From the Tacoma Children's Museum: Inspiration

Inspire your budding artist - ParentMap.com.

I found this article at parentmap.com with information from the Tacoma Children's Museum. It offers some solid philosophy about why art is important for children. 

To quote: "Little artists, even those younger than two, develop problem-solving skills and open up avenues for self-expression as they experiment. Art also builds hand-eye coordination and helps them gain fine-muscle control that will help them later with handwriting." The entire article is available at the parentmap.com blog.

Enjoy this easy and delightfully fragrant Scented Playdough, 

courtesy of Children's Museum of Tacoma:

Materials: 
3 1/2 cups of flour
3 packets unsweetened powdered drink mix
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup salt
2 cups very hot water

Food coloring Instructions:
1. Mix dry ingredients together; add water and oil. Mixture will be sticky.
2. If more color is desired, add the same hue of food coloring.
3. Turn out onto a smooth surface sprinkled with flour. Knead and add more flour slowly until the right consistency has been reached.
4. Sculpt and create with fragrant dough. Keep the dough in an airtight container.

Comments

[MaryAnn F. Kohl]

And of course, you can make playdough that is not scented or colored. My kids always like plain play dough best, the color of pie crust.

[MaryAnn F. Kohl]

Most children understand after a small taste that playdough does not taste good! Very very young children are the ones who taste most. Older kids understand. We should always be careful about what our children eat or put in their mouths.

[wanda]

this is such a good idea but I think the smell will want children to taste/eat