Who Says You Have To Stay Inside For School Work?

Yesterday I took advantage of the sun and went outside for some art time. One can not let the creativity flow in a boring classroom 🙂

The kids had a blast finger painting and using real flowers

on the playground as inspiration for their:

“Flower Gardens”

Warning: For preschoolers it is best to get washable paints….less ruined clothes= less frustrated parents 😉

Also please make sure it is non toxic…safety first when kiddos are in question.

3 Easy Steps For Playdough Making At Home

Another week (almost) down means another planning week for me inside the classroom and like most preschool teachers I want my children to learn with as much hands on as I can make happen;) What does this mean while doing my lesson plan? Well I research and research some more until my eyes cross over or I just cannot fathom researching anymore. During my research adventure today, I found a great playdough recipe on facebook and thought I would pass it along for anyone else either at home moms or busy preschool teachers that might need a good easy to do recipe……..

Enjoy;)

Recipe:

How To Make The Best Playdough: Pour 2 cups of flour into a bowl. Add 1/2 cup of salt. Mix in 2 tbsp Cream of Tartar. (You can find this in the spice section of just about any grocery store.) Add 2 tbsp of oil…you can use any oil, and as long as it’s a kitchen oil, your playdough will be non-toxic and safe for little ones to eat.

Pour in the boiling water. Be VERY careful because the dough will be HOT!

Mix all the ingredients together until the dough is formed. At this point the playdough is done unless you want to add food coloring…if you would like to add the food coloring for color then please read on…. A side note when adding the food coloring keep in mind that it can be messy so I would suggest wearing gloves for that part.

After the dough is cooled down separate the dough into equal parts and roll it up into balls. This will allow for more colors of playdough to be made instead of just one color for play. Now, push your finger into the middle of the playdough ball allowing your finger impression to make a little bowl for you to pour your gel food dye into. Knead the dough until the dye is thoroughly mixed. 

Teacher Tip:

Always make the playdough the night before so the color will set into the playdough mixture and also so dough can cool off without being rushed for activity time. And above all…Have fun with your little explorers:)