MINI MONDAY: CANADA DAY PLAY DOUGH
Create your own red and white play dough to celebrate Canada Day in sensory style!
Materials
- 1 cup of Flour
- ¼ cup of Salt
- ¾ cup of Water
- 3 tablespoons of Lemon Juice
- Food Colouring (Optional)
- Parchment Paper
- Wooden Spoon
- Bowl
- Pot
Directions:
- Boil some water. Pour ¾ cups of boiling water into a pot.
- Add 3 tablespoons of lemon juice and the desired amount of food colouring (optional) to the boiling water. Use those muscles to stir it with the wooden spoon and mix it all together!
- In a separate bowl, mix 1 cup of flour and ¼ cup of salt together.
- Slowly pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing as you go.
- Place the pot on medium heat on the stove and stir until the mixture thickens (depending on the age of your child, they may be able to help with this step, or you may want to stir this mixture on your own).
- Take the mixture off the stove, and place flour on a piece of parchment paper. Scoop the mixture onto the parchment paper and roll it around in the flour. As you do this, talk about how it feels. Does it start off being very sticky? Does mixing it with the flour change how it feels?
- Once your dough is firm, it’s time to play! Try making a variety of different shapes. Can you make something that helps celebrate Canada Day?
Keep the fun and learning going! Can you…
- Make both red and white play dough for some extra festive Canada Day fun?
- Make different shapes with the play dough?
- Make the biggest ball of play dough that you can? What about the smallest ball?
ESSENTIAL LEARNING EXPERIENCES
Sensory Development
Sensory development allows children to make sense of the information being received by their senses. It includes touch, taste, smell, sight, and sound. This week’s activity helps to promote sensory development and awareness by asking children to think about how the play dough feels – both as they’re making it, and while they’re playing with it.
Gross Motor Skills
Gross motor skills are developed when children use their larger muscles, like the ones in their arms and legs. Gross motor skills are used for all kinds of movements – like crawling, rolling, running and jumping. This week’s activity helps to support the development of gross motor skills by allowing children the opportunity to use the muscles in their arms as they stir the ingredients for their play dough together!
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