It has been far too long since we’ve shared a new play dough invitation, but play dough is still a favorite around here for sure. Recently while sprucing up some or our flowerbeds outside, Tinker noticed some dead twigs on a shrub nearby. She said, “Look mama! These look like reindeer antlers.” She was right! And it gave me the idea for this new reindeer play dough invitation.

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Chocolate Play Dough Recipe

Bring 1.5 cups of water to a boil. In a large bowl combine 1.5 cups of flour, .5 cups salt, .5 cups unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 tbsp cream of tarter, and 2 tbsp of vegetable oil. Stir in boiling water and knead the dough until it is well mixed and no longer sticks to the bowl. Keep working at it and you should get a soft, squishy dough that smells terrific and doesn’t leave any mess behind. If it is too sticky, add a little extra flour. If it is too dry, add a little extra water. As a final touch we also like to add a few drops of glycerin to give the play dough a little shine.

Additional Materials

Acorns
Small twigs
Cranberries

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What I love most about play dough invitations is watching how the different combinations of materials inspire kids to create different things. Tinker did create some reindeer, but her play went on and on. As it did her imagination was busy at work.

Here she created a forest wedding scene. The trees surround the bride and groom (girls are acorns, boys are cranberries).

Here she recreated a ride we recently rode at our local fair. In addition to all the fine motor work from handling and placing these materials, I loved the time we had chatting about what was on her mind as she was creating.

We all loved the texture and scent of this play dough, and we’ll be holding onto it for a while to use over and over again! Soon I’ll be sharing a Christmas learning activity that also features this play dough.

More Christmas Play Dough

Gingerbread Play Dough

Peppermint Play Dough

Minty Christmas Tree Play Dough

Playful Reindeer Learning & Fun

Inside the 30-page Shape Reindeer Process Art and Math set you’ll get:

Complete list of material suggestions
Full directions for using both sets of shape art templates
9 extension activities, including math and literacy, to help you teach additional skills and concepts using your kids’ creations
Shape Set with Title and Borders
Plain Shape Set for Cutting Out Reindeer Shapes
Sorting Cards for Math Whole Group and Small Group Activities
Class Book Cover Template