Homemade Cloud Dough with Baby Oil

Homemade Cloud Dough with Baby Oil

Homemade cloud dough with baby oil is easy to make and a fantastic sensory activity for children.  If you want to use this with babies or children who still tend to put things in their mouths, you may want to try my edible homemade cloud dough recipe (coming soon) instead. 

This dough has interesting consistency – like a softer version of wet sand.  It can be sculpted into shapes but also crumbles apart.  This is why it is perfect for doing activities that you might do with wet sand such as filling and emptying moulds.

What you need for Homemade Cloud Dough with Baby Oil

• Flour (Gluten free flour optional)
• Baby oil / Mineral oil
• Measuring cups
• Large mixing bowl
• Spoon
• Oil soluble food colouring and/or glitter (optional)

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To make homemade cloud dough with baby oil, you will need 8 cups of flour for every 1 cup of oil.  If you find that it is a bit gloopy, you will need to add some more flour.  On the other hand, if it doesn’t stick together at all, you will need to slowly add some more oil.

Cloud dough can be fun to mould and sculpt.  It works particularly well to make a lot of it because it can be used with buckets, moulds, spoons and spades.   My children love using it to scoop, pour, fill and empty bowls and buckets.  They have also enjoyed using it with some of their dump trucks. It has also worked well with my class with small bowls and cupcake tins, cake tins and cupcake cases.  Adding some food colouring or glitter makes it even more exciting! J

Questions to ask

• How does it feel? 
• What do you notice about it when you squeeze it?
• What can you make?
• Does it change if you add water to it?

What they get from it

This is a lovely sensory activity for children. There are learning benefits to sensory play. When we use and engage our senses, it helps to develop new connections in the brain. The more sensory experiences we have, the greater ability we have to develop pathways in the brain for thought, learning and creativity (Gascoyne, 2016).  This will also help to build children’s gross and fine motor skills as well as strength.  Older children can join in with making homemade cloud dough with baby oil.  This is a great chance for them to begin to measure, pour, mix and stir.  This will also help build children’s strength.

Take it further

You may want to see some of my other post with playdough and sensory recipes such as Edible homemade cloud dough recipe (coming soon), Corn Flour Conditioner Playdough, homemade playdough without salt (coming soon), playdough without salt (coming soon), no cook playdough recipe (coming soon), homemade cooked playdough with cream of tar tar (coming soon), Pumpkin Spice Playdough Recipe, aromatherapy playdough recipe, smelly playdough (coming soon).

References

Gascoyne, Sue (2016). Sensory Play: Play in the EYFS. Andrews UK Limited.