough. If the playdough is a little sticky, knead in a bit more cornstarch. If the dough is dry, add a spoon or two of frosting.

Divide the dough into a large and small lump. In the smaller lump, knead in a little yellow and red food coloring. Place the playdough pieces on a tray along with sea stars, sea star molds, shells, stars, and chocolate chips. (Read on to find out why chocolate chips are on the tray.) Any ocean-themed loose parts you have handy will work.

Invite your early learner to explore the playdough and loose parts.

Sea star sensory play invitation using taste safe playdough.

The recipe makes enough playdough for one or two children to use. Multiply the ingredients if more little learners are participating in the activity.

Playdough Chocolate Chip Sea Star

Yes, there are starfish named “chocolate chip sea stars!” These sea stars come in a variety of colors but always have dark brown spots on top. They grow up to 15 inches / 38 centimeters in size and make good pets.

Invite your little learner to mold a five-armed chocolate chip sea star with the vanilla playdough. Then encourage adding little dots of orange-red playdough to the top of the starfish, and pressing in chocolate chips. This will complete the sea star.

Chocolate chip sea star made with taste safe playdough.

This sea star is featured in the engaging picture book “I See Sea Food: Sea Creatures That Look Like Food” by Jenna Grodzicki.

Sea Star Art

The two-ingredient paint recipe used in this art activity has previously been featured in my Octopus Theme Activities blog post. It works well in sea star art too. This project is inspired by the pink short-spined sea star. Click the link below for a video tutorial.