“Is it powdered food coloring or gel?” · Brittaney
Author Baking soda and oil take color really well. The author used gel food colors, and one color was liquid coloring. Both work just fine.
The story behind it
By TurkeyMom · January 2014
Ages2–5 yrs
Prep15 min
Activity30 min
Leveleasy
MessHigh
Works for1:1 · Small group · Class
Mix baking soda, cornstarch, vegetable oil and food color into a silky soft, moldable cloud dough with no flour, so gluten-sensitive kids can play too. Set it out in a sensory tub with baking cups, scoops and toy animals for scooping, molding and pretend baking.
⚠️ Safety first
- Taste-safe is not the same as food: the ingredients come from the pantry, but this is a play dough. Don't let kids eat it, and supervise toddlers who mouth things.
- The recipe has no flour, but it contains corn (cornstarch). For a child with allergies or celiac disease, check the oil and food color labels too.
- For gluten-sensitive kids, use bins and tools that haven't held flour-based dough. Wash hands and scrub under fingernails before snacks.
- Keep the powdery mix away from eyes, and wash hands after play.
- Food color can stain hands and clothes.
- Oily crumbs on a hard floor can be slippery. Play over a tray, mat or tub.
Before the kids arrive
- Make sure the mixing bowl is completely dry and clean.
- For a rainbow tub, plan one batch per color.
- For gluten-sensitive kids, wash any bins and props that have held flour-based dough.
Steps
Put 1/2 cup of baking soda in a dry, clean bowl.
Add 1 tbsp of vegetable oil and mix well.
Add food color. Add a little extra, because the color lightens once the cornstarch goes in.
Add 1/2 tbsp more oil and mix well until you have a super soft, squishy mixture.
Add 1/4 cup of cornstarch.
Add 1/2 to 1 tbsp more oil and mix until the dough is soft and moldable.
Repeat with other colors, then spread the cloud dough in a clear tub with baking cups, scoops and a brush.
Add favorite toy animals and figures to the bin.
Scoop, mold and stack cloud dough balls, and bake pretend cupcakes in the baking cups.
Wash hands and scrub under fingernails when play is done.
Tips
- Baking soda and oil take color REALLY well. Gel or liquid food color both work fine.from the author
- Remember the color lightens after you add the cornstarch, so add color accordingly.from the author
- We liked it squishier and added 2.5 tbsp of oil. You can reduce the oil to 2 tbsp.from the author
- Invariably kids start making cupcakes, and how can you bake without baking cups!from the author
- Brightly colored sensory bins elicit longer, more verbal play. Ours had a green pasture, pink 'food' for the giraffes and a teeny red patch of 'hot lava'.from the author
- No need for an elaborate rainbow tub. If you don't have the time or energy, a basic cloud dough will be just as fun.from the author
- A parent of a three-year-old with celiac disease says cloud dough gets stuck under fingernails, so scrub nails well after play.from readers
- A mom of a gluten-free 3 1/2-year-old says regular flour cloud dough gave her child a rash, so she was glad to find this version.from readers
Make it your own
- Make a rainbow tub with one batch per color, or a single color for a simpler bin.
- Add toy giraffes or dinosaurs and build a small world: a green pasture, pink 'food' and red 'hot lava'.
- Bake pretend cupcakes, pink balls and lava cakes with baking cups and scoops.
- Skip the elaborate setup and offer a basic cloud dough in a tub.
Questions readers asked
Is it powdered food coloring or gel?
The author used gel food colors and one liquid color. Baking soda and oil take color really well, so both work fine.
Why does gluten-free matter if kids don't eat it?
The author's view: 2-4-year-olds may take a quick taste or skip handwashing before a snack, so it's best to remove the allergen. Parents of celiac kids reported rashes, blisters and illness after flour dough. Another reader notes that for most gluten intolerance, ingestion, not touch, is the concern.
What is cornstarch called in the UK or Australia?
Cornflour.
Do I need to make a rainbow sensory tub?
Not really. Colorful bins tend to keep kids playing longer, but a basic cloud dough is just as fun.
What readers say
💬 13 comments ✍️ 3 answered by the author
Answered by the author
“Why does gluten-free matter if kids only play with it?” · Jenny
Author Regular cloud dough uses flour. With 2- to 4-year-olds, a quick taste or unwashed hands before snack is possible, so it's best to remove the allergen from play entirely.
🎉 Worked for us
A celiac child can join in
A mother of a celiac child says gluten playdough and some paints blister her daughter's hands, and thanked the author for a version her child can use.
“Her hands break out in very painful blisters just from playing with gluten containing playdough or finger painting in certain kinds of paint”
🎉 Worked for us
Rash-free option for a gluten-free preschooler
A parent of a gluten-free 3½-year-old says regular cloud dough gave her child a rash, so she went looking specifically for this version.
“regular cloud dough actually has given mine a rash. I specifically was looking for a gf version so Thanks!”
🛠️ Troubleshooting
Dough gets under fingernails
A parent of a celiac 3-year-old notes cloud dough gets stuck under fingernails, so careful hand and nail cleaning matters, and caregivers must respect allergy instructions.
“when she plays with things like cloud dough it gets stuck under her fingernails.”
🛠️ Troubleshooting
Wash hands before snacks
A parent of a gluten-free daughter lets her older child play only once she knows not to touch her face or eat until hands are washed.
