5.2.9.8: Use of Play Dough and Other Manipulative Art or Sensory Materials

The child care program should have the following procedures on the use and life span of manipulative art or sensory materials such as clay, play dough, etc:

1. If handmade, these materials should be made fresh each week, labeled, dated and stored in airtight containers;
2. If purchased, these products should be stored in their original packaging;
3. Products that are labeled as toxic are prohibited;
4. The surface upon which they are used and the tools used with these materials should be cleaned and sanitized before and after use;
5. Children should practice hand hygiene before and after each use;
6. Material should be discarded if it is sneezed upon, put into a child’s mouth, or in any other way possibly contaminated;
7. Children with latex or gluten allergies should be given their own portion of the material and that individual portion should be stored separately if for repeat use.
8. Children with cuts, sores, scratches and colds with sneezing and runny noses should be given their own portion of the material and that individual portion should be stored separately if for repeat use.

RATIONALE

Hand hygiene, supervision of children, and discarding material that is contaminated are appropriate hygienic practices when using these materials. Providing children with their own portion of modeling material helps prevent cross-contamination (1).

TYPE OF FACILITY

Center, Early Head Start, Head Start, Large Family Child Care Home, Small Family Child Care Home

RELATED STANDARDS

3.2.2.1 Situations that Require Hand Hygiene

REFERENCES

1. Life Tips. Cutting down on playdough germs. http://parent.lifetips.com/tip/43479/day-care-and-babysitters/concerns-and
   -coping/cutting-down-on-playdough-germs.html.