Materials
- Sensory table
- 4 cups flour
- 1 cup salt
- 1 3/4 cups warm water
- Small containers with lids
- Large empty bowl
Instructions
- Make playdough with the children using the sensory table.
- Put 4 cups of flour in a large container, 1 cup of salt in a container, and 1 3/4 cups warm water in a container. Place the containers and a large empty bowl in the sensory table.
- Encourage the children to look at the ingredients. Don't give them any instructions on how to make the playdough. Simply say, "Here's what you need to make playdough."
- Give the children a few minutes. Watch and see what they do. They may dig in and start mixing the ingredients together.
- If, after a few moments, the children don't start mixing the ingredients, offer some encouragement. Offer hints as needed. However, try not to lead the children too much. Give them ample time to figure things out on their own. Sooner or later, they will realize what needs to be done and start mixing away.
- After the children have mixed the playdough and played with it for a while, offer containers for storage.
- If desired, double or triple the recipe and let the children make the playdough as described. Then give each child a small zipper-closure bag to bring home some playdough.
More to do:
Add a flavorful twist by letting the children add a package of unsweetened drink mix to the playdough.
Instructions
1. Give each child two paper
plates. Ask them to color their
plates with a brown crayon or
marker.
2. Help the children cut out the
inside circle (usually clearly
marked) from one of the paper
plates, leaving just a rippled, outer
edge.
3. Help them staple the inside circle on
top of the second paper plate to make
the monkey's head and body.
4. Ask the children to staple the rippled, outer
edge from the cut paper plate to the
bottom of the monkey's body to make a tail.
5. Using yellow construction paper, cut out a
monkey shape face and give one to each child. Ask
them to glue it onto the head.
6. Let them glue on buttons for eyes.
7. Using brown construction paper, cut
out two ears, a nose, mouth, and
four long strips about 1" wide for
arms and legs. Children could draw
the nose and mouth with a crayon
or marker instead of cutting them
out.
8. Help the children glue all the body
parts to the paper plate head and body.
9. It is fun to display these monkeys in
the classroom, hanging them by
their tails!
