Pinch pots and Spiral-y Snakes

Gotta love classic activities.  Before spring break the FW1 student from MCV prepared some fun activities for her 1st grade student.  To help him focus on cutting an accurate spiral she painted a white paper plate in his favorite color and added some embellishment.  Since he's right-handed she encouraged him to cut in a counter-clockwise direction.  Looks like a cool snake to me, but maybe it was really some other design?
Next, she brought in some holiday-themed Pla-Dough from Target to have him create pinch pots.  I had encouraged her to only bring in recycled items or to use materials from my stash, but she shelled out her own money and splurged.  The student was very engaged with these fun "eggs" in animal shapes.

The student also rolled tiny "eggs" to fit in the orange "nest."

We were surprised to find that there was a little stamp on the base of each container--bonus!

The first grader decided to roll mini-snakes and write a few words.
After the session Dana and I discussed how to make the activity more challenging for the student, to promote better finger stability and coordination.  We agreed that using a more resistive material, such as scented salt dough, would work well, and would also be an inexpensive material to use for a home program.

2 parts flour (not self rising)
1 part table salt
1 part water
few drops food extract (such as peppermint) or a Tablespoon of seasoning (cinnamon, ground cloves)

Food allergies and sensitivities need to be noted and avoided.
For more ideas:  Dough_It_Yourself_Handbook.pdf