If your having trouble finding activities during the summer in Dubai and it is simply too hot to play outside play dough is the perfect thing. Play dough is a fun creative activity for children and a great way to train little muscles in their hands to develop dexterity, build strength and refine fine motor skills! Encouraging your child to use both hands to roll, shape and even pound play dough can improve their bilateral hand coordination!
Play dough can be a great outlet for emotional stress and a wild imagination so simply refrain from distracting them and just let them play freely.
Not many nurseries are willing to share their secrete recipes but we simply couldn't keep this one to ourselves. We at Kids Island and Cocoon Nursery believe in "sharing is caring!" so here is our recipe for play dough we actually use.
Ingredients:
2 cups of plain flour (all purpose)
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
1/2 cup of salt
2 tablespoons of cream of tartar (powder) or replace with 6 tablespoons of lemon juice. Note: If you use lemon juice you will require less water.
1.5 cups of boiling water (Should be poured away from the children, on an adult counter top)
Food colouring or natural pigments such as turmeric, cinnamon… (optional)
Food essences strawberry, mint… (optional)
Recipe method:
Mix the flour, salt and cream of tartar in a large mixing bowl
Add food colouring/food essences (lemon juice if not using cream of tartar) and oil to the hot water, then add into the dry ingredients
Stir continuously until it becomes a sticky, combined dough
Allow it to cool down, then take it out of the bowl and knead it vigorously for a couple of minutes until all of the stickiness has gone. This is the most important part of the process, so keep at it until it’s the perfect consistency!
If it remains a little sticky then add a touch more flour until just right
Storage & Use:
Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Will last for months ☺. If it gets a bit dry just add a few drops of water and knead through until it’s a nice consistence again. To make it interesting and interactive, gather bits and bobs from around the house or garden, such as stones, sticks, leaves, bits of wool, acorns… and let your children explore!
Recipe created by The Imagination Tree
