Build a Monster Play Dough Kit

We have been reading A Monster's Bad Rap by Kelly Grettler and Nataly Cohn, and we have been inspired to create this very fun monster building kit. My kids just loved this kit! We love monsters around here, and when we found A Monster's Bad Rap, I was so excited because I knew this book would be loved by my kids. The story shines a new light on monsters for kids who may be afraid of them, and instead, will now love them and want them to come and play with their shoes! The book is written in an adorable easy to read rhyming fashion, and the illustrations are really fun and reminiscent of children's drawings and they are truly loved by my kids!This children's storybook has inspired me to bake our favorite Monster Cookies, and now it has inspired me to create this really fun play dough kit that your kids can use to build their own monsters at home, anytime! A perfect activity for building fine motor skills and fun to do after reading their own copy of A Monster's Bad Rap! Read our Book Review and meet the Author + Illustrator here.

Grab your own copy of A Monster's Bad Rap today!

Monster Play Dough Recipe:

Ingredients Needed:

This recipe makes 1 color of dough. For 3 colors, to match the monsters in the book, of Purple, Blue, and Green, you will need to repeat this process 3 times. This recipe calls for cooking your play dough on the stove top.

1 cup of flour
1/2 cup of salt
2 TBSP of Cream of Tarter
1 TBSP of Veg Oil
1 Cup of Water
Food Coloring, Neon Colors of PURPLE, BLUE + GREEN

Method:

In a bowl, add your flour, salt, and cream of tartar, and whisk together.In a container or bowl, add your 1 cup of water, and your desired food coloring, one color at a time, and mix until combined. Add your oil next.Heat a pan on the stove, at medium-high heat, and place your flour + salt mixture on to the pan. Next, pour the colored water + oil on top, and with a strong spatula, mix the water into the flour + salt. As it heats, you will need to constantly stir this. It will come together very quickly and will harden and once it is not gooey and wet, you can take off the heat, and place onto a clean surface.Once on the clean surface, it will be very hot, but it needs to be kneaded quite quickly, and at this time, you can add in some extra oil to your hands, a very small amount, and massage it in as you knead the play dough. Place warm play dough into a ziplock bag and close tightly. The moisture from the hot play-dough right after cooking will help the dough stay moist for longer, and not dry out as quickly.It is ready to be played with as soon as it is cooled down enough to handle. It is fairly hot when it comes off the pan, so be careful. If stored in an airtight container this play-dough can last up to 1 month!

Setting Up Your Monster Play Dough Kit:

Supplies Needed:

Pony Beads
Googly Eyes
Pipe Cleaners (neon colors)
Popsicle sticks
Dried Black Beans
lids; big and small (water bottles, milk jugs, etc)
Ribbon
Yarn
Glass stones
Feel free to add in any other small pls thing that you might like!
Ikea's GLIS storage container (Canada | US )

Want to make these awesome Monster Cookies? Find the Recipe HERE.

Grab your Copy of our FREE Printables created just for you!

What's included in the Monster Theme Pack? Find out below:

Having a Monster Theme Party or Homeschool Co-Op get together? Want to create monster playdough kits?

This adorable printable has a rhyme just for this craft, to help your kids get started with building their own Monster! You can staple this printable onto any bag, with all the supplies to build a playdough monster. Really fun for birthday parties, play dates, or just because. Created by Kelly Grettler.

FREE Writing Prompt

While playing with the Monster Playdough Kit, your kids may just have an overflow of ideas about their monster that they are creating out of playdough! My kids did, and because of this, Kelly Grettler and I have collaborated to bring you a fabulous FREE Writing Prompt that you can use along with your Monster Play Dough Kit, for your children to enjoy! Your kids can draw pictures of their newly created Monster, and write their own story about their Monster who may be hiding in their room right now, trying on their shoes! We hope you enjoy this FREE Writing Prompt in your home or homeschool and encourage creative minds! Created by Kelly Grettler.

A Note from Kelly Grettler, Author of A Monster's Bad Rap:

"To all the kids who are interested in becoming a writer some day, get yourself a journal, grab a pen, and just write.Every day.Write whatever comes to mind, and don’t worry about editing, just write.Doing this will open up those creative juices, where the good stuff is waiting to come out!Save whatever you write that you feel holds potential, because there is no time limit on getting them published. If you believe in them, then don’t ever give up on them! ~ Kelly Grettler, Author of A Monster's Bad Rap

A Note from Nataly Cohn, Illustrator of A Monster's Bad Rap:

"To all the kids who are interesting in becoming an Artist/Illustrator some day: Just do it. Draw and paint as much as you can and even if it looks bad now, remember that’s just progress for how good it will look. You won’t get better if you don’t continue working at it. And NEVER throw away your art work EVER, even if you think it’s trash - don’t, because when you’re able to look back and see how much you’ve grown you’ll be so proud and actually see your efforts were for something."~ Nataly Cohn, Illustrator of A Monster's Bad Rap

We all hope this activity and story writing prompts have been able to inspire and ignite a joy of writing and illustrating for you and your kids together!

Til next time,Breathe deeply and enjoy building your masterpiece with scissors and glue, and playdough too!~Alexandra