Exploring Tools and Textures with Play Dough
Play , Winter 2010
Rhythm of the Home4 Comments
I enjoy having a variety of creative hands-on activities tucked away for the long stretch of cold winter days. As a former ceramics instructor my heart always sings a bit when I hear “Mama, can we get the play dough out?”
Keeping a little box of play clay objects, a small heavy duty canvas, and the play dough in one location not only keeps the small parts together but also makes it easy to clean up when we are finished (and decorating the box will be a fun snowy day project in its own right).
I’ve been able to apply some of the techniques from teaching ceramics before I had children to the play dough we now use at home. We’ve acquired a large collection of everyday and natural objects to use as stamps, rollers, and textures in our play dough collection.
Here are some of the items we use in our play dough collection:
Canvas
You can purchase a yard of unprimed heavy duty canvas from your local art supply store to serve as a work surface for your play dough. Art supply stores sell canvas by the yard and it tends to be more heavy duty and more economical than purchasing canvas at the fabric store. Your little play dough explorers will be very enthusiastic with their rolling and stamping; heavy canvas is a good investment and should cost between 4-10 dollars per yard.
Rolling Pin
An adult-sized rolling pin is often too large for little hands. I have found the small ones meant as play things break easily.
I made two little rolling pins from one piece of 1 ½ inch dowel rod from our local hardware store. My husband cut the pieces of dowel to a ten inch length. We then sanded the edges and finished the surface with olive oil so the dough won’t stick to the wood.
Stamps
Making stamps to use with play clay is fun and easy.
We used the left over 1 ½ inch dowel rod from making our rolling pins as handles for knobs. Simply cut the dowel into 1 ½ inch lengths, drill a hole through the center and attach the knob.
Small found objects such as coins, buttons, costume jewelry can be glued to the ends of dowel rod with a heavy duty two-part epoxy. Use this glue outside when children are not present.
Everyday and Found Objects
Assorted textured fabrics such as burlap, lace doilies, and corduroy
Play cars with heavily textured wheels
Bits of window screen
Heavily corrugated cardboard
Costume jewelry, belt buckles
Antique or old keys
Just about anything can be a stamp. Have your child stomp on the play dough with the sole of their shoe; after this fun exercise they will be looking for texture everywhere!
Objects from Nature
Seashells
Sticks, leaves, and rocks
Nuts
Kitchen tools and objects
Cookie cutters
Blunt-tipped knives
Forks and assorted spoons
Potato masher
Butter or candy molds
Having a box full of beautiful objects certainly makes playing with our homemade clay fun. Perhaps equally exciting is being on the lookout together for interesting objects to add to our collection.
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Mandy is currently in the midst of her life’s most important research of learning from her two small children. She blogs at mandygerth and sells her cottage industry prints and stationary at mandygerth.
