Does anyone know which children’s toy also helps doctors in physical therapy? Play dough is actually great for physical therapy! Play dough does not only stimulate a child’s creativity. It also improves their eye/hand coordination, and fine motor skills. According to Encyclopedia of Children’s Heath, fine motor skills generally refers to the small movements of the hands, wrists, fingers, feet, toes, lips, and tongue. This makes it the perfect product to use in physical therapy to rebuild the muscles in the hand, wrist and fingers. Did you know that this product was first manufactured in Cincinnati, Ohio as wallpaper cleaner in the 1930s? This putty-like wallpaper cleaner was concocted by Noah McVicker for Kutol Products, a family-owned Cincinnati-based soap company. Only after World War II McVicker’s nephew Joseph McVicker, joined Kutol and discovered the wallpaper cleaner was being used by nursery school children to make Christmas ornaments. The product was then reworked and marketed to Cincinnati schools in the mid-1950s. Play-Doh was demonstrated at an educational convention in 1956 and major department stores opened retail accounts to sale the product. Advertisements promoting Play-Doh on children’s television shows in 1957 furthered the product’s sales. In 2003, the Toy Industry Association added Play-Doh to its “Century of Toys List”. Today I’m going to show you how to make play dough.
There are only four easy steps to making homemade play dough. You will need,
• 2 cups of flour
• 2 cups of warm water
• 2 table spoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoon cream of tarter
• 1 cup of salt
• Food coloring. (to your liking)
Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large sauce pan. Add any color of food coloring you want to the 2 cups of water. Mix the colored water and oil into the dry ingredients. Cook on the stove on medium heat and stir constantly. When the play dough feels like stiff mashed