No Flour Playdough

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A Facebook fan of mine asked me about making rice four or flour-free playdough for those who are gluten sensitive.  As I am lucky enough to have a family without food allergies, I turned to my network of preschool bloggers.  Dawn from chasing the seasons shared a wonderful recipe with me using only baking soda, cornstarch, and water.  This dough is silky, smooth, and easy to mold; a nice addition to sensory play.     

Cornstarch, baking soda and water make up the basic ingredients of this lovely dough.  You can also add color (we used a bit of tempera paint) and scents (essential oils or cooking essences).  

 First we added the color and orange oil to the water.  

 We placed the baking soda into the pot.

 Then we added the cornstarch.  Michael likes to touch everything so I encouraged him to feel the cornstarch.

I showed Michael how it can make his skin soft (makes a great body powder).  

My son, who has no problem being dirty all day long, was distraught by the cornstarch on his arm.

After the dry ingredients were added, Michael poured in the colored water.  

We moved the pot to the stove where we began cooking the dough.  Michael quickly became bored and left me to stir.  

The completed dough, still warm to the touch.  

Michael enjoyed sticking his fingers in the warm dough.  Soon after he asked to play outside with Playdough...the store bought kind!  I'd hoped to capture him playing with the dough on another day, but alas, my daughter played with the dough and left the bag open, causing the dough to become dry.  And of course, she played with it at a moment I was unable to shoot pictures of her enjoying it.  I suppose I'll just have to make it again another day!    

Recipe: 

• 2 Cups Baking Soda (1 box)
• 1 Cup Corn Starch
• 1 1/2 Cups Water
• Color (we added a bit of tempura paint until we received the color we desired)
• Scents (optional): We added Orange Oil giving the dough a nice aroma

Add color (and scent) to water.  Combine baking soda and cornstarch in a pot, then add water to the powdered mixture.  Cook on medium heat until the dough forms a ball.  Cool and knead.  

**A gross side note- While stirring the dough on the stove my son and I discovered bits of bug floating around in the goo.  Seems a pincher bug (or bugs) crawled into the paint somehow.  Mind you, I've had this particular bottle of paint for over 8 years!  It's never dried out but had apparently captured insects!  What was left was quickly discarded and I had to spend several minuets fishing bug parts out of our dough.  The moral of the story is beware of your paint storage area...oh and in case you don't know, cockroaches will eat dried tempera paint so beware of what you store that you have painted (classroom decorations and such)!  Blah!      

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It's Playtime: Fabulous Favorites #2

Once again, I'm proud to host our readers' favorite posts from last weeks It's Playtime.  This includes the blogs which were viewed or "liked" the most on the linky.    

Play Create Explore topped our views last week with these lovely, rainbow, Playdough Filled Balloons. Fun for the kids and good stress relief for mom.  I love the rainbow colors!

Our own co-hostess, Quirky momma, was popular this week with her Hairy Hotdogs!  This yummy meal combines two child favorites: pasta and hotdogs!  What's not to love???  A great meal for when mommy and daddy need a night out and the 16 year old babysitter is cooking.  

Another top viewed post is this Salt Painting from Lightning Bug Literacy.  The colored rock salt reminds my of little gems; like something you would see in pirate treasure.  A great sensory/art project for little hands!

Seems many of you clicked over to Praises of a Wife and Mommy to learn how to make your own Puffy Paint.  This is a great recipe because I guarantee that most of you have these items laying around the house!   I usually find the best art supplies are those you don't have to buy.  

Those of us who have been working with kids along time have made sensory bottles at one time or another.  Well Come Together Kids stepped up the oil and water bottle idea by adding Alka Seltzer tablets, creating a DIY Lava Lamp.  

So now your done with those Playdough Filled Balloons, right?  Wrong!  Share & Remember showed us how to reuse sensory balloons to create beautiful Sensory Balloon Paintings.  Easy to hold, fun to squish, and perfect for creating unique process art!  

And just when we thought cardboard boxes couldn't be any more fun, An Amazing Child gave us one more thing to do with them...A Messy Painting Box! A contained space for art exploration; what a wonderful idea!  Now where can I get a new box?????

If you were featured this week, don't forget to grab your special "featured button."

<a href="http://messypreschoolers.blogspot.com/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeEYKQj4S7oHoLKfsA3PoeXgaNMJ5dxkdUxIphbmwXOlbFg78Gwl73-rT8AdMTgmqYmIJZrkJRYOqOEItkCbR_exui4YhZqLlwZaBHXhC5slGyqPScnxvq-zrQezw9-MdIUiecgW3fxKg/s1600/featured-messykids.jpg" width="150/" /></a>

Now, on to this weeks play date! 

It's Playtime is a community and Thursday link-up hosted by:

* Rachele : Messy Kids (That's me!)
* Anna : The Imagination Tree
* Rachel : Quirky Momma
* Jamie : hands on : as we grow
* Jenny : Let the Children Play

How to Play :

* Link up a post about a playful learning experience enjoyed by kids.
* Give us love and pop a button into your post/blog. Invite your readers to the weekly play date!

