Montessori Activity: Tracing Chinese Character with Play Dough

Age: From 3.5 years old

Duration: 30 minutes

Objectives:

1. To provide a fun way to teach writing Chinese characters
2. To train the child's fine motor skills

Materials:

1. 1 container of play dough
2. 1 Chinese Character
3. 1 tray

Directions:

1. Demonstrate to your child how to trace the Chinese character using play dough, taking care to show her the correct sequence of strokes.
2. As you trace, read the Chinese character clearly to your child.
3. Invite your child to try.
4. As her to say out loud the Chinese character that she is tracing.

Additional Information:

I tried this activity with C today 15 November 2019 (3Y5M30D). I use this activity to revise the Chinese character "lamb" that she learned during the Chinese enrichment class last Sunday. She could remember the character, and was able to say it out loud. She enjoyed this activity very much, more than J did at this age. She was able to concentrate and play much longer than J. It could be development difference between boy and girl. If you wish to make your own play dough, you can follow this recipe:

Ingredients:

- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup water cup hot water
- 1 TBS cooking oil
- 1 cup salt
- a couple drops of food colouring (optional)

Directions:

1. Dissolve the salt in the water first to reduce the lumpiness due to undissolved salt in the dough later on.

2. Mix together and knead into a dough.

3. Divide it into 4 doughs, dip a hole and add food colouring to it (make sure to wear gloves to prevent staining. Then knead and blend well.

15 November 2019 (3Y5M30D)

2-In-1 Edible Playdough Made from Energy Balls/ Frugtstænger

Ingredients:

1. 10 (1/2 cup) dried dates pitted

2. 3 cups nuts and seeds (almonds, cashew nuts, walnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, etc.)

3. 3 TBS cacao powder (optional)

Directions:

Using a blender, blend on high for 30 seconds to one minute until it is sticky enough to be knead into a dough by hand. If need be, repeat another cycle of 30 seconds to one minute of blending.

Additional Information:

I call it 2-in-1 recipe because it is exactly the same recipe for making edible playdough and energy balls.

I used to use flour, honey or syrup to make edible play dough, but while making energy balls, I realized that the energy ball recipe can also serve as a recipe for making edible playdough. I have made a batch today, but I am a little reluctant to let Baby FECS played with it, after making it, as she may just eat the whole amount in one go. She has a real sweet tooth... hmm... I will see how it goes tomorrow. If not, I will use it as energy balls, or use it as fruit leather for her lunch box.

You will need natural dried dates. It cost 25 DKK for a pack of 600 g at Netto or Lidl supermarket at the vegetable section.

Now it's ready to blend :-)

Blend on high for 30 seconds to one minute until it is sticky enough to be knead into a dough by hand. If need be, repeat another cycle of 30 seconds to one minute of blending.

Now it is sticky and of the right texture to form into a dough.

Energy balls without cacao powder

Energy balls with cacao powder

You can also make it flat and cut into square bite size :-)

 You can also make into shapes for kids by rolling the paste between two baking sheets. As the paste is very sticky, it is easier to roll it between two baking sheets.

 Remove the top baking sheet

 If it's too thick, fold it into half

 Form into different shapes using cookie molds

Freeze it to harden and set the shapes

I wrap them into fancy commercial wrappers for my kids' lunch box :-)

  

 18 August 2019 (3Y3M2D). Baby FECS was very happy with her homemade fruit leather wrapped in store-bought fruit leather wrapper.

Edible Homemade Playdough

Ingredients:

1. Wholemeal flour

2. Water

Directions:

Mix and knead some amount of flour and water. Adjust with more flour or water until the dough is soft, but does not stick to your fingers.

Additional Information:

I have found many play dough recipes on the internet, but they all look rather inconvenient, requiring salt and cream of tartar. I supposed salt is added in order to extend the shelf life of the play dough. But I am not sure why cream of tartar is required. Most recipes don't realy explain why. 

I wanted simply to make some dough for Baby FECS to touch and play with - sensory experience. I wanted something that would be edible, as she loves to taste everything she plays with. I don't want her to taste play dough that contains so much salt as it would be too salty and unhealthy and at the same time, I don't want her to develop a taste for salty food. I wanted to be able to make some dough for her to play without having to struggle to use time to measure and follow a recipe, as when she is awake, it is very difficult to do anything that requires me to read instructions.

I don't want a play dough that is actually tasty and would encourage her to put it into the mouth, so just plain flour and water is perfect. But if she does put it into her mouth, I want it to be edible and healthy, so I decided to choose wholemeal flour, I know that it is safe and at the same time, would actually add to her nutrition.

I don't need a playdough that has a long shelf-life, as with her span of attention and interest, at most, we would be able to recycle it twice. So I can just put the dough in the fridge and lasting for another play the following day would be good enough for me.

So I decided to just use flour and water to make a dough for her to play with. So very simple, just two ingredients and mix until it forms a dough. It works quite well.

But even for this very simple "recipe," I only managed to try it now, as I have been bringing the kids out on most days, since it is school holidays now in Denmark. On days when we are home, time passed just so fast that it is challenging for me even to find the time and energy to mix some flour and water to form dough. Finally, our Little FECS is away this week to a camp, leaving me with Baby FECS home alone. So I finally managed to do this activity with Baby FECS today. After a few minutes, Baby FECS found it fun to make small dough and throw them on the floor.... aaarrrggghhh...

Okay, all these are just excuses... the main reason for the delay is that I dreaded the mess playing with flour would cause. I finally pluck up sufficient courage and energy today to allow Baby FECS to play with flour and dough and true enough, it was quite messy!!! I had to clean it up, but having all the nice feeling that I had given Baby FECS the sensory experience beneficial for her development, while I slogged to clean it up. Daddy FECS came home and while helping me to clean, he decided to give the high chair she sat on while playing with the dough and good hose down... what a sweetie hubby :-)

Adjust the amount of flour and water until the dough is soft, but doesn't stick to your fingers.

26 July 2017 (1Y2M10D): Baby FECS playing with homemade playdough for the first time

Healthy, Tasty, Nutritious & Economical Edible Palydough

Makes the size of 1 tennis ball

Ingredients:

1. 3/4 cup grahams flour
2. 1/2 cup water
3.. 1 TBS honey or syrup
4. 1/2 cup ground oats
5. A few drops of food color (optional)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together.

Additional Information:

Our Little FECS have been asking me to make edible playdough for him, since he tried out for the first time, when he was 3 years old. I have made edible playdough out of nut butter, but they are very expensive.

I was trying to find some healthy, simple and cheap way of making edible playdough, but couldn't find it on the net. Most of them are super duper unhealthy - some even is made from just sugar icing!!!

Surely it cannot be so difficult to make healthy and tasty play dough. So I started experimenting using some flour, water and honey... then I added ground oatmeal and it still feels good like play dough, at the same time, it was tasty and healthy. Most of all, it is very simple and uses only three to four ingredients :-)

I prefer the natural color, but our Little FECS often asked to have them in multi-colors.

I grind the roll oats myself. To make it even more nutritious, you can also sprinkle in brewer's yeast and wheatgerm.

Graham flour, ground roll oats, honey/syrup and water

31 May 2015 (6Y2M26D) - J decided to use the edible playdough to make biscuits instead. So we added in an apple and made it into apple biscuits :-)