Sensory play in the cooler weather
Play builds the kind of free-and-easy, try-it-out, do-it-yourself character that our future needs. We must become more self-conscious and more explicit in our praise and reinforcement as children use unstructured play materials: “That’s good. You use your own ideas….” “That’s good. You did it your way….” “That’s good. You thought it all out yourself.”
James L. Hymes, Jr., child development specialist, author
Young children learn through play so toys that only do one thing (for example a push button figurine) will not encourage a child to extend imaginative play. But sand and water play, gardening, playdough or cooking will provide a lot of opportunity for any child aged from one to twelve or beyond to explore sensory play.
Now the weather is cooler a warm batch of playdough is fun and easy to make.
Playdough Recipe
Into a bowl put:
2 cups plain flour
1 cup salt
2 tablespoons cream of tartar
Into a cup put a teaspoon of food colouring, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and add 2 cups of very hot water. Mix all together until a firm dough is formed. If it is too wet, put in a microwave oven for 30 seconds. If it is too dry add small amounts of water until it doesn’t crumble.
We made playdough at playgroup today in three colours and allowed the children to experiment mixing yellow and blue playdough to make green. Each family took home a bag of rainbow playdough and the recipe to continue the fun.
Judyth Roberts
Seaton Central
