26 January 2012

preschool project / cloud dough









notes // cloud dough feels like soft squeezable sand which molds easily into shapes. we love cloud dough. it was messier than i thought, but super fun and simple to make. i was glad i used a large container with tall-ish sides and i was happy baths were directly after this preschool project. be prepared to let little ones think of new things to introduce to the sand. i kept calling it moon sand, because it acts more like damp sand than any 'dough' i've ever come across. however we made lots of pretend pies and cookies with our cloud dough. benji let it sift through his fingers and hugged it in his palms. it's so relaxing. he was thrilled with the impressions it made with his truck tires. next time i'm getting out his dinosaurs to make 'footprints'. and (bonus!) the baby oil softened my cuticles during playtime. the cloud dough has remained soft and moldable for three days; i'm unsure if/when it will lose its awesomeness. there are more preschool projects to come; hope you're game.

p.s. we listened to brad paisley cds throughout our cloud dough experimenting. i'm cramming to memorize all of his music by friday night. we're headed to his concert (haven't been to a concert in forever, plus it's our first country music concert ever)! surely it'll be a night to remember. i love that dan is a recent convert to country music and is totally pulling me into it; every morning we wake up to a little twang with our toast. am super excited. however i'm nervous i'll start crying. his sappy tunes get me every time. anytime i need a good sob fest, country music is my go-to. does it have this effect on everyone?

inspiration for making cloud dough originated with tinkerlab's version.

13 comments:

Hannah said...

Brad Paisley is a favorite in our home too. I was raised in Texas, so I've grew up with Garth Brooks and The Judds. I love country music! My husband, however, is a recent convert too. Have fun. I'm super jealous.

The Moon Sand looks like something my kids would love! Thanks for the recipe!

Jessie said...

that cloud dough looks amazing!! i've been seeing it all over pinterest, and was interested if it was as awesome as it looks. i'm excited to make some!

have fun at the brad paisley concert!! i went to his concert a few years ago with my mom + sister, and we had a blast! i'm going to lady antebellum in march...can't wait :)

Hannah said...

Marta, this cloud dough is a lovely idea.
I made a fun dough with my Nursery class at school today that I haven't done before - we'd run out of playdough (which I make by the boat load!) so we just mixed flour with baby bubble bath mixture - it creates a wonderfully stretchy dough that the children loved.
Another wonderfully tactile mixture is cornflour & water (with a dash of food colouring for brightness). It's incredible because it is runny yet solid & not sticky - a very fun texture for children & adults!
I've found the children I teach also love sand mousse - sand mixed with washing up liquid & whisked together with a hand whisk.
Oh, one more idea - this week we've been bringing huge blocks of ice into school with shells, buttons & sequins frozen inside (we've used any shape tupperware pots we have in our kitchens!) My 3 & 4 year olds have been fascinated by these & spend ages working out how to get the objects out - either by adding warm water to them, or breaking them!
It's so lovely to see the precious times of exploration with Benji. Thanks, as always, for sharing.

Amanda said...

This is such a great activity! I've pinned it so that someday (in the far away future) I can do it with my kids.

Unfortunately, my mom wasn't a huge fan of messy activities. I would've loved to get in there and make stuff!

cecilia said...

This is so cool. I'm definitely game for more preschool activities.

And Brad Paisley...I grew up in Texas so I know way too many words to way too many country songs from the 90's. It was impossible to learn the words to all these songs, after hearing them over and over at school dance after school dance. Oh, the memories...

Have fun on your date!

Anonymous said...

How fun! Another fun (& messy) activity that I used to do with my son, was to fill a LARGE, high-sided container with a 5 pound bag of generic rice. Same thing as moon sand, but different texture. Fun to dig, sift, measure & drive trucks through! :)
Shar

Tara said...

So glad you are posting often again Marta! I have little ones at home too and your preschool activities are inspiring me to roll up my sleeves and get dirty! Thank you. This looks fun and will try it tomorrow. Starting to love country music as well-usually gives me a good cry!

Tara said...

So glad you are posting often again Marta! I have little ones at home too and your preschool activities are inspiring me to roll up my sleeves and get dirty! Thank you. This looks fun and will try it tomorrow. Starting to love country music as well-usually gives me a good cry!

Travelin'Oma said...

It thrills me to my toes that you are this kind of mom.

Andrea said...

Thanks for sharing...my kids would love this.

Random I know...but remember the boots you liked long ago? I don't remember if you purchased them or not, but I fell in love with them and just saw that they are on sale now at endless.com for $119.

AND, funny about the music. I'm an Idaho girl and grew up listening to country, but married an ID boy who grew up listening to classical. I now listen to classical. :) But did enjoy those country music days. Ha. Ha. Have fun at the concert!

And, I think this is my first comment on your blog even though I've read it for quite some time. (It's great.) I'm Andrea--nice to meet you. :)

Melissa said...

Love the dough. You are a great mom providing all of these fun activities for your boy. It's such a special time. My 9-year-old asked for the playdoh the other day. I'm SO getting it out this weekend!

brooke said...

This post inspired me to be a better mom...Ry Ry is on the couch watching the tube as I type this.

I am so excited you have converted to country music! It is my fav! Have fun tonight!

Ashley said...

This looks like fun. Thanks for sharing.

I love Brad Paisley's music too.

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