Art class and homemade play dough

Swim lessons for Oliver have not been going well since Soren was born, despite Uncle Andy's incredible patience and perseverance with a wailing child.  Wanting to find something that Oliver would definitely like, I signed him up for a toddler art class at a local rec center through Parks and Recreation.  He loves coloring, painting and playing with play dough, but we don't have the room for large projects, nor do I have the creativity to design art projects or patience for mess, so this would be Oliver's big artistic opportunity.  Oliver enjoys the class so much that he willingly ditched Tot Time when I told him art class was starting down the hall (and this is from a kid who generally protests ceasing any activity even when there's the promise of doing something else just as appealing) and headed out the door with my friend without so much as a glance in my direction as I stayed behind for a few minutes to change Soren's diaper. 

When my dad heard about the class, he exclaimed, "What's a kid his age do in art class?" 

The answer?  Just mess around.  And that's fine.  I'm not keen on highly-structured organized activities for young children, especially babies and toddlers, but the teacher for this class knows toddlers.  Each week, she sets up three stations with a different activity and the children can choose whatever they want to do during the 45-minute class.  When I saw the easels set up for our first class, I assumed Oliver would want to paint the whole time, but he also spent some time at the play dough table and gluing "googly eyes" on a piece of paper at what was supposed to be the make-your-own-sock-puppet table.

The teacher roams the classroom and helps the kids as needed, but otherwise, let's them do what they want.  The best part is that she does the cleanup and kids and parents can go enjoy the last part of the open gym held down the hall.   

Back at home, space and resources permitting, I am trying to foster Oliver's creative and artistic side with ideas gleaned from the art class, his early children education class or playdates with friends.  Two popular activities with Oliver have been the rice "sandbox" and homemade play dough.

Rice "Sandbox"
It was amazing how such a simple setup entertained Oliver and my friend's daughter.  Lay an old sheet on the floor, fill a Rubbermaid tub with a large sack of rice (the sizes you find at Asian markets) and use old measuring cups and other household objects as scoops and rakes.  The kids were (quietly) engrossed in scooping and dumping rice, or transferring it to the bucket set up next to the tub.  When they were finished, the lid went back on the tub and any stray pieces of rices were gathered up in the sheet and dumped outside.

Homemade Play dough
Another activity Oliver really enjoys is playing with play dough.  He didn't really get into the stuff until around his second birthday, but it is quickly becoming an activity he'll sit at the table and do himself, which just might help us keep our sanity this winter when we're more housebound. 

I found a recipe for homemade play dough online, and even though I am NOT crafty whatsoever, I was able to successfully whip up a large batch of this stuff in less than 15 minutes. 

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups warm water
• 1 cup salt
• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 Tablespoon cream of tartar
• food coloring (liquid, powder, or unsweetened drink mix)
• scented oils or baking extracts like vanilla (optional) - I just skip this

Directions

1. Dissolve salt in the water.
2. Pour all ingredients into a large pot.  
3. Stir constantly over medium heat until a ball forms by pulling away from the sides.  
4. Knead the dough mixture until the texture matches play dough (1-2 minutes).
5. Knead in food coloring.

Store in plastic container.  Should last for at least 3 months.

NOTE:  The high salt content will most likely prevent your children from taking no more than a lick of the play dough, but dogs are not as discerning and can become really sick.  Please keep out of reach of pets.

I found some play dough molding and sculpting tools at a toy store, but you can also use plastic cookie cutters, rolling pins or anything else you think would be fun for the kids to use to manipulate the dough.