No-Cook Gingerbread Play Dough

What you need

• Flour, 2 cups
• Salt, 1/2 cup
• Cinnamon, 2 teaspoons
• Ground ginger, 1 teaspoon (optional)
• Cooking oil, 2 spoons
• Water, about 3/4 cup
• Mixing bowl, 1
• Spoon, 1
• Cookie cutters or butter knife, 1 or more
• Fork, 1
• Zip bag, 1

How to do it

Grown-up prep: Measure the dry ingredients, warm some tap water and cover the table. This dough is for play only, not for eating.

1. Pour the flour, salt, cinnamon and ginger into the bowl and stir.
2. Stir in two spoons of oil.
3. Add the warm water a little at a time while you stir.
   Ask: What do you think the water will do to all that powder?
4. Knead the dough with your hands until it feels soft and smooth.
5. Sniff and squeeze your dough. What does it smell like?
   Ask: What does this smell remind you of?
6. Flatten the dough with your hands or roll it with a cup.
7. Cut out gingerbread people with a cookie cutter or butter knife. Ask for help if you need it
8. Poke buttons with a fingertip and press patterns with a fork.
9. Build a gingerbread village with houses, trees and roads.
10. Seal the dough in a zip bag for later. Who will you show your village to?
    Ask: What will you add to your gingerbread village next time?

Play it again

• Sniff test: make a second batch without spices and guess which dough is which with eyes closed.
• Gingerbread family: make one gingerbread person for everyone you know and see who can guess who is who.
• Pattern parade: give every gingerbread person a different fork pattern, then line them up in a repeating pattern.