EXCITING PLAYDOUGH ACTIVITIES

HAVE YOU FOUND THE DRAGON SLEEPING IN YOUR PLAYDOUGH?

Before I homeschooled our kids, they went to a private Waldorf school. I would watch them as they "did dough" first thing each morning. They would choose a ball of playdough out of the basket, help themselves to some cookie cutters, a knife or cutting instrument and a rolling pin. Then they would roll the playdough out. Cut shapes out or roll it around making a snake. Understandably within 10 to 15 minutes they would be bored. I love the feel and smell of playdough, okay, I have a passion for playdough! I felt that there had to be another way to play and craft it.

Well, I sat done with my kids one morning right at the beginning of our homeschool journey and we brainstormed about playdough. What could it be made into? How could we use it more? Let's have a look at how our "doing dough" time has changed.....

We've used playdough to build a landscape, mountains are made out of it, with rivers that run through it. Tiny toys are brought into the game, dolls, furniture, boats and even cars. A whole new world is created. A world where dragons, knights and princesses are the order of the day!

We've used playdough to make tiny food, for dolls and animals to serve in their restaurant. Cats, and mice, birds and snakes have sat down at our playdough restaurant and enjoyed an apparently delicious meal.

There have been times when our lessons run very late, as dough time, has been going on for the better part of 2 hours. That's okay, as they are learning in a different way. Both Juliette and StJohn, start off working on their own, and soon join forces and work together. They role play together, he is the chef, she is the waitress, then they're customers. Or they are setting sail in a boat, stocked with provisions made out of playdough, including at least one cat and a dog or two, and of course Puff the Magic Dragon.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that cookie cutters are great, but wow, when they bring other toys onto the playdough table, the fun really begins. Their imaginations take over and it is a joy to watch!

Important from an educational perspective, we've used playdough to learn our letters. We use Rudolph Steiners' Waldorf method of letter and number learning for Grade 1. Taking each letter, telling a story as we introduce it. It is then drawn on a large piece of paper as a picture, for example the letter V is drawn as a valley. But this is just a first step, for the child to really get to know and feel the letter, he needs to make it out of things, draw it in sand, cut it out of sandpaper, and feel it with his eyes closed.

I feel that the joy my kids feel using playdough has a lot to do with the quality of it. We've put together a playdough recipe that makes smooth, silky, pliable, colourful and heavenly smelling playdough. The kids love the smell of essential oils that wafts up as it heats up in their hands. Have a look at the homemade playdough recipe we use.

Thank you for spending this time with us. I hope we've inspired you to see playdough in a whole new way. A way which is a bit different, definitely fun and educational at the same time. Now you've found the dragon, he's in your playdough. He's waiting for you to wake him up. So just for a bit, stop thinking like a grown up, let your imagination run wild, go and "do dough"!

You won't regret it, I promise!