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Clay and dough · Fall · Toddlers

Nature playdough prints

Leaves, pine cones and bark pressed into flat dough, leaving prints your toddler can peel up and study.

Nature playdough prints
LevelBeginner
AgesAges 2 to 3
Time25 minutes
Cost$1 to $3
FallSpringOutdoorsDollar store

What you'll need

Materials

Tick them off as you find them.

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Tools

How to make it

Safety

Pick nature bits too big to fit in a toilet paper tube, and skip berries and seeds. This dough is very salty and not food.

  1. Step 1: Go collecting
    1

    Go collecting

    Walk outside with a basket. Let your toddler pick things with bumps and lines.

  2. Step 2: Roll the dough flat
    2

    Roll the dough flat

    Roll a pancake about 1/2 inch thick together.

  3. Step 3: Press 1 in
    3

    Press 1 in

    Press a leaf in hard with your palm.

  4. Step 4: Peel it up
    4

    Peel it up

    Lift it off slowly. Point at the lines left behind.

  5. Step 5: Let them press
    5

    Let them press

    Hand over the basket. Every item leaves a different mark.

  6. Step 6: Squish and repeat
    6

    Squish and repeat

    Ball it up, roll it flat, and go again.

Edie's tip

Leaves with thick veins, like maple and oak, leave the clearest prints.

Written by the DIY Project team. How we check · Report a mistake

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