Playdoh Vs. Plasticine

Back in the old days, Playdoh was a luxury item. I remembered seeing advertisements on TV about it but we did not know where or how to get it. Instead, we played with the next best thing - plasticine. Of course the ideas "non-toxic", "safe for children" and "3+ only" meant little to our folks. They adopted the "play-at-your-own-risk" approach and we turned out okay (I hope). Although I do not recall ever eating plasticine, it was always a love-hate relationship for me. I love to play with it yet I hated the sticky (could never be washed off!) and yucky feeling.



Anyhow, Sophie loves Playdoh enough to stand by the cupboard and demand for it at least once every week. She seems to know that is her Playdoh time. I found her pressing on the Playdoh with her palm to flatten it today and she also did a little kneading so I was very happy. There are many skills that she has not mastered yet when it comes to Playdoh, but at least she enjoys it enough to learn slowly. So far, I have seen her pinch, poke, press, flatten, cut and knead Playdoh.


I am hoping to see her use the rolling pin, scissors, knife and moulds "correctly" but I think it might actually be better to use her hands instead. I mean, tools are great but they are not entirely helpful in nurturing her creativity, developing her problem-solving skills and improving the dexterity of her fingers. I guess I want her to be a bit like me... After all, I never use moulds on plasticine and definitely not for making the letters with jumping clay.

"S" And "s" (jumping clay)