If you're a regular reader of my blog, you may remember that my current school district does not allow teachers/therapists to use food products (other than those that come from the cafeteria). Well, I was going through some of my files recently and found some recipes for scented play dough that I used a few years back (in another school district) and I thought I'd share them with you!
Because I used this activity as a whole-class language lesson in a preschool classroom, I used visuals in the recipe:
The recipe above is the large quantity version. There is also a smaller quantity version to be used with one or just a few students. I used the smaller quantity recipe with my son after work today:
I only had one packet of red Kool-Aid (watermelon), so our play dough turned pink rather than red. He didn't mind though! I think we played with the dough for about an hour and a half! We made snowmen, pancakes, birthday cakes, hot dogs, snakes, Easter eggs, and an Easter basket!
I really do miss being able to use recipes (play dough and food) in my therapy sessions. They really are a great way to target so many different language objectives. With this recipe, you can target:
- Vocabulary (ingredients, recipe, flour, measuring cup, squishy, scented, etc.)
- Sequencing (First, next, then)
- Verb tense (I am pouring the water, I poured the salt)
- Following directions ("find the salt and pour it in this cup," "make a play dough snowman")
- Executive functioning/pragmatic language (use with a group of students. Have them make a plan, give each other instructions)
- Expressive language (have students describe the procedure after you are finished; students describe what they make)
- And so many more!
If you'd like a copy of the recipes, you can find them HERE. Do you use recipes in your therapy session? If so, what's your favorite thing to make?
