Take Old Play dough Outdoors Just add Nature.

What do you do with old Play dough?  We take our retired play dough outdoors for some nature play.  When you add play dough outdoors and some mother nature, you may be surprised what a child’s imagination turns it into…

On a fabulous Spring day we had a play date at a local park with a good friend.  On the way out I spontaneously grabbed the play dough that was starting to dry out. It had its day, we’ve used it for nearly 6 months so it was due to be tossed out and we were due for some new colours using this soft Recipe that lasts ages.  Click here for the printable play dough recipe…

Add natural ingredients.

I grabbed it with the thought that I am chucking it out anyway so the kids might like to shove flowers and sticks in it or make prints of leaves for a while before getting rid of it.  Kids always love something different.  I didn’t expect it to be such a hit though, it looked awesome with bottlebrush flowers, different leaves and seeds from trees in it.  They were happy to explore and find natural ingredients for the dough.

Role Play – A Pretend Ice cream Shop.

After playing and exploring for a while, doing what I expected them to do… Adding bottle brush flowers, leaves, bark chip, seeds and sticks to the play dough while playing outdoors.  Making funny faces and patterns and all things fun.  The two friends found sticks and made play dough ice creams by wrapping and squeezing the flower covered dough around twigs, leaving enough as a handle.  They looked really cool.  They took them into the pretend kitchen and took turns being shop keepers, asking for different flavours and exchanging money (aka bark chip), pretending to lick and share ice creams with us.  The pretend play ice cream shop and use of the now re-vamped natural play dough outdoors went on for a while.

Lets Learn from play dough outdoors.

• Play dough encourages fine motor skills and coordination
• Developing descriptive vocabulary
• Role Playing real life scenarios and rehearsing what they observe adults doing.
• Imagination and creativity
• Play dough outdoors with nature requires use of sensory processes
• Play dough with friends encourages social learning; turn taking, conversation, sharing.

Try these in your super soft play dough…

My bestie is not fond of play dough in her home, but because play dough can be so versatile & you can take play dough outdoors,  I made this humorous quote aimed at her & all the parents out there who have a love hate with the dough!

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Have you ever taken your play dough outdoors?

Nae xx

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