Making messes

Homemade play-dough

The children wanted to help me make play-dough. Their old play-dough had been drying out from being played with so much and also got left out a few times. We love making our own play-dough. It's cheap and we love the consistency of it, and there's only one color which means no fighting over colors!After we make play-dough we get to play with it!

Play-dough Recipe

1/2 cup salt
1 cup flour
2 tsp. cream of tarter
1 Tblsp. vegetable oil
1 cup water
food coloring

Combine all dry ingredients and oil in a saucepan. Add food coloring to the water until desired color is reached. Gradually add water to other ingredients. Cook over low heat stirring continually until dough forms a ball and is no longer sticky. Cool and store in an air-tight container. (From an old Young Women Leader- Paige Nemrow)

Homemade finger-paint

We had this big long piece of brown paper that had been used as packing material in a package we got. I ironed it and then it was just begging to be finger-painted. So, I looked up a recipe online and made some finger-paint. We made 5 different colors.
And had a fun and messy time painting away!And making hand prints, then smearing them.

Finger-paint recipe

• One-cup flour
• 1 1/4 cups hot water
• 1 1/2 cups cold water
• Two-tablespoons salt
• Food coloring or tempera paint

Mix the flour, salt, and cold water in a saucepan. Beat the mixtures (with whisk or rotary beater) until smooth. Add the hot water and boil it until the mixture is thick. Beat until smooth. Add food coloring to add color. Store this in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
(http://www.everythingpreschool.com/recipes/paint/finger.htm)

I enjoy doing things like this with my children, but I just don't do it enough. I wish I did it more often. I've found when I take time to involve them in an activity with me our whole day goes much more smoothly.