Play Doh

I read a lot of toddler development books.  I'm always looking for new, fun, and educational things for Samuel and I to do together.  I've made sensory bottles, we play with rice and beans in giant bowls, we count cotton balls, you get the idea...we try it all!  But there is one thing that I have put off and put off and put off...Play Doh.

Don't get me wrong, I love play doh!  It was one of my favorite things to play with as a kid.  One of my favorite memories of my great-grandmother was she and I playing play doh together. She use to make various foods and we would pretend to eat them: peas, green beans, rutabagas, chicken and dumplings.  I thought it was great!  But the bottom line of play doh is, it can be messy.

Toddlers are messy people by nature.  Samuel probably hasn't been clean in the past year.  Even when I get him out of the tub, within minutes he's into something!!!  So adding play doh to the pile has just been something I didn't want to do.

But finally, I sucked it up and pulled it out.  And we played with it for a good half hour. Samuel was fascinated by it and loved it!  A few weeks later, it is his favorite thing to do!  We walk in our play room, and he asks for it immediately!!! 

Is it messy??? YES!  Has it ended up in his hair? His clothes? The living room rug??? You betcha.  Did I find the dog eating play doh crumbs?  Daily.  Has Samuel taste tested it??? Yep...phone call to poison control confirms it is non-toxic as the canister suggest :0)  Is it loads and loads and loads of fun???  Of course it is, it's even more fun now that I'm adult and able to enjoy it with Samuel :0) 

We are now the proud owner of about 15 containers play doh.  We have lost two already to Samuel hiding it and us forgetting to put the lids back on.  Word of advice to other moms...the little containers of it are cheap and a great solution for toddlers!  Just enough to play with, and when one gets ruined, just pull another one out!

Next week, I plan to make our own Play Doh out of jello!!!