Sensory Table Playdough

Materials 

1. Sensory table
2. 4 cups flour
3. 1 cup salt
4. 1  3/4  cups warm water
5. Small containers with lids
6. Large empty bowl

Instructions

1. Make playdough with the children using the sensory table.
2. 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.
3. 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."
4. Give the children a few minutes. Watch and see what they do. They may dig in and start mixing the ingredients together.
5. 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.
6. After the children have mixed the playdough and played with it for a while, offer containers for storage.
7. 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.