“she knows she cannot touch her face or eat any food until her hands are washed.”
🎉 Worked for us
Sparks imaginative play and language
A sensory-play blogger praised it for sensory exploration, imaginative play and language, and noted gluten-free helps if a sensitive child accidentally tastes some.
“And the fact that it is gluten-free is great, just in case you have a gluten-sensitive little one who accidentally ingests some during play.”
Read all 13 comments
Amanda · Sep 2014
I have a three year old who is celiac and when she plays with things like cloud dough it gets stuck under her fingernails. We had a child care provider that didn't listen to us about not being allowed to have play dough because of the wheat and my poor kid had diarrhea and was vomiting for days. It does matter.
Best Baby Sites · May 2014 · replying to TurkeyMom
Just had to leave a reply as well - my daughter is gluten free and now that she is older I let her play with play doh without too much worry as she knows she cannot touch her face or eat any food until her hands are washed. But, gluten reactions can occur not just when ingested as it can absorb into the skin also. Depending on the severity of the allergy this could pose problems - as it did with our daughter using sunscreen that we didn't know contained a gluten ingredient.
Amy · May 2014 · replying to Jenny
Hi there, As the mom of a gluten free 3 1/2 yr old kiddo I can say that regular cloud dough actually has given mine a rash. I specifically was looking for a gf version so Thanks! :-)
Lisa · May 2014
From the mother of a celiac child...with regard to the comment about making a big deal about GLUTEN-FREE cloud dough. It is a big deal! Her hands break out in very painful blisters just from playing with gluten containing playdough or finger painting in certain kinds of paint, not to mention that if she does forget to wash her hands before eating we no doubt would be heading to the hospital. Any amount of gluten sends her into an attack that goodness knows how long it will last. So from a mother that has been there and does not wish to go back, thank you for taking the time to post this idea and helping me to make things as "normal" as possible for my little girl that feels like an outcast most days.
Janella · May 2014 · replying to TurkeyMom
A gluten intolerance is not necessarily the same thing as an allergy. I have it myself. People with issues with gluten do not react simply but touching something that has gluten, it must be ingested and it does not cause sudden life-threatening reactions like an allergy. Having said that, my mother-in-law has the worst form of gluten intolerance, celiac disease, and we do have to be careful not to use the same knife for spreading something on wheat bread as her bread. It will not cause a trip to the hospital (which would be interesting since she is a nurse) it will just make her sick. The only life-threatening issues connected with gluten allergy are for those who specifically have celiac (which is different and worse than a plain old intolerance) and then only though constant exposure which causes intestinal damage. So, yes, the kids accidentally eating it, it is a concern, but not by simply touching it. Just want to be clear, since there is is some much misinformation out there with this fad of going gluten-free.
TurkeyMomAuthor · Feb 2014 · replying to Brittaney
Thanks for reading and no, it is not a stupid question! Baking soda and oil takes color REALLY well. So I simple used gel food colors and I believe one color was liquid coloring. Both will work just fine.
Brittaney · Feb 2014
Stupid question.... is it powdered food coloring or gel?
Ana · Feb 2014
Thanks for this recipe! I agree that it is so much better to be safe than sorry with kids when it comes to allergies. Thanks for coming up with this gluten-free recipe!
Meri Cherry · Feb 2014
I am going nuts over these photographs!!! These are gorgeous beyond words!!! Holy cow. Teach me!!! Oh, and gluten free cloud dough is a fantastic idea!
TurkeyMomAuthor · Feb 2014 · replying to Meri Cherry
Meri--thanks! That's high praise :)
TurkeyMomAuthor · Feb 2014 · replying to Jenny
Thanks for your comment. Please help me understand how you came to the conclusion that I'm making a big deal out of our very simple activity post. Just curious :) Cloud dough is generally made with flour and oil which kids with Gluten allergy cannot use. This particular recipe calls for cornstarch/cornflour (UK/AUS) Next - Children allergic to gluten cannot ingest them -granted but we are dealing with the 2's, 3's and 4's here. You cannot be "too careful" when you are dealing with allergies like these. It's always best to remove the allergen play element, don't you think? What if they take a quick taste? Life threatening cases of gluten allergy exists.. What if the child with Gluten allergy plays with regular flour cloud dough and say doesn't wash his/her hands properly and eats his/her snack? These things are quite possible, something caregivers of multiple children usually think about.There are extreme cases of allergies that have resulted in hospital trips by merely touching play ground equipment with a particular allergen on it. Allergic reactions are really traumatic for people who experience it every.single day. I hoped that this recipe will give Gluten sensitive kids a chance to experience moldable cloud dough.
Stephanie Haass · Feb 2014
Cloud dough is the best! This looks like so much fun, and like you said, wonderful on both a purely sensorial level AND for encouraging imaginative play and language. And the fact that it is gluten-free is great, just in case you have a gluten-sensitive little one who accidentally ingests some during play. Even a tiny bit can be super harmful for a child with celiac disease! Thanks so much for linking to our sensory play post!
Jenny · Feb 2014
This is the same recipe for cloud dough that is all over the internet and Pinterest. Why are you making a big deal that it is gluten free? I know some children are sensitive to gluten in their food but would it matter if they played with a dough with gluten? I was just curious because I am a child care provider.