What fun "cause and effect" tools to use with storebought or homemade playdough, modeling clay, or real clay.This is a set of twelve extruders that includes a variety of shapes.There's many sizes and shapes of string/hair/spaghetti(depending on which kid you ask); heart, star, square, leaf and flower shapes; and more. No two are the same. The extruders measure about 3.5 inches long and are sturdy and well suited for preschool use.Kids can just press a lump of playdough or clay into the syringe-like tube and press on the plunger to squeeze out a long piece of shaped dough. Some very young children struggle a bit with this skill at first, but it is great for building hand strength and fine motor skills, and with a little persistence and practice they are able to do it easily.Pair these with butter knives or children's scissors so that children can trim the shaped dough as desired. When they are finished with one project, roll the dough back into a ball, pick another extruder, and begin again! It could also be fun to experiment with the extruders with other substances, such as shaving cream or homemade "gak". The results wouldn't be as perfectly formed, but kids would have a blast and would be able to make some scientific observations about properties of solids and liquids.Clean up and be a bit tricky if not done right away. A pencil can help remove clay/dough from the inside of the tube. Clean up is easiest if dough is removed right away when finished, or if you wait and let dough dry out completely and then discard. The extruders are also washable.These are a lot of fun!