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Colorations Gluten-Free Play Dough & Disposable Art Gloves

posted on September 2, 2009 by

There is so much to consider when sending a GF child to school!  Everyday seems to be a new experience and I realize I have yet ANOTHER GF supply that I either need to make or buy!

I have posted a recipe for GF Play Dough in the past and while it is great dough, it can get pretty sticky over time after being stored in an airtight container.  I always need to add more rice flour each time we get it out to make the dough not stick to the boy’s hands (which of course, being boys, they actually like it and end up chasing each other around the house with their gooey blob of play dough that is stuck to their hands, much to my dismay!).  Having so greatly appreciated all the effort “Ms. J” (Sam’s teacher) has gone to for us, I was not embracing the idea of sending in homemade dough and all the mess that can go with it.

I decided to go ahead and try a commercial GF play dough; hoping that it will be easier to play with, store and transport.

I ordered a package of Colorations Wheat and Gluten Free Play Dough to try out. I am also waiting on a shipment of Soy-Yer Dough and once their new manufacturing plant is open and they start taking orders again next month, I will try the Aroma Dough.  (You can read those reviews here)

My Colorations GF play dough package arrived yesterday:

I got 5 1/2 pounds of GF dough, which is dispersed between 8 colors. The dough does have an interesting potpourri smell to it though.  Hopefully it will mellow over time.

Each dough log is about the size of… (no, those are not oranges…they are Clementines, a.k.a. “Cuties”). Two clementines just about fit in the palm of my hand!  It is not a lot of play dough for the cost.

As I opened the container to see the dough, I noticed how each color came in cling wrap. I immediately start thinking of storage. I can’t exactly just throw it all in the same container after each play session because the dough would not be looking good for long! So, I thought I would just slip each color into it’s own ziploc bag then slide back into the original bucket it came in.

As with everything else, I clearly labeled everything Gluten-Free:

I was so excited that everything was self contained in the original little bucket…won’t need ANOTHER storage bin!

Then it occurred to me, what is he going to do with this dough in class? Does Ms. J use rolling pins, cookie cutters, etc. and/or the Play Doh toys that come in some of the packages?  If Sam uses the classroom utensils on his GF play dough…well, there goes that!  Cross-Contamination…guess I will have to go get another storage bin after all to store his own separate GF play dough utensils!  This will be storage bin #4: Snack Box, Art Class Box, Cooking Class Box and now Play Dough Box. I sure hope the school has a storage shed 🙂

Now that you have an idea of what you get; let’s break it down: This package cost me: $22.97 + $5.00 shipping = $27.97.

My math may be a bit rusty, but here is what I came up with:

5.5 lbs. x 16 (ounces in a pound) = 88oz. of dough in a tub

88oz. divided by 8 colors = 11 oz. of dough for each color
$27.97 divided by 8 logs of dough = $3.50 per 11oz. log of dough
$3.50/log divided by 11oz. each = $0.32 per ounce for Colorations GF play dough.

As a comparison with Play Doh, according to their website, each regular can of Play Doh holds 3 oz. A 2-pack retails for $1.99, which would end up roughly at $0.33 per ounce of Play Doh.

So, the Colorations GF play dough is comparable in price with Play Doh…WOO HOO!  Finally, a GF item that is not priced several dollars higher than a “regular” item.  Although, I still have to buy utensils and a storage bin, not to mention the fact that I have to buy the play dough instead of Sam just getting to use the classroom supply (which I am sure we also helped pay for in tuition/supply fees).

Now, here is another option that we decided to try while we were waiting for the play dough to arrive and so Sam wouldn’t miss out on this classroom activity until his safe dough arrived:

I ordered some black disposable gloves from Amazon.  I could only find them in Small, so they are a little big on Sam, but not too bad. I just found the black in extra small here.  Sam picked out the color.  He chose the black because they look like “Darth Vader” gloves.  We also found size small in pink, green, blue and purple.  I am trying to find smaller kid-size gloves for my preschooler.  What would be really cool is if one of the glove manufacturer’s made a special line just for kids with cool tattoos on them of popular characters.It really is all about the packaging, especially at this age (almost 6).  Just like with my GF “Happy Meals,” it wasn’t about the food, it was the packaging and the toy.  Or like paying for otherwise free tap water because it is in a pretty plastic bottle!
I am really starting look at this as a real option instead of buying so many different things and asking Ms. J to store them for the year.  The gloves are cheap compared to buying all this stuff. I don’t even know how often I am going to have to replace the GF Dough.  When we used to use Play Doh, I considered it a miracle if we got more than one use out of it before it dried out or it was some funky color because it all got mushed together.
The non-latex gloves provide a barrier between Sam’s hands and the gluten.  When he is done playing, all he needs to do is throw away the gloves and wash his hands! I, in fact, used this approach when I took the cake decorating class.  Just an extra level of precaution.
There are certain craft supplies that should just be played with, bare hands and all.  Play Dough is probably one of them (for tactile stimulation) and finger paint.  I have supplied Sam’s art teacher with GF finger paint and I have also purchased GF instant paper mache.  I will leave that decision to Sam.  He can choose to “be like everyone else” and play barehanded with his GF supplies or he can be “part of the group” and use the same material as everyone else as long as he wears his “Darth Vader” disposable gloves.

Filed in: Gluten Free Art Supplies, Kid Favorite Gluten/Allergy Free Products, Kids
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Comments

  1. Michelle Partin says
    April 2, 2012 at 11:11 pm

    This product (Colorations GF dough) killed my 2 year old dog. He suffered needlessly of acute kidney failure and 12 days after ingesting a small amount had to be euthanized. He was hospitalized for 8 days and only after a battle did the company send our Veterinarian the ingredients. We are devistated and my 4 year old has lost his best friend and “brother”. I still can’t believe what my little guy Phineas went through. I was reassured that this product was non-toxic when I called. my dog is dead and we are now faced with a veterinarian bill of well over a thousand dollars. I am heartbroken.Type your comment here.

  2. Icturtle99 says
    August 8, 2012 at 1:44 pm

    Thank you for the great information. Do you have the ingredients on the Colorations dough? We have extensive allergies that aren’t in the top 8 and can’t find an ingredient list.