Watermelon play dough

This activity was very engaging for the kids and many of them spent 20 or more minutes here!

This is how the table looked when the kids approached it. Green and pinkish/reddish playdough, dry black beans, and plastic knives.  There is an example of the watermelon in the back.

Here is a closer look.  The process is: stick as many black beans into the pink play dough as you want, then roll it into a ball.  Then wrap the green play dough around the whole pink ball.  Now you have a green ball - or watermelon.  Then cut into the watermelon and discover the seeds.

The colors do not mix together very much - so after each child cut their watermelon and was done with it I helped them peal the green off and pick the seeds out - so other children could make more watermelons.  This was GREAT fine motor practice and attention to detail.