Make Your Own Playdough!
Patricia Caskey, author of Make Your Own Playdough, Paint and Other Craft Materials, discusses the benefits of creating your own craft materials and the joy of "gloop and gop"!
CommitmentNow: Make Your Own Playdough, Paint and Other Craft Materials is a fun and easy guide that will save parents, teachers and other caregivers tons of money! It should be an essential in every pre-school classroom and home! What experiences lead you to write this book?
Patricia Caskey: I began by collecting recipes from various colleagues and sources. I had so many to go through that I put them all together in an order where I could find a recipe quickly. I teach in a Head Start classroom and resources can be scarce at times, so having these recipes was handy. I had to buy many items with my own money. I soon realized that not only did I save money by making my own playdough and paint, but the children loved it! As I watched the children mix and stir and talk about what they were doing, I realized that not only did they enjoy it, but were learning too! I then decided to put them in a format that was easy to read, changed some of the recipes, put them in order and printed them in an easy to find and follow resource. Many of my fellow teachers wanted copies, so I self published my book for years. I sent if off to publishers when I realized that there weren’t any other books like mine. A couple of years, rejection letters, rewrites and changes and Red Leaf Press saw the potential and decided to publish it!
CommitmentNow: What should a parent or caregiver know before starting to make her own craft materials?
Patricia: It is much easier to purchase your own, already made for you materials; but the making of these items is a learning experience. Not only do you save money but making your own craft materials, but the children refine fine motor skills, use creative thinking, use math and science skills and so much more. It takes more time, but is worth the effort.
CommitmentNow: What are the benefits of creating one's own craft materials?
Patricia: As I stated above, the children learn so much from creating their own. As a caregiver or a parent, you can learn also. I hope that I have given everyone the option of playing around with some of the recipes to make them their own. You never know what you might come up with!
CommitmentNow: Should children participate in the making of playdough and other craft materials?
Patricia: Absolutely. Children are never too young to help. They can mix and measure and help in many ways. They even learn by talking about what they are doing as they do it!
CommitmentNow: You have over twenty recipes for play dough with ingredients as varied as liquid detergent, peanut butter, saw dust, cotton balls and flour! How did you come up with so many different types of playdough?
Patricia: I found there are so many ways to vary the texture, smell, and even taste, that I tried to include a large variety. Children learn by using their senses. If all playdough felt the same, how would they learn about why some playdough is smooth, some is rough, some is bumpy or even a bit slimy? I have about 40 more recipes not included in the book! Maybe a part two is in order?
CommitmentNow: Along with recipes, you include ideas for art projects to create with the craft materials. Are these lists exhaustive, or should grownups and children use them as a springboard for their own ideas?
Patricia: Definitely use this as a springboard. I hope that I have left these ideas open enough for the grownups to use their imaginations to expand on what I have given them.
CommitmentNow: Can children of all ages use the products in your book?
Patricia: There are some materials and ingredients that should be used with close adult supervision and are stated on those recipes. If children are properly supervised, there should be no problems. As always, check for allergies to certain products.
CommitmentNow: Make Your Own Playdough, Paint and Other Craft Materials, features a chapter on “Goop and Glop.” What is it about goop and glop that appeals to children?
Patricia: It’s slimy and they get to play with it! I have found that some children with sensory issues, especially enjoy the feel of it. It can be very therapeutic for some children.
CommitmentNow: Is all the pulling, twisting and pounding of these creations good for children's fine motor skills?
Patricia: Absolutely. Children who have not had much experience using crayons, paints, or scissors can benefit from using playdough and clay to help with finger and hand dexterity. This in turn helps children with such day to day activities such as zipping their jackets, tying their shoes even using a fork or spoon. When they have better finger dexterity they will be able to use a pencil or scissors better.
CommitmentNow: Can older children enjoy these creations in your book as much as pre-schoolers?
Patricia: As children get older they can learn more about measuring and the science behind why some of the recipes turn out like they do. They will still enjoy the process, but the adult and child can work together to determine why the recipe turns out the way it does (i.e. goop and it’s scientific properties). I am a grown up and I still enjoy it!
Patricia Caskey McMaster has been a teacher at Head Start in Oklahoma for over 12 years, in which she has taught both three and four year old classes. She attended both Western Oklahoma State College and Southwestern Oklahoma State University. She currently holds a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education, certification in Early Childhood and a Language Arts endorsement. She is a member of both the Oklahoma Head Start Association and the National Head Start Association. She is the author of Make Your Own Playdough, Paint and Other Creative Craft Recipes (c) Redleaf Press. She built and manages her own website at http://www.kidschalkboard.com.
To purchase Make Your Own Playdough, click here.
