Fun Littles

Fun and easy kids activities

Cloud Dough with Play Dough Sprinkles

Aug 9, 20125,499 views
Play Doh
Ages2–6 yrs
Prep20 min
Activity30 min
Leveleasy
MessHigh
Works for1:1 · Small group · Class

Mix flour and baby oil into moldable cloud dough for messy outdoor sensory and pretend play. Kids build castles, cakes and ice cream cones, then top them with fake sprinkles made from crumbled dried-out play dough.

⚠️ Safety first

  • Not taste-safe: baby oil and raw flour should not be eaten. Supervise closely with kids who still mouth things.
  • Flour dust can get in eyes and hair. Keep the dough in the bin and stop any throwing.
  • Spilled flour and oil make floors slippery. Play outside or over a sheet you can shake out.
  • Adult runs the food processor to make the sprinkles.
  • Small toy figures and play dough crumbs can be choking hazards for toddlers. Supervise at all times.
  • Flour and most play dough contain wheat. Check for wheat or gluten allergies before play.

Before the kids arrive

  • Gather dried-out play dough. An adult runs it in the food processor to make fake sprinkles.
  • Roll paper into ice cream cones.
  • Set up the tray, bin or kiddie pool outside.

Steps

  1. Put the tray, bin or kiddie pool outside.

  2. Pour 8 cups of flour into the bin and add 1 cup of baby oil.

  3. Mix with your hands until the flour holds together when you squeeze it. Add a little more oil if it won't mold.

  4. Feel the cloud dough: pour it between your hands, let it fall through your fingers, and hide your hands in it.

  5. Pack cups and molds to build castles. Then smash them!

  6. Flatten the dough and set up toy figures, walls and straw fences for pretend play.

  7. Pack scoops, measuring spoons and molds to make cakes and cookies.

  8. Top your cakes with fake play dough sprinkles.

  9. Scoop cloud dough balls into paper cones to make ice cream, and add sprinkles.

Tips

  • This activity SHOULD be done outside, I mean really. It is such a messy delight.from the author
  • Start small with a tray or bin. Some moms put the whole setup in a kiddie pool, which is pretty smart.from the author
  • Vary the baby oil to adjust the dough to your preferences.from the author
  • Sprinkles really do it for the kids, and the fake ones are a cheaper alternative.from the author
  • I'm always cleaning up dried play dough bits from under the couch, the table and the bed. We just put them to use this time!from the author
  • Rules like 'keep the stuff inside' go right over a toddler's head, so expect flour on the ground.from the author
  • With friends over, the cloud dough play lasted longer than usual.from the author
  • One reader said the first time she made cloud dough, she didn't see her children for hours.from readers

Make it your own

  • Build an igloo by packing a large bowl of cloud dough.
  • Set up a bakery with cakes, cookies and pizza shapes from a toy picnic set.
  • Run an ice cream shop with paper cones and fake sprinkles.
  • Stage a princess battle with a cloud dough wall between two camps.

The story behind it

By TurkeyMom · August 2012
Cloud Dough with Play Dough Sprinkles
This activity SHOULD be done outside. Mix 8 cups of all purpose flour and 1 cup baby oil with your hands, in a tray or bin, until moldable.
1 / 10

Cloud Dough with Play Dough Sprinkles: the original post

This activity SHOULD be done outside, I mean really. It is such a messy delight for kids that it is a sin to deprive the kids of such a fun activity.

  1. All purpose Flour

  2. Baby Oil

  3. Container

  4. Whatever props you think your kid would enjoy

  5. 8 Cups of all purpose flour

  6. 1 cup baby oil.

You can vary the baby oil quantity to adjust to your preferences. Just mix the stuff with your hands to get the flour to a moldable consistency. Make sure you have the stuff in a tray, bin or at times a plastic wading pool. I have seen moms who have had the entire set up in a kiddie pool- pretty smart. For me, trial activities start small. Big A started off with just feeling the texture of the cloud dough by pouring them between her hands and getting the flour to fall through her fingers. The girls hid their hands in the cloud dough and had fun finding them. Slowly they got very excited that they had to play their usual game “ It is raining… It is raining flour, it is raining flour.

  1. measuring spoons
  2. cookie scoop
  3. sand molds
  4. straws
  5. cups

They started off with making flour castles and smashing them quickly.

Then Big A flattened out the cloud dough and started setting up her animals in there. As of today, the appeal of the animals was low and the princess were ranking much higher. A cloud dough wall was set up and two camps of princess stood on the opposite sides waiting to fight apparently! These are the types who don’t lift their pinkies.

