*Soap Crayon 2 parts Ivory Snow Powder 1 part Water Fook Coloring (opt.) Mix together till thick & creamy. Allow to harden. Break or cut into pieces. Or pour into ice cube trays & sit in sun to dry. Fun to write on the tub when bathing! *Frosting Dough 1 Can Frosting Mix 1 1/2 C. Powdered Sugar 1 C. Peanut Butter Spoon & Bowl Mix all ingredients in bowl with spoon. knead into workable dough. Model as with any dough. * Dryer Lint Clay.......... 2 Cups Dryer Lint ( firmly packed) 1/3 Cup warm water 6 TBS white glue 1 TBS clear dishwashing liquid Tear the lint up into little bits. Mix everything in a bowl and knead until workable. Make things. Let them dry for several days.~ * Bread Dough Recipe This is an easy recipe that you may want to mix up yourself...when you do it...it starts to seem like it is not going to work then all of a sudden you have the most wonderful dough. It is 8 slices of bread and 1/2 to 1 Cup of white glue. You can remove the crust if you want a more "pure" white dough or you can leave it on and it will have a "wheat" color to it. I start with 1/2 Cup of glue and add more as needed. You can get more specific recipes from the library in the craft section under bread dough art. We made people in our family(stick people) and they turned out really cute. * CLEAN MUD 2 rolls toilet tissue, torn into pieces 1 1/2 bars Ivory soap, shaved 2 quarts warm water Let your children help combine all ingredients in a big plastic dishpan or large bucket. Knead by hand until soft and gooey, adding more water as necessary. * CLOUD DOUGH Food coloring 1 cup water 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil 6 cups flour Add a few drops of food coloring to water. Combine water oil, and flour in a large bowl. Knead well on a countertop or other surface. If necessary, add more water in small amounts until the dough is soft and elastic. To store the dough, refrigerate it in an airtight container. Hint: Cloud dough is somewhat greasy ... make sure children play with it on a washable surface. * Corn Starch Art Combine 3 Tablespoons cornstarch with 1/4 cup of cold water in a bowl. Stir until smooth. Add two drops of dishwashing liquid. Pour 1 cup of boiling water into the bowl and stir until the mixture thickens. Add food coloring and let cool. Use as you would finger paint. * CORNSTARCH PAINT Wonderful sensory activity. Try different textures of materials to paint on (freezer bags, paper bags, aluminum foil...) 1 Tablespoons cold water 2 Tablespoons cornstarch 1 cup boiling water Food coloring Combine cold water and corn starch. Stir until smooth. Add boiling water and stir again, until smooth. Add food coloring until paint is desired color. Let cool. Store this paoint in a covered container. If mixtures dires between uses, add water to thin it. Hint: Tape the paper onto the work surface for smaller children; to reduce mess have children work on old baking sheet. * GLUE GOO STEP 1 Stir together: 2 cups white glue 1 3/4 cups water STEP 2 Separately, dissolve: 1 teaspoon Borax in 1/2 cup warm water then add to the glue mixture. Repeat twice. In order to get the mixture smooth, you will have to mix these three separately at the same time. * GOOP Fun because it seems both wet and dry at the same time! 1 box (16 oz.) cornstarch 1 cup water Food coloring (optional) Let chldren add water to the cornstarch in small additions, and mix the ingredients by hands. Add a few drops of food coloring into the mixture, if desired. Hint: Cookie trays or broiler pans that have ridged edges are a great play surface for goop and clays. * NO BAKE CLAY 1 cup salt 1 cup flour Food coloring, optional 1/2 cup water Stir salt and flour together in a medium bow. Add food coloring to water to achieve desired color. Pour water into salt and flour mixture and knead until mixture is doughy, adding more flour or wtaer as necessary. Store in airtight container. Objects made with this clay will air dry in about 48 hours. Hint: As a variation, omit food coloring and let children paint their dried creations with tempera paint. * PLAYDOUGH 2 1/2 cups flour 1/2 cup salt 3 Tablespoons oil 1 Tablespoon alum (preservative found in the spice section) 2 cups boiling water Food coloring, optional Put in bowl in order given. Stir up and add food coloring. Keep in covered dish. This dough