My Swanky Crafts: Munchkin Monday 1

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Munchkin Monday 1

I know it’s TUESDAY! So, this is a day late this week..but,

I’m going to start a “Munchkin Monday”. This will just be an idea or two or three of things to do with the kiddos! I’m getting ready to ~~start~~ participate in a little mom-run preschool group, so I will be looking for and needing a lot of ideas! Here is a place I can share ideas I like so I don’t forget them, as well as share some that we do in our group as well as just me and my kids at home!!

HOMEMADE PLAY DOUGH

Playdough is a must for any toddler’s! This is the best recipe I have found for making your own!!

2 C. Flour

2. C. Warm Water

1 C. Salt

2 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil

1 Tbsp. Cream of Tarter (helps w/elasticity)

Combine all ingredients over low-med/lo heat and stir with a wooden spoon until it starts to thicken like mashed potatoes. KEEP stirring (–use those muscles you didn’t know you had ~at least, I didn’t!) until the dough starts to pull away from the pot (looking like bread dough) and starts to become dry and feels like playdough.

When it feels like playdough, remove the pan from heat and allow the dough to cool enough to handle.

TIP: If it is still sticky, you just need to cook it a little bit longer..it WILL work!

Once it is cool enough to handle, you can divide the dough and carefully add a few drops of food coloring at a time, kneading it into the dough, until you reach desired color. Use gloves if you like, my hands are currently yellow! ;) I made a divot in the dough, added a few drops of coloring and carefully (reason my hand is yellow!) turned the dough over, kneading it until the coloring was all incorporated. I made a double batch in this picture, but had already given a little away, and my son had already been playing and mixing colors with it as well!(hence the first bag of dough!) I store them in individual Ziploc bags, and then in a covered container. My last batch lasted almost a year before I threw it out, but it could have gone a little longer!

(will start out looking like this)

SENSORY BOX

This next one is a sensory “Bean Box” that my son LOVES to play with! He pours the beans back and forth, sorts them by size and color, and just plays. I have thrown some measuring cups and spoons I got at the dollar store in, w/a couple little play kitchen toys. The other container has a stove coil I drew on the bottom with a permanent marker..needs to be redrawn, but he can use it to pour, or pretend to cook. and a few other little toys. He loves this box! I had a bunch of beans in my food storage that were expired, so that’s what I used. I’ve also seen this done with popcorn kernels, as well as rice!

I spread out a mat (shower curtain actually, also from the dollar store) under the box and he knows to keep all the beans on the mat. So he can dump them out and play but they have to stay on the mat!