Make some sparkly Wizard Play Dough. It takes a few minutes to make and with the addition of some sparkly gems, can create some enchanting fun for little ones.
EYFS Areas Developed:
- Physical: developing dexterity and precision through moulding and shaping the dough, picking up and pressing in the small objects
- Expressive Arts & Design: creating a stories using objects, creating through various media and materials
- Communication & Language: uses talk in pretending that objects stand for something else in play
We started by making a batch of my Perfect No-Cook Play Dough. We adjusted the recipe slightly by adding a few drops of Lilac Wilton Food Gel into the boiling water and two desert spoons of glitter flakes into the mix too. Read the full play dough instructions to get started.
Once the dough came together I added another few dots of the food gel and gently kneaded it until it created a magical swirled effect throughout the dough.
Next was to set up the invitation to play. I use a tray but any surface or container will work. I put the dough in the middle and added some cookie cutters around the outside, I chose stars and a moon. I also added some sparkly pipe cleaners, some beads and some sparkly gems…and of course a little wizard figure (he came in a castle set). Then it’s time to play!
At Home
S (2.4yrs) set straight to making some magical cookies using the cutters and gems. She carefully cut out the shapes, prodded the gem in and then swiftly took them to her wooden kitchen to bake before handing one to me to ‘taste’.
She loved the addition of the wizard and started making him a house by pressing in pipe cleaners and sparkly beads. She stood him proudly in the middle before deciding he needed a pet snake to join him. She rolled one in her fingers and made him slither to the wizard hissing.
The Early Years Classroom
To extend learning for older children in an early years setting you could encourage children to make their own magical potions. Using the dough, they could make a cauldron. Set out a number of small objects that can be added into their potions such as, frogs, flowers and gems or of course they could mould their own objects from the dough. Provide some mark making materials so that children can list what is in their potions and keep their spells safe, this would create a fabulous Literacy link.
Accompanying Books
Book to fit in with the magical theme of this activity are (click-able links);
Did you enjoy this activity? You will probably love the PLAY DOUGH archive with lots more ideas!
Or have a browse of my PLAY DOUGH Pinterest board for more inspiration;
Follow Beth @ Wings and Roots’s board Play Dough on Pinterest.
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