Ocean Playdough Invitation to Play

Table of Contents

• Materials needed
• Instructions
• Different ways to play
• More Summer themed fine motor activities to try

Materials Needed

• 2.5 cups Boiling water
• 2.5 cups flour
• 1 ¼ cup salt
• 1 ½ Tbsp Cream of Tartar
• 5 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
• Blue food coloring
• Blue glass pebbles
• Toy ocean creatures

How to Make Ocean Playdough

1. Mix together the dry ingredients

The first part of making homemade play dough is to mix the flour, salt and cream of tartar together in a large bowl.

2. Add in the oil and boiling water

If you are making the playdough with your kids, this is the part that really requires adult supervision. Be extra careful to ensure that no one gets burnt.

3. Knead the dough together until it’s a smooth consistency.

If your dough is too sticky, add a little bit more flour. If it’s too crumbly, then add a bit more water.

You can adjust these two ingredients, slowly, until you get a consistency that you like.

4. Add in the food coloring

I divided up the playdough into three balls and gave each one a different color. 1 had no color, 1 had only blue, and the last one had a combination of both blue and green.

Place 5-10 drops of food coloring into the center of the playdough. Then knead it until all of the playdough is colored.

While you can always add the food coloring during step 2, I prefer to do it this way because then I can adjust the color as I go. If you’re not after a specific color of shade, then feel free to add in the food coloring along with the water.

5. Organize the props

I included toy ocean animals and blue glass pebbles along with the playdough. Then let my kids play however they wanted.

When finished playing, you can store the playdough in a ziploc bag or an air tight container. It’ll keep for months if stored properly, making it a fantastic option for a busy bag.

Different Ways to Play with your Ocean Playdough

Make playdough kits that explore the sea creatures native ocean habitat. For example, tropical vs polar regions. The kids will have so much fun making their own small world with playdough.

1. Use small parts, like sea shells, buttons and pipe cleaners, to make coral reefs. These are easy to pick up at the dollar store and can be packed away for another day.

2. Playdough is also considered a sensory activity and there are some wonderful ideas on how to maximize this type of sensory play.

For example, you can add essential oils to the playdough to make it smell nice. Or add blue glitter to give it some sparkle.

One of my favorite ideas is to make sand play dough. This is a fun way to give the playdough a more grainy texture.