Coral reef

How to make your own reef?

Take the Play-Doh from the container and roll it into a ball. Then shape it on the table to look like a small rock resting on the bottom of the ocean. Push colourful pasta and seashells into your rock. You can also add paper straws, paper fish, or any other bits and bobs you have at home. Rearrange your creation as many times as you like! Colourful pasta and seashells also make great additions to a sensory bin. Add them to a bin filled with kinetic sand or uncooked rice to extend the play experience.

Homemade play dough

Want to build a bigger coral reef? One container of play dough might not be enough! This homemade play dough is inexpensive, quick, and easy to make. It uses simple ingredients you may already have at home and is taste-safe unless non-edible colouring is added.

Recipe

200 g flour 40 g cornstarch (or just flour if you don't have it, but it helps with stickiness on day 2 onward) 110 g fine salt 170 g hot water 2 tbsp sunflower oil Mix and knead all the ingredients until you can no longer feel any salt particles under your fingers. Store the play dough in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. For the best texture and play experience, use it within 24 hours. If the dough becomes too sticky over time, simply add a little cornstarch and knead it in until the desired consistency is reached.

Add color!

You can divide the dough into five equal portions to make them similar in size to standard Play-Doh containers. To colour the dough, you can use food colouring, but I recommend non-toxic tempera paint or even acrylic paint for the most vibrant colours. Be careful not to add more than 1–1.5 teaspoons of paint to each portion. It is best to wear gloves when kneading the color into the dough by hand. Once the paint is fully mixed in, the dough should not stain your child's hands during play.