I loved raising my children. We did a lot of messy things that made me rather crazy, since I hate messes, but we did them anyway because I thought they were good for the kids. Most of my adult friends back then in the stone age, thought it was insane to encourage messiness. I always thought they were rather uptight and unimaginative, but I digress.Over the years I've collected "kid recipes". Those are the ones that allow them to create - create fun, create messes, and use their imaginations.
Edible Play Dough
I used this recipe in my very first cooking demonstration as a high school junior. I'm not sure my classmates were impressed but they ate it anyway. It didn't matter if they were grossed out at the idea of edible playdough - I got an A for my outstanding presentation!
¾ cup cream or chunky peanut butter
¾ cup old-fashioned oats
¾ cup dry milk powder
1 to 2 Tablespoons honey
Ina bowl, combine peanut butter; milk powder and oats; mix well. Add enough honey to form a molding consistency. Kids can use dough to form fun shapes and animal, and then eat them. Store dough in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Yield: 1 1/3 cups.
Play Dough
I made lots of this when my big kids were little. It kept them busy at the kitchen table for hours and allowed me some free time to get something done, even if that something was to lose myself in a book!
2 cups flour
1 cups salt
3 Tablespoons cooking oil
3 Tablespoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon food coloring
2 cups boiling water
Mix flour, salt, oil and coloring in a bowl. Add boiling water. Mix very well until lumps are formed. Cool down. Knead play dough until smooth (~10min).
Store in airtight containers. It will last up to 6 months when stored in a cool place. However, don't freeze!
Slime
This is really fun stuff but DON'T let the kids get in on the carpet or stick it on the walls. It's a horrible mess to get out of carpets and it can stain the wall depending on how much food coloring you use!
1 rounded teaspoon 20 Mule Team Borax
8 oz. white school glue (Elmer's glue, for example)
1-¼ cups water
15 drops of food coloring (optional)... you choose the color
1. In a glass bowl, stir together 1 cup of water, the white glue, and the food coloring.
2. Add borax mixture to glue mix and stir until a slimy lump forms. Stir vigorously for another 30 seconds.
3. Remove the lump of slime and kneed it with your hands (or someone else's hands, if you are squeamish) to dry it and complete the reaction.
4. Dissolve all the borax powder in the remaining 1/4 cup water
In 2 minutes or so, you should be holding a ball of wonderful slime that pulls clean from your hands. The food color may stain fabric, so don't get slime on your clothes -- use small amounts of the food color to reduce this risk.
Pąpier Mâché Paste
½ cup flour
2 cups cold water
3 cups boiling water
3 Tablespoons sugar
• While the 2 cups of water are heating to a boil in the saucepan, mix the flour and cold water in a bowl. Squeeze out any lumps with your fingers. Add the flour mixture to the boiling water and bring it back to a boil. Remove the sucepan from heat and stir in the sugar. Let the mixture cool before you use it.
• Label and store the paste in a jar in the refrigerator for up to a week. If the mixture hardens, add warm water and whisk until it is smooth.
• Cut strips of newspaper and cover them with the paste. Cover the shape you want papered. Let dry.
Air-Dry Clay
Use this recipe for making permanent, air-dried creations, like painted beads or jewelry.
2 cups baking soda
1 cup cornstarch
1 ¼ cups cold water
Mix the baking soda and cornstarch together in the saucepan. Add the water. Cook the mixute over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until it is the consistency of mashed potatoes. Spoon the dough onto a plate and cover it with a a damp cloth to cool
After making your creations, use a few drops of water to smooth them out. Let them air-dry until hard, usually two days. Flip them over a few times during drying so both sides dry evenly. Paint finished creations with acrylic paints.
Bake-Dry Clay
Great for ornaments, fridge magnets and stuff like that.
2 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 cup cold water
• Mix flour, water ansd salt together in the bowl, then knead them until smooth. Add more flour if the dough seems sticky, or more water if it seems dry. The dough should be workable and not flaky.
• Colored Dough: Add a few drops of food coloring to the water before mixing.
• Bake your dough creations in the oven at 275°F on an ungreased cookie sheet until hardened. This takes up to 1 hour or more, depending on the thickness of the project. (For thick projects, put a ball of foil in the middle, and shape the dough around it.)
Cornstarch Goop (aka Oobleck)
In a bowl, mix about 1/2 box of cornstarch with enough water so that it feels like clay - not too powdery, not too wet. Now pick up this goop and squeeze it - it's crumbly. Hold it loosely - it oozes through your fingers. Knock on the mixture (inside the bowl) and you will find it feels hard. Put your finger slowly into it and...it is liquid. It's solid one minute, liquid the next. Magic!
Here's the explanation for why the stuff acts this way: Uncooked corn starch particles are structured in both crystalline and noncrystalline arrangements. When slowly mixed with water, the non crystalline structures of corn starch absorb most of the water. When you smack or stir it rapidly, you increase the temperature and pressure on the mixture which causes more non crystalline structures to form. These new noncrystalline structures absorb more water and the mixture becomes thicker: hence the appearance of a solid. When you discontinue the pressure, the number of noncrystalline structures decrease and water is released, creating the 'soupy' mixture.