<a href="http://messypreschoolers.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VWLA7lm_Fqc/TaNHGpGSuVI/AAAAAAAAEX0/DGSvqIT7fyU/s320/RED-itplaytime.jpg" width="150" /></a>

* Stop by one of our blogs every Thursday and add your link about play. Your link will show up on each of the blogs in the It's Playtime community.
* Each week the playtime hosts will choose favorite posts to feature. (By linking you are giving us permission to use an image and link to you, if featured.)
* Be sure to visit some of the links that catch your eye. Commenting on posts that you find interesting or inspiring is a wonderful way to develop your own playful community.

Keeping Cool: Ice Excavation

Here in the U.S. it's summer.  We are all looking for ways to have fun with our little ones while keeping cool at the same time.  Recently, I had my play group over for some messy play, and since it was so hot, I decided to set up an ice sensory activity.

Here is what I did:

1. Freeze water with small toys in ice trays and plastic containers (tupperware).  
2. At playtime, empty ice into tubs, sensory table, or large bowls.  
3. Provide children with droppers, basters, containers of colored water, spoons, and salt.  The salt speeds the melting process along and if you have large blocks of ice, it will also create cool crevices in the ice as it melts. 
4. Stand back and watch the fun!  

What they are learning/developing:

1. Exercising fine motor skills as they use the droppers
2. Science: observing change
3. Science: hypothesizing (especially if playing with friends)
4. Math: volume
5. Socialization & Cooperation (when working with friends) 
6. Color mixing (blue water + red water= purple water!)
7. Patience

Check out these other ice sensory ideas:

• Baby Play: Ice Sensory hands on: as we grow
• Ice sculptures with salt and liquid water colors The Artful Parent
• Creative play with ice for toddlers Sixty Second Parent

And look for more "Beat the Heat" ideas this week at hands on: as we grow! 

Linked with:
NurtureStore

It's Playtime: Creative Messes

I'm a big believer in messy play.  I used to drive my co-teachers crazy with the messy activities I'd set up at preschool; from flour sensory play to painting with shoes there was never a lack of messiness in my classroom.  My kids practice messy play at home too.  My son enjoys mixing up strange concoctions and my daughter regularly uses her face painting kit to practice her artistic skills on all the kids in the neighborhood.  Recently my son enjoyed playing in the sprinklers....err...the mud outside.

Last week's It's Playtime was full of creative messy play and art ideas.  From painting with hats to playing in a kiddie pool of shaving cream, these kids made a mess....and had a blast doing it!

Over at The Play-Based Classroom, these kids tried Painting with Hats.  To me, this is what preschool should be all about: experimenting!      

Our very own It's Playtime pal, hands on: as we grow, posted this messy Koolaid Paint activity.  Koolaid, ice, and a little boy, what better combination can you think of for messy play?  Henry even made a cool and colorful mess during clean-up time!    

Tinkerlab used cookie sheets to create unique and beautiful Monoprints.  And what little one can resist a moment to stick her hands in paint?  None that I know!  

What's more fun then a birthday party?  How about a Messy Art Birthday Party!  L from Play Create Explore had the messiest 3rd birthday party I've ever seen!  And boy, these kids are having a blast!  And while you are there, check out another messy art idea they posted last week, Painting on a Dry Erase Board.

If you were featured this week, don't forget to grab your special "featured button."

<a href="http://messypreschoolers.blogspot.com/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeEYKQj4S7oHoLKfsA3PoeXgaNMJ5dxkdUxIphbmwXOlbFg78Gwl73-rT8AdMTgmqYmIJZrkJRYOqOEItkCbR_exui4YhZqLlwZaBHXhC5slGyqPScnxvq-zrQezw9-MdIUiecgW3fxKg/s1600/featured-messykids.jpg" width="150/" /></a>

Now, on to this weeks play date! 

It's Playtime is a community and Thursday link-up hosted by:

* Rachele : Messy Kids (That's me!)
* Anna : The Imagination Tree
* Rachel : Quirky Momma
* Jamie : hands on : as we grow
* Jenny : Let the Children Play

How to Play :

* Link up a post about a playful learning experience enjoyed by kids.
* Give us love and pop a button into your post/blog. Invite your readers to the weekly play date!

<a href="http://messypreschoolers.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VWLA7lm_Fqc/TaNHGpGSuVI/AAAAAAAAEX0/DGSvqIT7fyU/s320/RED-itplaytime.jpg" width="150" /></a>

* Stop by one of our blogs every Thursday and add your link about play. Your link will show up on each of the blogs in the It's Playtime community.
* Each week the playtime hosts will choose favorite posts to feature. (By linking you are giving us permission to use an image and link to you, if featured.)
* Be sure to visit some of the links that catch your eye. Commenting on posts that you find interesting or inspiring is a wonderful way to develop your own playful community.

It's Playtime: Dinosaur Attack!

I have dinosaurs on the brain.  My son wants to have a spinosaurus birthday cake next month so I've been thinking up dinosaur themed activities for his party.  Lucky for me (and now you) several wonderful dinosaur themed activities were posted last week on It's Playtime.

