Hi there!

If you’re reading this, you have found the new BRAC Blog! We want to use this space to share seasonal activities, recipes and craft ideas you and your children can do during this lockdown period. Once BRAC is open again we will use the Blog to share updates on the activities and themes we have been doing at BRAC and display photos of the children’s artwork.

Watch this space for details of a competition we will be running soon!

Our first post is a simple but classic Playdough recipe. Although playdough is often viewed as an activity for pre-school/ early years ages, it is a brilliant substitute for clay and other modelling materials and easy to make at home. Children (and adults) of all ages can enjoy both the sensory and creative aspects of playing with play-dough.

Older children may be more inclined to make models while the younger children may enjoy making marks and using cutters, or to encourage fine motor skills you could make ‘hedgehogs’ with dry pasta and cereal threaded onto uncooked spaghetti. My kids love to make ‘chocolates’ out of playdough and fill an empty chocolate box.

If you want to extend the activity into home schooling territory here is a link to a range of print out playdough mats which are suitable for children in Key Stage 1-2.

This is my go-to ‘no cook play-dough’ recipe. The play-dough lasts a few months and it’s so easy to make that the actual making of the play-dough is part of the fun (plus following a recipe and measuring out ingredients is always a playful way to explore literacy and numeracy goals)!

Ingredients;

1.5 cups of flour

½ cup of salt

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

2 tablespoons oil

1 cup of boiling water

Food colouring (optional)

Method;

Add all the dry ingredients into a bowl and mix.

Then add in the boiling water (Adult supervision required here!!) and oil, then stir.

Once you have mixed the ingredients together all knead the dough a few times until it is smooth.

You can add food colouring with the boiling water if you wish or leave as it is. If you want multiple colours then separate the dough once it has been kneaded and add the food colouring. Knead the dough again until the colour is evenly spread. I suggest starting with a small amount of food colouring and adding more until you get the desired colour.

Make sure you store it in an airtight container once you are done. I use old playdough pots decorated with washi tape!

Thanks for reading the first of many posts in our BRAC Blog! Watch this space for more ideas and for an exciting competition announcement!