Bee-themed Playdough and Bookish Play

To explore a little bit about bees, when my daughter was approaching her 3rd birthday I set up this bee-themed invitation to play with Usborne’s book “Why Do We Need Bees?“. This book is packed with info about bees and fun flaps which A still loves to flip now at 4 years old. On the tray I included wooden bees from our PlanToys Beehive set, playdough scissors, as well as mini rolling pins and a wooden honey dipper. 

Playing with playdough offers a number of benefits. Squishing, rolling, pressing, molding and all other movements children perform when manipulating play dough strengthen the finger muscles that will be used for fine motor movements, such as holding a pencil and using scissors.

If you want to make homemade playdough, we use a very popular recipe.

You will need:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup table salt 
• 1 tbsp cream of tartar 
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 cup boiling water

Instructions: 

In a bowl combine the flour, salt and cream of tartar. Mix well and add the oil. If you’re using food coloring, mix a few drops into the boiling water and add to the bowl. Mix well until it is no longer sticky.

To store, let the play dough cool completely then wrap it tightly in plastic and store in an airtight container. 

If your little ones are going to participate in making this recipe, be sure to keep them away from the boiling water to avoid burning.

For more bee-themed activity ideas, check out our bee-themed unit study  here!