Old Faithful

I thought I'd start with a tried-and-true activity idea: PLAY DOUGH!

We have collected a pretty nice supply of play dough toys over the last year. Sometimes I buy cheap kitchen utensils and throw them into our play dough bin. Other times we have purchased (or been given) genuine play dough toys. One of our favorite play dough items is a Veggie Tales barber shop that was given to Nathan as a gift.

Sometimes I need to accomplish something without the toddlers tagging along and, you know, sticking their fingers in my mop water. Play dough is great for this! My older two kiddos will sit at the kitchen table working with cookie cutters, 'scissors', rolling pins, etc., for a generous chunk of time.

I used to purchase the real play dough. I honestly think that, in terms of price point, you can hardly beat the store bought stuff. However, I have reverted back to my Mom's good ole recipe for play dough because it makes such a wonderfully workable dough. For younger children, soft play dough makes the process so much more fun. Even my oldest would often get frustrated trying to mold, squish, or cut the purchased dough.

So, now I pass the recipe on to you:

Granny's Homemade Play Dough

2 1/2 cups flour
1 T. powdered alum
2 cups boiling water
1/2 cup salt
3 T oil (I use Canola or Vegetable)
Food coloring (optional)

Combine flour, salt and powdered alum together. If colored dough is desired, add food coloring to boiling water and oil. Mix liquids and dry ingredients together. If dough is sticky, knead in a little flour until smooth. Store in Ziploc bags.

My notes: I often wait until I have completely made the dough to add food coloring. I then divide the dough into several Ziploc bags and add different colors to each bag. I knead the dough in the bag. This way my kids have more color options. Also, the dough is (obviously) very hot when it first comes together. I don't work the hot dough by hand: I have a kneading attachment on my mixer. If you plan to do this by hand, you might need gloves...or you might just need to wait until the dough cools a bit!

Happy Play-doughing!