Recipes & Activities

Playdoh

In a bowl, combine:
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup salt
2 tsp. cream of tartar

In a medium-sized pan, combine:
2 cups water
2 T. oil
Food coloring

Bring water, oil, and food coloring to a boil. Remove from heat and immediately add flour mixture. Stir until combined, Mixture will be lumpy. Remove from pan and let cool for a bit on the counter. Knead until smooth. Store in a ziplock bag.

Flubber

Mixture 1:
1 1/2 cup warm water
2 cups Elmer's glue
Food coloring

Mixture 2:
3 tsp borax (found in the laundry aisle)
1 cup warm water

Mix together mixture 1 and mixture 2 in two separate bowls.
Pour mixture 1 into mixture 2.

The mixture will be very soft and wet.  Keep kneading until it firms up and feels dry. 
Discard excess liquid in bowl. The more you knead and play with the flubber the firmer it will become. 
Store in a ziplock bag or air tight container. When the flubber no longer stretches without breaking, it’s time for a new batch!

Oobleck

In a small container, mix 1/2 cup cornstarch with 1/4-1/3 cup water. Stir until it reaches the consistency you like.
Food coloring optional but easiest to add to the water before mixing with the cornstarch.

Colored Rock Salt

Pour 1/2 cup rock salt in a bag with a few drops food coloring.
Close bag and mix until all salt is colored.
Spread out on wax paper to dry.
Repeat for other colors.
Pour into a plastic storage container with a lid for easy play and clean-up!

Homemade "Sand"

4 cups dried, used coffee grounds
2 cups cornmeal
1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
 
Stays fresh in an airtight container or Ziploc bag.

Popsicle Painting

Make a tray of ice and drop one drop of food coloring into each cube. Lay popsicle sticks into each cube before freezing. Protect the play surface with newspaper and “paint” away!

Puffy Paint

Mix 3 parts shaving cream to one part glue. Paint with a Q-tip or popsicle stick. Push buttons, stickers, or whatever you like into the fluff. Allow the picture to completely dry and enjoy!

Melting Ice Fun

Freeze water in a small butter or sour cream container. Once frozen, place on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with rock salt (can be found at the grocery store). Allow the salt to melt the ice a little before using droppers of colored water.

Colored Pasta

  1. Choose your dry pasta varieties and your colors.
  2. Place desired amount of pasta into Ziploc bag.
  3. Pour just enough rubbing alcohol in the bag so all the pasta is wet.
  4. Add a generous amount of food coloring to the bag.
  5. Let bag sit until desired color—the longer they sit, the brighter the color.
  6. Pour pasta out onto newspaper to dry. (The smell will go away!)
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