Cloud Dough

J’s been sick for a few days now.  He’s not that sick that he’s miserable and unable to play, but he’s sick enough that leaving the house is pretty much out of the question.  These situations are always tough for me, because we both get a little restless after a while.

In a moment of desperation, I went to my Kids Ideas Board on Pinterest to see if I could find something new for J to do.  I came upon Cloud Dough from Flights of Whimsy, and thought that it might just work.

Cloud Dough is flour and oil mixed together.  It stays looking fluffy like flour, but it sticks together  when squeezed in your hand or placed in a mold. 

I wasn’t quite sure how J would do with it because he doesn’t really have the dexterity yet to mold things.  But, I was desperate for an activity, so I gave it a try.
The original recipe calls for  8 cups flour and 1 cup baby oil.  I wasn’t quite sure if J would like it, so I only used 2 cups of flour and 1/4 cup canola oil (I didn’t have baby oil).  It still worked great!

J’s got a thing about getting his hands dirty and I was worried that this would be a total flop.  But, I was pleasantly surprised.  He really enjoyed filling up the cup and dumping out the dough.

The oil made the flour clump up  a little which helped him manipulate it better than if it was just flour.  He wasn’t really able to mold anything with it, but it was still a great sensory activity for him.

I’d say he liked it!
Helpful tidbit:  Please use a bigger container than I did.  Even though this activity was fun for J, the mess was almost too much for me.  So, if you don’t want flour all over the place, use a bigger box.
J is 23 months old.