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Pumpkin Scented Cloud Dough - 3 & 4 Year Old Classes

In anticipation of Thanksgiving and a visit to the Pumpkin Patch, the children in our Three and Four-Year-Old Classes recently enjoyed some sensory fun with Pumpkin Scented Cloud Dough. It was a popular activity that had children anxiously awaiting their turn to explore. It's a very simple recipe consisting of flour, vegetable oil and pumpkin pie spice. The last ingredient gave this activity a delicious scent that the children immediately noticed and commented on.

The children enjoyed scooping and pouring, and the best... squishing!

Sensory exploration is a child's way of making sense of the world. It's not all about touch, but about the other senses as well.

Sensory exploration also helps to develop language skills. For example, giving children the chance to play with a variety of textures and tastes helps them to build new ways of talking about the world. Water isn't just wet, it can be slippery with bubbles, or cold when frozen. The bark of a tree can be smooth, rough or sharp. Food can be salty, sour, bitter or sweet. 

Some of the comments from our children:

“It smells like pie.”

“It's soft on my fingers.”

“This stuff is sticking and smelling.”

“I'm making cookie pies for my friends.”

“It smells. I want to eat it.”
 



Here's the recipe should you want to try this calming activity at home:

7 cups flour
1 cup vegetable oil
Pumpkin Pie spice (found in the spice aisle)

Combine the dry ingredients in a container or bin and mix well.

Add the vegetable oil to the bin and slowly mix it into the dry ingredients. Continue mixing until you have a slightly damp, mold-able material also known as cloud dough.

Enjoy!

Until next time.

Barbi

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