The Force is back. And it’s ready for a fight! Star Wars fever has definitely been building up in our house in anticipation of The Force Awakens. So I pulled together a few droid parts for my little Darth and laid out this BB-8 Play Dough Invitation to Play. This post contains affiliate links.
Star Wars Family
Are the kids (or you) Star Wars fans? We are! We’re kind of a Star Wars family… Tag @leftbraincraftbrain on Instagram if you want to share your Star Wars family pics with me. I’d love to see the fun stuff you’ve been doing.
Star Wars BB-8 Play Dough Supplies Needed
- 8 mm & 4 mm black sew-in button eyes {affiliate}
- Paper clips
- Aluminum foil
- Flat bottomed metal screws
- Styrofoam balls in varying sizes {affiliate}
- Orange, white & grey play dough (recipe below)
Since my daughter hasn’t seen the new movie yet (not out yet plus she’s a bit young to see it in the theater), I picked up a BB-8 for her to look at. Do you know how hard it is to find one of these? I really wanted the Sphero BB-8 {affiliate}, but that was a bit pricey. So then I went for the remote controlled BB-8 at Target, but that was sold out. And there were no figures, dolls or stuffies. So I ended up with a huge(!) BB-8 night light. Oh well…
I added a few styrofoam balls to the tray on a whim. Those were a definite winner! They make the droids light than a huge ball of play dough and the paper clips can push through and stick them together. The droids became sturdy enough for a good play session.
Although this was a BB-8 play dough tray, all droids were welcome. That definitely made for better storytelling! The metal parts were a hit of this tray too and encouraged all sorts of different designs. Just like with our Tinkering Trees, screws are fun to play with and make for great fine motor skill building. Plus they make awesome droid eyeballs :)
BB-8 Play Dough Recipe
For this activity, you can make three batches or split one into thirds and color the dough after making it. If you want perfectly uniform color, it’s easier to add the color before cooking. White food coloring {affiliate} is my secret weapon for the whitest play dough outside of store bought. It kind of blew my mind when I found out there was such a thing as white food coloring :)
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 3/4 cup salt
- 1 T. cream of tartar
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 3 T. vegetable oil
- White food coloring, orange food coloring, black food coloring {affiliate}
- Silver glitter
- Combine dry ingredients in a large pot and stir until well mixed.
- Stir in water and oil until combined. Add food coloring until desired color is achieved.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until dough is thick.
- Remove play dough from the pot and place on a plate or cookie sheet to cool. Cover with a paper towel or dish cloth so it won’t dry out.
- Once dough is cool enough to handle, knead dough until smooth. For the silver play dough, add silver glitter and knead until mixed.
- Once dough reaches room temperature, store in an air tight container or zipper bag.
More Star Wars Activities for Kids
In honor of the new movie, I’ve rounded up a bunch of Star Wars STEM projects for you and your kids. Awesome stuff like lightsaber math, X-Wing Fighters made out of office supplies and the coolest lava slime you and Darth have ever seen.
Science, Tech, Engineering, Art, and Math Fun for Kids
Looking for some more STEAM inspiration that use can use right now? Instant gratification style? Check out STEAM Kids: 50+ Hands-on Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, & Math Hands-On Projects for Kids ebook! It’s packed full of a year’s worth fun learning activities that will wow the boredom right out of your kids.