keeps incredibly long and has a texture like store bought Play Dough. Other options: add glitter (for fun sparkle) or unsweetened koolaid powder (for scented rich color). Let the kids just play with it one day; add cookie cutters on another day. Try garlic presses, plastic knives and forks. Add a few trays to display their *baked* goodies. Bring out the candy molds and muffin trays on yet another day to extend the play! * Rainbow Crayons Save small pieces of old crayons. Peel and break into pieces. Mix colors and place in cupcake liners in muffin tins. Place muffin tin in warm oven that has been turned off. Remove from the oven when the crayons are squishy but not liquid. Let cool. Use as you would any crayon. * RAINBOW STEW 1 cup cornstarch 4 cups water 1/3 cup sugar food coloring large ziploc bags duct tape Mix all of the above ingredients together into a large fry pan. Cook until thickened. Remove and stir until cool and add coloring. Make three or four different colors of rainbow stew. Put two different colors into a large zip loc bag. Push the air out of the bags, seal and duct tape to top of ziploc bag. Let the children squeeze the bag and see what happens. This will keep for about 2 weeks. This is a wonderful lesson on primary color mixing. * SCENTED PLAYDOUGH Vibrant color, fruity scent! 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup salt 1 package unsweetened drink mix 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil 1 cup boiling water Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in oil and water, allow mixture to cool slightly, then knead until desired consistency. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Hint: Let the children play with the playdough when it is still warm (not hot!) - calming! * SLIME For a "silly putty" type substance mix equal parts of elmers glue with liquid laundry starch....for a slimmer substance mix cornstarch with water....it is slimy..and can add food coloring to it, to make it even more disgusting.... * STARCH FINGER PAINT Liquid starch (in plastic squeeze bottles) Liquid Dish Soap Dry Tempera Paint in salt shakers Use the detergent sparingly and the liquid starch generously. Colors are shaken into the liquid mixture and spread around to suit the child's taste. Some caution must be given to children about not using too much tempera or the finer paint mixture will be too dry. * We make this stuff we call glarch--some people call it Gak (it resembles the Nickelodeon "Gak" you can buy at the store)--with Elmer's glue, water and Borax. I make it white and the kids color it with markers, and it's a surefire rainy-day hit! You can also color it with food coloring and cut it w/ scissors, etc. When colored w/ markers by 2-year-olds, it quickly turns slate-gray or brown and then isn't very attractive, but it's cheap and easy to make another batch. Recipe follows: You need: 2 cups white glue 1-1/2 c. water at room temp. 1 c. hot water 2-1/2 Tbsp. Borax 2 mixing bowls mixing spoons Thoroughly blend glue and room-temp. water. In larger bowl, combine hot water and Borax, stirring until Borax is dissolved. Slowly pour glue mixture into Borax mixture, stirring constantly. Turn out and knead until it isn't sticky anymore. Will keep for weeks in a tightly covered container in the fridge. * Coffee Dough 4 c Unsifted all-purpose four 1 c Salt 1/4 c Instant coffee 1 1/2 c Warm water 1. Dissolve the coffee in the warm water. 2. In another bowl, mix the flour and the salt. 3. Make a hole in this and add 1 cup of the coffee water into it. 4. Mix with a fork or hands until smooth. 5. Add more coffee water if needed: dough should be smooth and satiny, not sticky or crumbly. Store in a plastic bag to prevent drying of the dough. Bake finished designs in a 300 degree oven for 1 hour or more (until hard). Add 2 coats of shellac to preserve. * Kool-Aid Finger Paint 2 cups flour 2 packs unsweented kool-aid 1/2 cup salt 3 cups boiling water 3T oil Mix wet into dry. The kids love the color change. Then finger paint away. * Jello Finger Paint any kind of flavored jello + enough boiling water to make it a goo consistency for fingerpaint. Use you normal fingerpainting material or glossy paper. Kids love the smell and the feel of it. * GINGERBREAD PLAY DOUGH Ingredients: 1 cup flour 1/2 cup salt 2 teaspoons cream