Rainy Day Activities

It never ceases to amaze me how playdough can entertain my little ones for hours on end.  Literally!  Hours!  No exaggeration here!  We have an activity cabinet in the kitchen ~ markers, crayons, stickers, workbooks, flashcards, coloring books, and a myriad of other things that can keep little hands busy while I get dinner going.  For many months, our cabinet has been void of playdough.  They keep asking, but I just haven't bought any more.  So last Friday, we finally got around to making some new to add to the assortment of playdough toys.  Store bought playdough is good, but homemade is even better.  Just the smell takes me back to my childhood days.

Here's the recipe that we used:

2 cups flour
1 cup salt
2 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon cream of tarter
2 cups warm water

Combine in a medium saucepan and stir over heat until thick.

It took us about 10 {maybe 15} minutes to measure the ingredients into a pot and stir on the stove top until thick.  Use food coloring to make the color{s} you want.

 After letting them take turns stirring the mixture , I divided the results between my big three.  The children loved getting to pick their own color.  You just can't beet the feel of warm homemade playdough.  While I like that, I wasn't tempted to sit a play awhile.  Too much to do to get ready for the lake!  I let them play while I cooked, cleaned, folded, packed bags, and packed coolers.  No joke, it was two hours later, and I had to coerce them to put the playdough and all of its paraphernalia away.  They even swept up after themselves! 

I however had to make a second pass at then entire kitchen.  That is the only downside to playdough ~ little crumbs inevitably end up on the island and floor.  In my eyes sweeping and wiping are a small price to pay for two {free} hours of quiet.

I don't know what your weather is like today, but we might need a good rainy day activity.  If you need one then look no further!  I bet you even have all of the ingredients on hand.  This will make you super mom for the day!  And you could have them use Christmas cookie cutters and bake their creations at about 250 degrees for about 2 hours, and you have the beginning of some Christmas gifts from your little ones.  Make sure you put a hole in the top before baking.  You can use a straw to make that hole. 

Now just add paint on another rainy day!  Score two for super mom!  And you have some gifts for neighbors, teachers, and grandparents.