Homemade Silly Putty
2 cups white school glue
1 cup liquid starch
Mix together and set aside until dry. Store in an airtight container.
Egg Dye
½ cup hot water food coloring
2 Tablespoon white vinegar
For each color of dye, dissolve about five drops of food coloring (more for red or blue) into the hot water. Add the vinegar and stir. More dye drops = brighter colors. The longer the eggs sit in the dyes, the deeper the colors.
Corn Starch Finger Paint
Ingredients:
* 3 tbsps. sugar
* 1/2 cup cornstarch
* 2 cups cold water
* Food coloring
* Soap flakes or liquid dishwashing soap
Method:
Mix sugar and cornstarch in medium saucepan over low heat. Add cold water and stir until mixture is thick. Remove from heat. Divide into four or five portions (in muffin tins or cups). Add a drop or two of food coloring to each portion and a pinch of soap flakes or soap. Stir and let cool. Store in airtight container.
Poster Paint
Ingredients:
* 1/4 cup flour
* 1 cup water
* 3 tbsps. powdered tempera paint
* 2 tbsps. water
* 1/2 tsp. liquid starch or liquid detergent
Method:
Pour flour into saucepan. Slowly add 1 cup water until mixture is smooth. Heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens. Cool. Add 1/4 cup flour paste into small jar or plastic container. Add tempera paint and water for each color. For opaque finish add liquid starch. For glossy finish add liquid detergent.
Sparkly Poster Paint
Ingredients:
* 1/2 cup liquid starch
* 1/2 cup soap powder
* 5/8 cup water
* food colouring or powdered tempera paint (variable amount)
* glitter
Method:
Beat together until the consistency of whipped potatoes. Add more water if necessary.
Face Paint
Ingredients:
* 1 tsp. corn starch
* 1/2 tsp. water
* 1/2 tsp. cold cream
* Food coloring
Method:
Stir together starch and cold cream until well-blended. Add water and stir. Add food coloring. Use a small brush to apply on face. Remove with soap and water.
Powdered Milk Paint
Ingredients:
* 1 part powdered nonfat milk
* 1 part cup water
* powdered tempera
Method:
Mix milk and water until milk is dissolved. Seperate mixture into different containers. Add in different coloured powdered tempera and mix.
This paint dries quickly to a glossy opaque finish and does not dust, chip or come off on your hands.
Egg Yolk Paint
Use this paint to decorate baked cookies.
Ingredients:
* 1 egg yolk
* 1/4 tsp. water
* Food coloring
Method:
Mix egg yolk with water and lots of food coloring. Use a paint brush to paint on baked cookies. Return cookies to oven until egg has solidified.
Floam
This recipe is copied from the Beyond Satire website
Ingredients
* 2 tsp. borax (available in laundry aisle at your grocery store)
* 1/2 cup water
* 1/4 cup white glue (we used Elmer's)
* 1/4 cup water
* food coloring (otherwise it will look like cottage cheese)
* an air-tight plastic bag (for mixing and storage)
* 5/3 cups of polystyrene beads (we used 2/3 cups micro-beads and 1 cup bean bag filler)
Floam™ is made with polystyrene (aka Styrofoam™) beads ranging in size from about 1 mm to 1/8 inch in diameter. You can make an approximation of the beads at home by grating polystyrene cups, packing material etc., although we did not try this. We bought two different types of beads:
* Micro-beads (about 1 mm in diameter), which we found at a Jo-Ann Fabrics & Crafts store. We had to call several stores before finding one that sold them. They can be ordered from Roseann's Dolls.
* 1/8" beads, sometimes called "milk bottle filler" or "bean bag filler", which we bought on eBay but you can also buy through Roseann's Dolls.
Instructions
1. Dissolve 2 tsp. borax completely in 1/2 cup (4 oz.) water. Set aside.
2. In a separate bowl mix 1/4 cup (2 oz.) white glue and 1/4 cup (2 oz.) water. Optionally add food coloring.
3. Pour the glue solution into the air-tight bag. Then add 3 tbsp. (9 tsp.) of the borax/water solution to the glue solution. Do not mix them yet. You will have some borax/water solution left for another batch.
4. Add the polystyrene beads.
5. Seal bag and knead by hand until thoroughly mixed. Let stand about 15 minutes, and then knead a few minutes more.
This should produce a hard clay well suited for sculpting; for a more malleable clay, use fewer beads and optionally less of the borax solution.
Notes
* The polystyrene beads will get everywhere.
* We read but did not try this tip: "If you have access to a chemical supply house, try a 4% solution of polyvinyl alcohol instead of glue for a less rubbery polymer. It will be more transparent & show off color better." Simon Quellen Field added: "Polyvinyl alcohol is easy to get: It's used in artificial tears (and of course, white glue). On that web site you will find a hundred or so synonyms -- looking them up will likely get you better prices."
* You can read safety information about borax.
* The main difference we could detect between this and Floam™ is that ours smells like glue, while theirs smells like stinky chemicals.
* Do not eat.
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