of tartar 1 cup water 1 teaspoon vegetable oil food coloring (equal parts of red and green make brown) allspice cinnamon Directions: Mix the dry ingredients. Add allspice and cinnamon (lots --- play until you find the amount you like) for a wonderful scent. In another bowl, add food coloring to water (the color blends better this way.) Add colored water and oil to dry ingredients and stir. In a pot, cook the mixture for two to three minutes, stirring frequently. Knead the dough until it becomes soft and smooth. Allow to cool and store in an air tight container (ie, tupperware.) Try different colors and scent combinations. Unsweetened Kool-Aid can be used in place of allspice and cinnamon.Almost daily we use a batch of this dough that I made last September. It has a much nicer consistency and doesn't dry out like commercial play dough. It's fun to add this to your program in conjunction with a unit on The Gingerbread Man. * Use shaving cream---or with very little ones---aerosol whipped cream to finger paint orshape with. Pudding is anothert possibility. I've added sprinkles or non-pareils as a different sensory experience. * Silly Putty 1 part liquid Sta-Flo Starch 1 part Elmer's White Glue *Food Coloring Mix together until it feels like putty. If too sticky add 1 tsp starch. Too stringy - add 1/2 tsp. glue. Knead on a paper covered surface until smooth (takes a while) Doesn't store well. * Fruity Putty 0.3 ounce pkg. sugar free fruit flavored gelatin 2 cups flour 1 cup salt 4 Tbs. Cream of Tartar 2 cups boiling water 2 Tbs. Cooking Oil Mix dry ing. in saucepan. Add the boiling water & oil. Stir over med. heat until mixture forms a ball. Dump on wax paper. Cut the fruit picture from the box & glue it to the lid you use to store it in. * Glue Clay 3/4 cups flour 1/4 cup white glue 1/4 cup thick shampoo Combine all & knead. Add flour if needed. Roll out, shape, or cut designs. Can be painted when dry. * Puff Dough 1 cup flour 1 cup water 1 bag cotton balls Mix flour & water toghter to make a paste. Roll cotton balls in paste & carefully lift out, allowing excess to drop off. Form into desired shapes on a baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour at 325 degrees. Can be painted when cool. * Coffee Dough 1 cup flour 1 cup coffee grounds 1/2 cup salt 1 cup water 1/4 cup sand Mix ingredients together. Shape into a ball and place thumb in center to form a hole. Place a treasure inside and cover up. Let dry 4 to 5 days. It is suppose to resemble a rock or a pumice stone. Then the child cracks it like an egg. My idea is to shape it like an egg and place a dinosaur inside. Have it crack and let the child be amaze to find a dino inside. * Clay Dough 3 cups flour 3 cups salt 3 tablespoons alum Combine ingredients and slowly add water, a little at a time. Mix well with spoon. As mixture thickens, continue mixing with your hands until it has the feel of clay. If it feels too dry, add more water. If it is too sticky, add equal parts of flour and salt. * Fingerpaint Recipes WHEAT FLOUR PASTE 3 parts water 1 part wheat paste flour (same thing as wall paper paste) coloring Stir flour into water. Add coloring. (Wall paper paste can be bought at low cost in wallpaper stores or department stores.) * UNCOOKED LAUNDRY STARCH A mixture of 1 cup laundry/liquid starch, 1 cup cold water, and 3 cups soap flakes will provide a quick fingerpaint. * FLOUR AND SALT #1 1 cup flour 1 1/2 cups salt 3/4 cup water coloring Combine flour and salt. Add water. This has a grainy quality, unlike the other fingerpaints, providing a fidderent sensory experience. Some children enjoy the different touch sensation when 1 1/2 cup slat is added to the other recipes. * FLOUR AND SALT #2 2 cups flour 2 teaspoons salt 3 cups cold water 2 cups hot water coloring Add salt to flour, then pour in cold water gradually and beat mixture with egg beater until it is smooth. Add hot water and boil until it becomes clear. Beat until smooth, then mix in coloring. * Another Recipe 3T. sugar 2 C. water 1/2 C. corn starch Squirt of liquid dish soap food coloring 1. Mix together all the ingred. except food coloring and cook until it thickens. Stir constantly with a wire whisk. 2. Dived into smaller bow, and add different colors to each bowl. 3. Let the paint cool before letting the children paint