This post originally appeared on March 1,2011.
Around here we have playdough ready at all times. I keep it in a plastic bin in my art cabinet. Today I really wanted to do something different with it though. So I made two different color batches of Kool Aid PlayDough. Then I brought out the animals.
what you need: Kool aid PlayDough ~ Animals
I rushed to prep the table while M and M were occupied. I made eight ovals and then pressed a different animal into each one.
I mixed the animals up on the table and called the kids over. I told them to find which animal made each imprint.
We had an even better time than I had expected. The kids worked hard finding a match and then they wanted me to walk away so they could set the stage for me. Big M even changed it up a bit and made foot prints.
M and M played with the animals for a while and then requested their usual playdough toys. Big M worked on a construction site.
And Little M baked her heart out.
This activity ended up lasting 3 hours! Wow, was I a happy lesson planning Mom!
Questions(to ask your kids): “How can you tell which animal is a match?” “Are the legs the same on every animal?” “Look at the texture, which animal would make these marks?”
Tips(to maximize learning): 1. Let your little ones help make the playdough. 2. Have them guess what will happen when the water is added to the dry ingredients. 3. Give your kids a chance to knead while the dough is still warm. . .but make sure you finish up otherwise it will be sticky.
For more creative ideas of how to play with play dough visit PlayDough Bakery and PlayDough Play!
More Rainy Day Fun
Rainy Day Fun with Science
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Rain Walk: Rain Experiment with Kids
This post contains affiliate links. As always, all opinions are mine. Read the fine print.
alison says
March 1, 2011 at 11:29 ami saw your comment on sits about swapping ‘first impressions’ and came over to take a peek. i think your blog is great…very straightforward and fits nicely into one niche. this dough animal activity is fun and something that my kids would have loved to do when they were preschoolers…my 6 year old might still enjoy it. if you get a chance i would love for you to visit me and tell me your impressions.
blessings,
alison
stuff and nonsense
Valerie @ Frugal Family Fun Blog says
March 1, 2011 at 5:13 pmLooks like lots of fun, and thanks so much for linking to FFFB! 🙂
amomwithalessonplan says
March 3, 2011 at 5:39 pmOf course! Thank you for being so fantastic.
Angelique Felix says
September 29, 2011 at 11:19 amWhat a creative post ! great way to learn about imprints of animals and matching shapes.
Thanks so much for sharing this activity with the World Animal Day BLOGHOP!
(http://www.angeliquefelix.com/blog/world-animal-day-2011-bloghop)
Angelique and the WAD organisation
Anna says
February 13, 2013 at 5:01 pmGreat idea! We’ve done a lot with animal footprints – had not thought to press the whole animal in.