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.
Here's the recipe should you want to try this calming activity at home:
Pumpkin Pie spice (found in the spice aisle)
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 oilPumpkin 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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