I just love sensory play!  I have a great sensory activity planned for Michael's party (which I will share afterwards..tee hee hee).  This Dinosaur World multi-sensory activity came from Living at the Whitehead Zoo.  They combined water, ice, sand, and of course dinosaurs, creating several wonderful activities in one space.    

I just loved this Dinosaur Egg project from Snails and Puppy Dog Tails.  They created the "eggs" from household items, let them dry, then cracked them open with a hammer revealing the dinosaurs inside.  I think, instead of gift bags, each of Michael's birthday party guests will get a dinosaur egg.  What do you think?  

Over at Prepare to Play! they had More Dinosaur Fun making rock dinosaurs, drawing dinosaur skeletons, and creating dinosaurs from salt dough.  While you're there, check out their Dinosaur Land. 

 I have a theory about dinosaurs being the basis for dragon legends so I'm including this cute dragon activity from Adventures at Home.  Her son, like mine, loves the movie, How to Train Your Dragon, so they decided to create old looking paper (like the dragon book from the movie) and draw their own dragons.  Of course, sometimes, things don't go as planned :)

If you were featured this week, don't forget to grab your special "featured button."  

   

<a href="http://messypreschoolers.blogspot.com/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeEYKQj4S7oHoLKfsA3PoeXgaNMJ5dxkdUxIphbmwXOlbFg78Gwl73-rT8AdMTgmqYmIJZrkJRYOqOEItkCbR_exui4YhZqLlwZaBHXhC5slGyqPScnxvq-zrQezw9-MdIUiecgW3fxKg/s1600/featured-messykids.jpg" width="150/" /></a>

Now, on to this weeks play date! 

It's Playtime is a community and Thursday link-up hosted by:

* Rachele : Messy Kids (That's me!)
* Anna : The Imagination Tree
* Rachel : Quirky Momma
* Jamie : hands on : as we grow
* Jenny : Let the Children Play

How to Play :

* Link up a post about a playful learning experience enjoyed by kids.
* Give us love and pop a button into your post/blog. Invite your readers to the weekly play date!

<a href="http://messypreschoolers.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VWLA7lm_Fqc/TaNHGpGSuVI/AAAAAAAAEX0/DGSvqIT7fyU/s320/RED-itplaytime.jpg" width="150" /></a>

* Stop by one of our blogs every Thursday and add your link about play. Your link will show up on each of the blogs in the It's Playtime community.
* Each week the playtime hosts will choose favorite posts to feature. (By linking you are giving us permission to use an image and link to you, if featured.)
* Be sure to visit some of the links that catch your eye. Commenting on posts that you find interesting or inspiring is a wonderful way to develop your own playful community.

Play Cooking Concoctions

My son loves to help me cook.  He also loves to play cooking outside (the only place I let him make a mess).  Recently I found some old wooden salad bowls and spoons in my garage and thought they would be perfect for sensory play.  We've also been saving spice bottles, cheese shakers, and other great plastic food containers for his outdoor kitchen time.  Recently we drug it all out and set it outside on his play table along with colored water, powdered milk, and flour.  Then he mixed and matched until my patio was covered in goo...and so was he.

 I filled one of the spice bottles with colored water.  Michael adds it to the bowl.

 Then he added some powdered milk to the colored water.  

 Michael is a dumper.  He can't just add a little flour to his bowl, he has to dump the whole thing in!  This is especially frustrating when he is playing with water because he hasn't quite learned that a large cup of water won't fit into a smaller cup, so water goes everywhere, and I am constantly refilling his containers.  My consolation is that as he plays, he'll eventually learn this basic math concept.

 Michael tries out the wooden spoon.  

 "Taste" Test

 Dumping some of his concoction into a spice bottle.  

  In the end, his sensory play always comes down to using old medicine dispensers as squirters. 

Learning Benefits:

• Math: Basic Measurement Concepts
• Risk Taking
• Science: Change, Senses, Hypothesizing
• Imagination!   

Do you have an outdoor play kitchen or messy play area?  If not, they are easy to create and can cost you $0 to very little $$.  Most children don't even care if they have a table to play on; a spot in the grass or dirt works just as well!

Outdoor Kitchen Ideas:

• Plastic yogurt containers (large and small)
• Parmesan cheese shaker
• Old spice bottles
• Juice bottles
• Old tupperware, dishes, utensils, etc.  
• Old Medicine droppers/dispensers
• Boxes
• Baking sheets, pans, cupcake tins, cake pans, etc.
• Old pots and pans
• Sea Shells
• Old tea pot

Concoction Ideas (one or any combination!):

• Mud 
• Leaves
• Flowers
• Flour
• Dried Milk
• Cornstarch
• Old spices
• Baking soda
• Water (add some color for extra fun!)
• Left-over cooked spaghetti
• Rocks
• Weeds

For inspiration check out these great blogs/links:

• Let the Children Play (a variety of outdoor kitchen play ideas and links to other outdoor kitchens)
• Active Kids Club- Potions
• Outdoor Play Spaces- A collection of outdoor play spaces for inspiration
• hands on: as we grow- Stirring and Mixing  
• The Imagination Tree- Outdoor Concoctions Kitchen

Linked With:

NurtureStore