Objective
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to understand basic concepts of volume and shapes through the fun activity of making salt dough.
Materials and Prep
You will need:
- 2 cups of flour
- 1 cup of salt
- 1 cup of water
- Large mixing bowl
- Measuring cups
- Baking sheet
- Oven (for adult use only)
Before starting the lesson, make sure to have a clean work surface and have an adult help with using the oven.
Activities
1. Mix the flour, salt, and water in a large bowl to make the salt dough.
2. Roll the dough into different shapes such as spheres, cubes, and cylinders to understand basic 3D shapes.
3. Use the dough to create simple sculptures or imprints of leaves and other objects to explore the concept of volume and space.
4. Place the dough creations on a baking sheet and have an adult help bake them in the oven to see how they change through heat.
Second Grade Talking Points
- Shapes: "Shapes are all around us. We can make shapes like circles, squares, and rectangles using the dough."
- Volume: "Volume is how much space something takes up. When we make a big ball of dough, it takes up more space than a small ball."
- 3D Shapes: "We can make 3D shapes like cubes and cylinders with the dough. They have length, width, and height."
- Change with Heat: "When we put the dough in the oven, it gets hot and changes. This is like how things change when they get hot."