Magic Play Dough

The beginning of the year is such an exciting time for preschoolers!  One of my very favorite first day activities is making "Magic" play dough!

First make a batch of colored play dough.  Be sure to add enough food coloring or liquid water colors to make the dough dark.

Make little balls of the colored dough. (I used a melon baller tool.)

Next up is a batch of plain white dough.  Separate the dough into equal portions and flatten each one into a circle.  Place a ball of green dough on top of each.

Carefully wrap the white dough around the green ball, making sure that none of the green is showing through.  Place each ball of magic play dough into a plastic snack bag.

During our very first circle time together, I tell the students about all of the wonderful fun we are going to have together.  Then I explain that I can tell if they are going to have a great year with my magic play dough.  I give each child a bag, and ask them to play with it.  If it changes colors then we can be sure that they are going to be preschool super stars!

My younger children love the play dough, and I've found that when their hands are busy, they are not thinking about home and missing their moms.  It's a great first-day activity for us!

Here's our favorite play dough recipe.  It takes about 5 minutes to make it on the stove.  We store it in airtight containers and it lasts for months!

I hope you have a magical day playing and learning with your children!