Age Group:
4 and up
Materials:
- Play-dough (green + blue)
- Print of the world map
Best Play-dough Recipe:
– 2 ½ cup flour
– ½ cup salt
– 1 TBSP alum (usually found with the spices at the grocery store)
– 1 ¾ cup boiling water
– 2 TBSP oil (I use coconut oil)
– Food coloring if you want to make different colors
Step by Step:
- First step to this lesson/project is to make the play-dough
- Print out a world map (FREE PRINTABLE)
- Then look at a world map with your child. Make sure to point out the water and the land. Prompts: Do you think there is more land or water? Do you know where we live? What color represents the water? What color represents the land?
- You can start with the green play-dough and have your child cover the land. They can use a picture for a reference. Make sure to show them how to use small pieces at a time while filling in the different continents.
- Then take the blue play-dough and have them fill in all of the oceans and seas.
Of course you can also color in the land and oceans, BUT this activity takes more time and allows the child to really focus on where the land and water is on a world map. It is a great fine motor skill activity as well. It is also important to remember that this activity does not to be done in one sitting. The child can come back to it at a later time.
Objective:
To help children see where the land and oceans are within the world map. This is one of the first lessons before moving on and discussing continents.