We are always looking for new uses for old crayons and the kids absolutely loved making this DIY Crayon Play-Doh today! We started out with a little color sorting to practice our colors then we added on a little math by counting the different colors of the crayons and how many were in each group. Then we got a little social studies into the learning mix by taking a vote to see what color we would use first to make the crayon play-doh. Add in the mixing of ingredients and making it I would say we learned quite a lot today!
It turned into a great time and was pretty simple to do. I love teaching the kids how to re-use old products instead of throwing them away and filling up the landfills. Enjoy 🙂
There are tons of ways to learn with this DIY Crayon Play-Doh including the following:
- Cognitive Thinking
- Math (Measuring out the ingredients)
- Science (Mixing the ingredients and watching the different ingredients mix together and change form)
- Fine Motor Skills (You can teach your child how to make little balls by rolling it in their hands, or teach them how to make snakes and form them into letters)
- Creative Expression
Ingredients for DIY Crayon Play-Doh:
Directions:
- In a large bowl combine all the dry ingredients (Salt, flour and cream of tartar)
- Have the children peel the wrapper off of your crayons and assist them in cutting them into small pieces. I know that some of you parents and teachers are a little upset that you are teaching the kiddos to peel the wrappers off but it is very good for their small motor development. This will help them greatly later on in life. So no cringing while they are peeling them! They are hard at work and learning skills.
- In a pan over medium heat combine your vegetable oil and crayons. Continue to stir gently until the crayons melt. Slowly add in 1 cup of water and stir.
- Slowly add in your dry ingredients to the mixture and continue to stir as well as you can (I find a wooden spoon works best, be careful not to break it).
- Remove from heat and allow to cool enough so that you don’t burn yourself. The Play-doh will be very warm so be careful.
Once the crayon Play-doh is made and has cooled all the way hand it over to the kiddos. Allow them to squeeze and mold the play-doh. Once again this is a fabulous way to work on those small motor skills. Then add some play-doh sets for them to work with. I found a very affordable set of tools on amazon that you can see here for a great price. Melissa & Doug carries my all time favorite Shape, Model and Mold play set that is a little higher in price but well worth the money…… ships free with amazon prime! 😉
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