Major pretend play there. Lots of imaginary story lines from Big A while baby A was content scooping, pouring and mixing while occasionally complaining about the cloud dough which lands on her head. Big A claims that it is accident. Yeah right, when it happens 4 times in 5 minutes I doubt it. Once a princess battles were over, the scene swiftly moved to the ubiquitous baking area. With cups and scoops galore, it was only natural we made cakes and ice creams. A few pieces from her picnic set were used to create different cookie shapes. I tried getting baby A to notice the different shapes, but to no avail. She was super busy purposefully pouring the cloud dough on the ground. Rules like “Keep the stuff inside” goes over her head. Ah well, she has time to muck around with geometry. Right about now, throwing cloud dough back at Big A for revenge seems to be the only thing on her mind. Big A on the other hand was into creating different shapes and smashing them I hasten to add because she still enjoys the latter when it comes to messy play. Legos and wooden logs are a whole different issue where a diligently constructed model should stay there undisturbed by her sister until she is ready to let them go. She did make a quite a few cakes with large amounts of sprinkles on them.

Here are the cloud dough sweets all prettified with play dough sprinkles. Read further to see how we made our own our own fake sprinkles.

The fake sprinkles - they are just dried out play dough.

Here is what I did for fake sprinkles.. Gather all the dried out play dough and run it in the food processor to get this.

Anyway, we elaborated on the ice cream scene with paper cones and dried out play dough. The cloud dough made amazing ice cream scoops.

I have to mention that we played with a few of Big A’s friends and one of her friends seemed more interested in the ice cream cone than the any of the girls. Here are his cones

The girls had by now scurried off inside Big A’s room to play. But the one guy stayed outside with me to make more cool stuff. Like this awesome igloo

It was a blast! Since we had friends over, the cloud dough play lasted a longer time than the usual. Shared on It’s Playtime Momnivore’s Dilemma Notimeforflashcards Friday Frugal Fun

What readers say

💬 10 comments ✍️ 3 answered by the author

🎉 Worked for us

Kids played for hours

A reader says the first time she made cloud dough, her children were busy with it for hours.

“The first time I made the cloud dough, I literally did not see my children for hours!”
Sofia's Ideas, Aug 2012

🛠️ Troubleshooting

Take the mess outdoors

Another cloud dough fan agrees with the author that this is best done outside because of the mess.

“definitely an outdoor activity!”
Ness, Aug 2012

✨ Readers' twist

Fake sprinkles save money

The author notes sprinkles really excite kids, and dried play dough sprinkles are a cheaper alternative to real ones.

“These fake sprinkles seems like a better alternative( cost wise) for us!”
TurkeyMom, Aug 2012

✨ Readers' twist

Reuse dried play dough bits

The author turned the dried play dough bits she's always cleaning up around the house into the sprinkles.

“I'm always cleaning up dried bits from under the couch, under the table, bed etc. We just put them to use this time!”
TurkeyMom, Aug 2012

Tried it?

Reviewed before it appears. No links, and please no children's names.

Read all 10 comments
  1. Sofia's Ideas · Aug 2012

    The fake sprinkles are genius!!!! The first time I made the cloud dough, I literally did not see my children for hours! Hours, I tell you!!! Did I mention, hours? lol!

  2. TurkeyMomAuthor · Aug 2012 · replying to Ness

    Thanks for the pin. Sensory play is so much fun for kids who love the mess.

  3. Ness · Aug 2012

    e love cloud dough too. Yo are so right - definitely an outdoor activity! I've pinned this to the Tuesday Tots Pinterest board. Thanks for linking up! I hope we see you again this week.

  4. Allison · Aug 2012

    Cloud dough is a favorite around here. What a great idea for the fake sprinkles! Thanks for linking up to The Sunday Showcase.

  5. TurkeyMomAuthor · Aug 2012 · replying to Jennifer | The Deliberate Mom

    Sprinkles really do it for the kids. These fake sprinkles seems like a better alternative( cost wise) for us! Thanks for stopping by our blog.

  6. TurkeyMomAuthor · Aug 2012 · replying to sammie (oneblueonepink)

    Yeah. I'm always cleaning up dried bits from under the couch, under the table, bed etc. We just put them to use this time! Thanks for stopping by.

  7. daisy · Aug 2012

    Looks like they had an amazing time! I know this is something my littles wouldenjoy as well, thanks for the great idea! Saying hello from the link up.

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