It’s likely to be cold and wet for the next little while so why not make some play-dough?

Play dough is a never ending tactile learning experience for all children. It's a fantastic way to get creative, stimulate your imagination, and develop those fine motor skills. Plus it's a whole lot of FUN!

Coach Anya has shared the recipe she used with us below, try it at home and let us know how you go.

No-cook playdough (from the Imagination Tree)

You need:

2 cups plain flour (all purpose) - Australian cup measurements.

2 tablespoons olive oil  (baby oil and coconut oil work too)

1/2 cup salt

2 tablespoons cream of tartar - Australian 20 ml tablespoon.

1 to 1.5 cups boiling water (adding in increments until it feels just right)

Gel food colouring (optional) - I used Queen liquid food colouring.

A few dropsof glycerine (my secret ingredient for stretch and shine!).

Method:

-Mix the flour, salt, cream of tartar and oil in a large mixing bowl.

-Add food colouring TO the boiling water then into the dry ingredients. (My tip: add food colouring into a cup before filling the rest of the cup with boiling water to it, so that the liquid content amount can be controlled). Use 1 and 1/4 cups of boiling water at first, then add a little bit extra as needed.

-Stir continuously until it becomes a sticky, combined dough.

-Add the glycerine (optional).

Allow it to cool down then take it out of the bowl and knead it vigorously for a couple of minutes until all of the stickiness has gone. *This is the most important part of the process, so keep at it until it’s a perfect consistency!*

If it remains a little sticky then add a touch more flour until just right.

Store in the airtight container in the fridge, this should last for several months

We had lots of fun playing with play dough after class last week, we rolled sausages, built a fruit bowl and decorated laminated templates. We've created 5 fun templates for you to print at home (cover them in clear contact so you can wipe them down and re-use them). You can download the PDF here.

- Make a face and hair with play dough

- Make a face and decorate the leotard with play dough

- Use your play dough to make some flowers for the garden

- Use your play dough to make toppings for the pizza

- Use your play dough to design your own Skylark shapes