Plastic Free Playdough Station - Sydney Floods + Plastic Free July

by admin July 7, 2022

This week Sydney experienced a flood emergency. Families are displaced, rained in or have simply spent the week indoors to stay dry. So I've tried to post the easiest, the most engaging activity I could think of that would appeal to a wide range of children. It's also Plastic Free July so I've tried to set this activity up without using plastics. All of the materials for this activity I've found around our home.

Above Otto (4yrs) is using our plastic-free Playdough Station. I created it as a surprise, knowing that he would love it even more if it was offered as a gift, rather than just another activity on the shelf. I placed it on his work table, covered it with a tea towel and invited him to check it out. Of course, he loved it, and I have since updated it frequently, rotating the materials and the colours of the playdough.

I like to use lots of small bits and pieces with playdough to promote the use of the child's fine motor skills. Many families will already have lots of good items they can use around the home. Sometimes I will ask my friends or family for things, my Aunt has a huge range of craft items and we raided her button box for fun wooden and metal buttons. Here are a few of the items I've added to our plastic-free playdough station. Be aware of small items for children under three and always use under close supervision.

metal mini tongs
wood, metal, bamboo, shell buttons
small gems, gem chips
match sticks/craft sticks
lower case wood scrabble tiles - letters re-used from puzzles/spelling boards
wood number tiles/discs
metal cookie cutters
metal garlic press
metal masher
glass mosaic tiles
rolling pin
shells
sticks, leaves, dried flowers, dried lavender, seedpods, rocks, stone, bark
metal garlic press
metal egg slicer (ours are all plastic)
small birthday candles
paper cupcake liners
feathers
corks - we are using mini corks but the large champagne corks can be a lot of fun too.
wooden/metal cutter/knife
ribbon, string, wool, twine
craft wooden cut-out shapes
wood cubes
balsa wood
small wooden dowels
textured rolling pins
rocking stampers
wood clay stampers
paper straws - we can cut these into small tubes
food items - animal pasta shapes, cinnamon sticks, Star Anise, nut shells (like walnut shells), coffee beans, dried beans, dried orange slices.
coconut shells, coconut bowls
cardboard cut-out shapes - use themed hole punches to make shapes
jar lids
florist (easily bendable) wire

Our Playdough Station is on a two-tier Lazy Susan, so it's fun for the child to turn and spin! It's a bit of a novelty.

Button love!

The garlic press was a big hit and is fantastic for strengthening hand muscles. I'd suggest for older 3-4yr olds, it can be difficult for toddlers to use.

I raided our woodworking area to find wooden shapes, wood cubes and thin balsa wood pieces. The letter pieces are from a Melissa and Doug puzzle.

I find rotating the colours of playdough helps to maintain interest. 🌈 Remember that colours can influence our and our child's mood and emotions.

Shells, seed pods and feathers are fun to use with playdough.

We can find items to use with playdough in our garage or toolbox. We found lots of useful metal materials in our Magnetic Loose Parts Box.

If you are looking for a tray or a stand to create a playdough station, I like two-tier Lazy Susan's, cake stands and benchtop storage baskets.

a. / b. / c. (AU) / d. (AU) / e. (AU)

For displaying small items we use small condiment or sauce dishes, I usually find these at dollar-style stores or at kitchen stores for only $1-$2 each. These are super useful for a wide range of children's practical life activities.

a. / b. / c. (AU) / d. (AU - these are Duralex)

There is no shame in buying playdough. I do both - buy and make playdough depending on my schedule. My playdough recipe is here.

a. / b. / c. (AU) / d. (my fav AU dough brand) / e. (AU)

I love these examples of plastic-free playdough stations. Some of these are in educational and daycare settings. 😍

"At The Curiosity Approach we look to rescue, reclaim and recycle. It’s NOT about binning all the plastic and just replacing it with wooden items !

It’s about saving money and looking after the planet too. 🌍♻️

Do we really need to reach for manufactured catalogue resources, or could we be imaginative and creative ?" - The Curiosity Approach.

Play dough table via Pinterest.

No-Plastic Play Dough Play! at Rhubarb and Wren.

Top nature playdough ideas for kids at Mother Natured.

Play Dough Station at Mama's Den.